Overview
ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
The School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at UCT is accredited with the South African Council for the Architectural Professions (SACAP), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), thus confirming its status as one of the leading architectural schools globally.
The school was established more than 60 years ago and Associate Professor Alta Steenkamp is currently the Director of the School . Testament to the quality of the school is the fact that its staff and students frequently win local and international awards for their work. The school is renowned for attracting a broad cross-section of students and teachers thus facilitating a unique exchange of ideas. Through its stated intention to address the unique challenges facing the development, planning and design problems within a southern African context, the school makes an ongoing contribution to the global architectural knowledge base.
GEOMATICS
If you are eager to develop your knowledge and understanding of society's needs and possess the desire to contribute to the quality of life of all South Africans as well as the management of our heritage, then a career in the field of Geomatics is for you. Geomatics is both an applied science and a professional discipline and it refers to the integrated approach of measurement, analysis, management and display of spatial data. Using the latest satellite, laser and information technology, Geomatics professionals are involved in planning, conducting and managing activities related to land and engineering surveying, information systems, land development and planning, land reform, law and commerce. Geomaticians are making use of technological advances and branching into new and challenging areas of specialisation and research.
Due to a growing realisation that spatial information is a very valuable resource and that highly skilled individuals are needed to create, manage and analyse it, employment opportunities abound. There is a shortage of professionals in surveying, geographic information science (GIS) and remote sensing in South Africa and abroad, resulting in good employment prospects. Career opportunities exist in private practices, aerial survey companies, offshore survey companies, mining houses and government. This is an ideal career for a person who enjoys mathematics and would like to have independence in their day-to-day work.
UCT was the first university in southern Africa to offer a degree in surveying and also to embrace the expanded discipline of geomatics. It remains one of the few institutions offering GIS specialisation at an undergraduate level and is recognised nationally and internationally for its excellence in geomatics education.
To find out more about the degrees offered, visit the Geomatics website.
