Building Surveying BSc(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• Close links with industry – from our Industrial Advisory Board to guest lecturers – provide networking opportunities and bring learning to life.
• Option of a paid placement year to gain valuable work experience and build your confidence.
• Specialist facilities including hydraulics lab, modelling studio, dynamics lab, heavy structures lab, surveying equipment and professional software such as BIM and CAD.
• Opportunities to get involved in active research projects.
• Accredited by RICS and CABE. Shared first year with our building and construction courses covers key aspects of learning across the industry.
• Tailor option modules to your interests as you progress through your course.
• Flexibility to study full- or part-time.

Year 1

In your first year you will explore fundamental elements relating to the industry.

Modules

• Introduction to the Built Environment

  This module will introduce you to the roles of construction professionals throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. You will research the design, construction and operation of buildings with a particular focus on your chosen discipline, widening your perspective of the processes involved at each stage and the statutory regulations that must be complied with. You will also take part in a residential field course, where you’ll work in teams to gain an appreciation of the construction process and the different roles within this.

• Building Technology and Design 1

  Explore the fundamental principles of building technology and architectural drawing. Through lectures and practical guided workshops, you’ll be introduced to the main principles of design and construction of low-rise residential buildings, and the architectural drawing needed to represent technical information.

• Building Technology and Design 2

  Build upon your understanding of building technology and regulations in Building Technology and Design 1. You’ll take part in lectures, drawing studios and CADD workshops and apply your knowledge to develop an individual architectural project using hand-drawing. You will learn to use an industry-standard CADD drawing package and develop skills which are essential in professional practice.

• Indoor Environment and Building Services 1

  This module will introduce you to environmental science of heat, light and sound in the context of domestic buildings and to building services. You will develop an appreciation of services provision to meet the comfort criteria of domestic buildings and an awareness of smart control and sustainable services design.

• Land and Construction Surveying

  This module will introduce you to the equipment and methods used in both land and construction engineering surveying. The module will provide you with a thorough grounding in both the theoretical and practical aspects of surveying and covers a range of surveying topics from basic measurement of heights, distances and angles, to setting out coordinate positions on site. As a result of the nature of the content, there is a focus on practical skills with much of the delivery taking place in a practical setting.

• Construction Materials for Built Environment

  This module covers basic material science relating to construction materials such as timber, steel, concrete, masonry, polymers and bituminous materials. You will develop an understanding of commonly used construction materials and evaluate the performance of different materials and to identify a variety of failure types. You will have the opportunity to test some of the main properties of basic construction materials through laboratory sessions.

Year 2

In the second year of this building surveying degree, you will build on the knowledge and skills you have gained in your first year and begin to explore aspects of building surveying in more depth.

Modules

• Building Surveying Professional Practice

  This module will explore the relevance of existing and new statutory legislation on health and safety issues relevant to building surveying practice. You will look at the framework of land law, including common law and statutory legislation and the impact on landlord and tenant and the Law of Property Act 1925 on legal estates and interests over land. You’ll also learn to appraise the design process and content of related documentation including specifications and schedules of work.

• Construction Methods and Technology

  This module will focus on the process of planning projects through the design and construction stages of a low/medium-rise development. Focusing on ‘constructability’, it will highlight the demands faced by those involved in managing the construction environment and the complex issues that arise when integrating new and more sustainable materials, technologies and construction methods, while ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of those carrying out the production operation.

• Building Information Modelling

  This module introduces building information modelling (BIM) as a tool in the design and construction management of buildings. You will develop enough theoretical insight and practical skills to be able to use BIM and demonstrate leadership and competence in advocating and enhancing it as a vehicle for cultural change in the construction industry. You will also be able to evaluate and fully utilise BIM options and its advanced features.

• Indoor Environment and Building Services 2

  During this module you will study the distribution, disposal, safety and environmental services required in high-rise and large-scale buildings. The quality of the internal environment will be considered through natural and artificial lighting, acoustics, natural and mechanical ventilation and the risk of condensation. The module will also highlight the current trend in smart and sustainable design.

• Building Surveying

  In this module you will develop the ability to observe and record building detail and condition and identify common building defects. The module comprises a formal lecture programme as well as workshops and practical activities to provide the core skills and knowledge required by building surveying practitioners. Key areas covered include building pathology, defect diagnosis, techniques to measure and survey buildings and maintenance planning.

• Cost and Contract Administration

  This module will take you through the procurement of construction projects and identify the key components of typical contracts. You will cover the process of cost control at macro and micro levels from feasibility stages of projects through design and construction phases, including management of payments, progress and quality and how construction contracts ensure performance by the parties involved.

Placement year

A placement year offers an excellent opportunity to gain work experience and significantly enhances your CV.

