Building Surveying BSc(Hons)

Course in brief

As a building surveyor you will be involved in the development, management, conservation, refurbishment and maintenance of all types of real estate.

On the course you will gain extensive knowledge in all the elements involved in building surveying, including construction technology, building pathology, property management and property law. You will build experience from fieldwork, project work and practical workshops using specialist facilities.

Our focus on interdisciplinary learning means you will study and work alongside students from related fields, mirroring the real-world working environment you will experience after you graduate.

Our network of local industry links and the option of a salaried professional placement year will further increase your employability and help provide you with valuable networking opportunities.

The course is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

At Brighton you will have the opportunity to learn Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM is widely used in the UK construction industry to manage and deliver building construction projects from concept to completion. Gaining skills and experience in BIM levels 1 and 2 will add to your employability, giving you an advantage when you graduate.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code K230

Full-time 3 years
With placement year 4 years
Part-time 4–6 years

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

Clearing 2017

Places are available on this course for UK, other EU and international students.

Read our Clearing guide

Applying for 2018: read our guide

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBC–CCC (112–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non–academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
28 points, with three subjects at Higher level.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 24 credits at merit or above.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language, maths and a science.

Foundation degree/HND
International foundation may be considered. Applicants with an HND or foundation Degree may be considered for year 2 entry.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

Mature students
Applications from mature candidates with built environment experience are welcome but are subject to RICS requirements. Contact us for details.

Studying part-time
Part-time students should apply direct to the university.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

Our courses are under continual review, and improvements and enhancements to this course will be confirmed on this page in July. If you have already applied you can find more information on the applicant portal.

Modules in your first year will provide you with a good introduction to the subject.

From your second year onwards, you will have more control over what you study – each year you will choose from a raft of option modules.

You may choose to spend a year in industry on a work placement we will help you to arrange. This will significantly enhance your CV and boost your employability.

Activity weeks take place in each semester allowing time for concentrated design projects, surveying practice, site visits to construction projects and heritage buildings.

Year 1

In your first year, you will be introduced to various aspects of surveyance.

Modules

Building Technology and Design
Indoor Environment and Building Services 1
Introduction to the Built Environment
Structural Form and Behaviour
Construction Materials
Surveying Practice (Land Surveying)
Computer-aided Drafting and Design (CADD) Practice

Option modules

Mathematics 1
French, German or Spanish Language Modules at Level 4

Year 2

In your second year, you will select from a range of optional modules as you begin to specialise in the areas of the course that interest you the most.

Modules

Property Law
Cost and Contract Administration
Construction Methods and Technology
Research Methodology
Indoor Environments and Building Services 2
Building Surveying 2
Design Without Borders

Option modules

Building Information Modelling (BIM) 1
IT Graphics for Construction
Construction Surveying
Environmental and Spatial Planning
French, German or Spanish Language Modules at Level 5

Placement year

A placement year offers an excellent opportunity to gain work experience, build a professional network, increase your confidence, develop existing skills and discover new ones. For these reasons and more, we encourage all of our students to opt for a four-year programme.

You can expect to earn between £10,000 and £17,000 for a year's work, and some placements offer books, a transport allowance, a lodging allowance, a final year sponsorship and even the potential for a job after graduation.

Previous students have worked in an exciting range of places including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

Final year

In your final year you will consolidate your existing knowledge. You will also have the opportunity to broaden or hone your specialisms.

Modules

Building Surveying 3
Honours project
Building Pathology and Life Care

Option modules

Building Performance and Design Configuration
Project Planning and Analysis
Building Information Modelling (BIM) 2
Principles of Sustainable Construction
Environmental Impact Assessment
Waste Management
French, German or Spanish Language Modules at Level 6

Careers and employability

Our links with local industry will help you find placement opportunities and employment after graduation.

Graduates have undertaken careers within companies including Malcolm Hollis, CBRE, University of the Arts, Mace, Portsmouth City Council, Stiles Harold Williams, Clifford Dann, Coppard Giles. And have taken on roles such as traditional chartered surveying practice, asset valuation, insurance assessment, estates management, construction management, project management, property management and facilities management.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,000 for home students and £2,000 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.

Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city.

The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.

As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Just two miles north of Brighton city centre and the seafront, Moulsecoomb is the largest of our five campuses with more than 8,000 students. A wide variety of subjects are taught here, from engineering and product design to business and law.

Students benefit from many professional-standard facilities, including a flight simulator, design and digital media suites, and specialist research laboratories. The campus library, Aldrich, offers long opening hours and a diverse collection of books and journals for students from all subject areas.

Sports enthusiasts will enjoy our basketball and badminton courts, fitness suite and climbing wall. The campus is also a few minutes walk from the South Downs National Park, providing a great place to relax during the summer months.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Grand Parade is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance.
Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus.
Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence.
Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field.
Varley Park and Falmer are around four miles from Brighton centre; there are good public transport services nearby.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Moulsecoomb campus map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

Find out more

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