As housing providers face tighter regulation, heightened accountability, and growing expectations around health, safety and tenant voice, the University of Huddersfield has announced a new fully online Master’s in Housing Leadership, aimed at strengthening leadership capacity across the sector.
The course, which begins in January 2026, will help current and future housing leaders gain insight, confidence and strategic capability to guide organisations through reform, strengthen links between housing and health, and shape a more equitable housing system at local, national and global levels.
The course is a direct response to the increasing focus on the professionalisation of housing following recent tragedies in housing in the UK.
Designed in alignment with the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) professional standards, the course is accredited by the CIH. Further intakes are available for May and September 2026.
The fully-online course can be taken over 24 months with an option to take it full-time over one year.
Helping to equip professionals and students with skills for changes in housing sector
Designed for housing executives, managers or officers, as well as those new to the sector, the course will equip students with the skills and knowledge that the housing sector urgently needs to lead transformational change and shape the future of housing.
“We are living through a housing crisis, both nationally here in the UK and across the globe,” says Professor Philip Brown, Professor of Housing and Communities. “Inequality is widening, and housing is in short supply so we urgently need housing professionals who can respond to that crisis with empathy and leadership.
“Our researchers are active at various levels of government policy, at international, national, regional and local levels. They will be the educators on this course, so our students will be learning from real life case studies and working with stakeholders involved in practise, so there is the benefit of practise knowledge, academic knowledge and contemporary policy.”
The course could be considered by professionals working in local government, housing associations or the third sector.
Building on cutting-edge research into current housing sector issues
The university’s recent research includes work on refugee resettlement, housing quality, private sector rental rights, decarbonisation and retrofit, and damp and mould.
The course’s modules are designed to respond to the challenges faced in the housing sector today and those important to the housing system of the future:
• Housing governance and strategy
• Housing, health and the life course
• Leadership, people and organisational development in housing
• The role of housing in the future
• Research methods and professional practice
As a fully online course, Housing Leadership can be studied from anywhere at any time. Students will also have full access to a module tutor, a personal academic tutor, and academic skills tutor and a project supervisor.
Entry requirements are an honours degree (2:1 or above) or equivalent in a subject relevant to housing studies, such as social science subjects, applied sciences, business, leadership, management or administration.
Applicants with an honours degree at 2:2 may be considered where the applicant has at least one year housing sector or public health working experience, such as health education, health promotion and improvement, clinical health experience, government or non-governmental organisations, policy development and other health-related fields.