There are lots of advantages of taking a placement year. You get to:

• apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges
• gain new skills and discover new ones, which will help in your career
• explore career options, helping you think about what you don’t want to do as well as what you do
• boost your confidence and organisational skills
• build your network of professional contacts 
• come back for your final year more focused, more organised and more confident.

It can also count towards your professional experience to become chartered after you graduate.

Brighton students have been on placements in organisations including:

• Johnson Gillies Chartered Building Surveyors and Building Consultants
• Baily Garner LLP
• Portsmouth City Council.

Final year 

In your final year you will develop and complete your individual research project. You will also choose from option modules, giving you flexibility to specialise in areas that interest you most.

Modules

Core modules

• Building Pathology and Life Care

  This module covers the issues that must be addressed when proposing an adaptation of any large-scale residential or commercial building. You will explore the processes involved in adaptation, which include carrying out a pre-adaptation survey to identify any defects and causes, developing a life care plan and a repair strategy for any observed defects, and proposing change of use for a redundant or obsolete building within the constraints of the statutory regulations and market demand.

• Advanced Building Surveying

  This module will increase your range and depth of knowledge and professional competencies in determining and responding to a client's requirements over property-related matters. You will study topics including survey writing, legal advice, project management, property development and management, alterations to buildings and defect analysis.

• Honours Project

  This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake an independent research programme on a subject of particular interest to you. You will be able to study a specific aspect of the course to a far greater depth than would be possible in any taught module and gain the experience of planning, undertaking and writing up a research study that will culminate in a final assessment.

Options*

• Environmental Impact Assessment

  Environmental impact assessment [EIA] is an important phase in the implementation of a development, whether that is a pipeline, housing development, the Olympic park or the proposed HS2 railway. In this module, you will examine the policies and practice behind EIA and the techniques and methodologies designed to consider the environmental consequences of activities. Although focused on UK practice, the module considers the evolution of environmental assessment both in the UK and globally.

• Construction Risk and Financial Analysis

  This module will provide you with a framework of knowledge in health and safety risk and cost and financial risk analysis at various levels of activity so that you can make informed judgements and recommendations regarding business and project performance. It will also give you a thorough understanding of the appropriate decision-making tools for managing people and organisations.

• Project Planning and Analysis

  Providing a problem-solving scenario for you to develop individual responses while working in a group, the focus of this module is to identify a feasible plan to a complex project. This will demonstrate the best trade-offs on time, cost and performance, bearing in mind the need for health, safety and welfare, and the ‘constructability’ of the proposal. You will also learn to use computers to produce plans using sophisticated industry-led software.

• Waste Management and the Circular Economy

  This module explores the key issues in waste management including the development of policy and services in the UK, options for managing waste, and the environmental, social and economic implications of waste. It introduces the concept of the circular economy and the role of different stakeholders in developing sustainable waste management systems. It also considers different approaches to promoting pro-environmental behaviour and explore the international context of waste management.

• Sustainable Construction

  This module will highlight the demand that construction places on finite resources and the necessity to build in a sustainable manner. You will study how building design, procurement, materials and methods of construction are related to buildings solutions at both national and international level. You’ll also evaluate and critically appraise benchmarks for sustainable construction.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) 

At Brighton, you will have the opportunity to learn Building Information Modelling (BIM). The industry standard BIM application 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, as part of your studies, can help to give you a professional advantage when you graduate.

You will begin to develop your knowledge and skills in BIM by gaining a comprehensive understanding of modelling a building in a 3D environment, applying contractual requirements and learning about the building lifecycle. 

You will then have the opportunity to further investigate BIM's capabilities. The UK government currently states that all publicly-funded projects must now meet the BIM protocol. This has created a growing demand for professionals with BIM experience following the resulting push for BIM to be quickly adopted in the industry.

Meet the team

Dr Hannah Wood, course leader

“My teaching encompasses a range of subjects across the built environment and civil engineering disciplines, including introduction to the built environment (focusing on regulations and legislation within the construction industry and practical construction skills), surveying practice, construction surveying, construction management and project management for construction.

My teaching is underpinned by real-life projects and examples, incorporating site visits, field courses and practical workshops where possible. I use engaging and interactive teaching methods and blended learning to appeal to a wide range of learning styles. In one of my modules in particular I use flipped teaching – lectures are pre-recorded and watched by the students at their own pace before attending a tutorial-based face-to-face session – this has proved very effective, appealing to students with a wide range of abilities and interests.”

Dr Hannah Wood

Course fees

This course offers a professional placement (sandwich) year in year 3. If you choose to take this placement you will pay a reduced fee during this year. For students starting their undergraduate degree in the 2025–26 academic year, the fee for the professional placement year is £1,500 for UK students and £1,850 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases in line with inflation.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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