The Relevance and Importance of the Needs of the Property Industry in South Africa in Informing the Curriculum Development of Post Graduate Property Studies

"University studies undertaken by any student will not only be informed and influenced by the current body of knowledge that exists in the particular area of study that the student intends embarking upon, but in many instances, also by the requirements that potential employers and the industry may have that the graduate will eventually be working in. In other words, the relevance of the education that is provided by Universities is not only to be tested by the quality of the research output of its academic staff but also by the view taken by industry of the ability of the said Universitiesí graduates to become valuable employees and indeed, in future, potential employers of the future, as well as being competent and well respected practitioners in their respective fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a study undertaken of senior management of large companies operating in the property industry in South Africa. The focus of the study was to investigate what knowledge and competence is required by the property industry in South Africa of students who have completed their post graduate studies. The hypothesis of such a study would then be to determine whether or not the curriculum of the post graduate programmes like that offered in Property Development and Management by the School of Construction Economics and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, was considered to be relevant by those surveyed and therefore how the results of such a study should inform curriculum development on such post graduate programmes in future. Apart from providing an indication of the body of knowledge that property companies require of South African graduates, the research will also suggest the academic requirements of property programmes in emerging countries.""