Master of Human Settlements (Leuven)

The Master of Human Settlements provides insights into the challenges and opportunities of worldwide settlements in an era of rapid change. The intensive program seeks to expose the multi-faceted challenge of contemporary human settlements, from multi-disciplinary and multi-scalar perspectives. It develops a critical and interpretative approach towards developing their own position within the field.

The Master of Human Settlements addresses rapid urbanisation in the developing world and contemporary urban transformations. Architecture, urbanism, landscape architecture and spatial planning are the core disciplines underpinning the program. Contributions from economics, geography and anthropology, among others, complement the core, to better understand the interplay of human and natural ecosystems. The program thrives from its truly international body of students and the faculty’s long-standing research expertise in worldwide contexts.

The development of MaHS as an ICP program is supported by a number of partners across the globe: the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa), University of Guayaquil (Ecuador), Technical University Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya), Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique) and Birzeit University (Palestine). Every year, partner co-production reinforces the unique and distinctive trait of the MaHS, namely that of an integrated approach to urban development that finds its best expression in the design studio where real-world problems are tackled. These intensive and shared design experiences are jointly organised with ICP partners as a way to balance fundamental and applied knowledge within a research-oriented approach.

Design studios form a significant component of the programme. They are organised as two full days of work on Mondays and Tuesdays providing an intensive and immersive working environment, as is the norm in most professional practices. A balance between teamwork and individual contributions is developed and students are subdivided into small, mixed groups from the outset. Core courses are directly related to studio practice. A research thesis can be developed in line with a specific programme profile and supporting courses.