Housing Studies

Housing studies is a discipline that examines one of the most fundamental aspects of people's lives, the places where they live, through the lenses of policy, planning, economics, sociology, and geography. It asks how housing markets work, why housing is unaffordable for so many, how social housing is managed and allocated, how planning systems shape the built environment, and how housing connects to broader patterns of inequality, community, and wellbeing. The discipline is both analytical and practical, preparing graduates to work in the organisations that provide, manage, and regulate housing.

At Leeds Beckett University, this three-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you experience of housing systems and urban contexts in a different national setting, which enriches your understanding of the choices that different societies make about how housing is provided and regulated. You will develop understanding of housing policy at national and local level, planning and development processes, housing management, regeneration, homelessness, and the social and economic forces that shape housing markets. The programme includes fieldwork in different urban environments, giving you direct experience of the spatial and social realities the course examines.

Graduates of housing studies programmes work in housing associations, local authorities, central government housing departments, homelessness charities, housing development companies, estate agencies, and property consultancies. The Chartered Institute of Housing offers a route to professional membership for graduates working in the sector, which is valued by many employers. Further study in housing, planning, social policy, or urban studies is open to graduates who wish to develop specialist expertise or move into research and policy roles.