BSc (Hons) Building Surveying

With a broad construction curriculum, this course will help to develop the skills and expertise to feel confident working within the building surveying industry. We’ll cover: construction technology; project management; law; economics; asset management; management and practice skills; and inspection, repair and maintenance. You can choose to take an optional year in industry in your third year.

Methods of assessment for course overall: 68% coursework.

Year 1

• Building services and environmental science
  This module focuses on building services and the environmental performance, and develops an understanding of how buildings perform in the areas of acoustics, heat and moisture transfer, lighting, ventilation and air conditioning design. The underlying principles of each topic will be covered, together with more advanced applications, enabling you to demonstrate an understanding of building performance to other professionals within the industry. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• Building survey and inspection
  This module focuses on the principles and application of surveying in the construction industry using both traditional and modern surveying technology, including the establishment of horizontal/vertical control and basic setting out techniques and processes. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Construction technology and materials
  This unit will introduce you to the study of building materials and how buildings are pieced together (i.e. building technology). Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• Construction technology and structures
  This module will introduce you to the study of building technology associated with larger, more complex buildings, as well as to the fundamentals of structural analysis. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• Legal and economic context
  The legal content of this module will introduce the sources and basic rules of UK law, including common law and statute law, as it affects construction and property professionals. It will provide an introduction to construction contract law, and tort and restitution law as they affect professionals. It will explain the differences between common law and equity and criminal law, and their relevance to construction and property professionals. It will establish the legal and ethical framework of Health and Safety regulation. The economics content of the module will introduce you to micro and macro economics, and will examine the theoretical and empirical framework of economics, including price formation, the theory of the firm, degrees of competition, Government economic objectives, monetary policy, behavioural economics, contract theory, inflation and unemployment. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Construction practice
  This module aims to provide you with the knowledge of the interrelationships between industry, professional bodies and education, and an understanding of key professional and research requirements. It will provide you with a roadmap for your professional career, and will enable you to prepare for employment in the construction discipline. Assessment method: 100% coursework.

Year 2

• Construction contract law
  This module examines the various types of construction contracts, including families of standard construction contracts, and the common law and legislation and administrative procedures which govern them. It provides a working knowledge and understanding of construction contract legal problems, and related applicable law, such as non-contractual liabilities. It examines when a dispute arises in legal terms, and how dispute resolution methods may be employed to resolve problems and disputes. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Estate and property asset management
  This module will give you a practical insight into managing property. The roles and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants will be considered in property management, as well as financial calculations informing property management decisions. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• Planning and development controls
  This module examines the structure and role of development controls within the development process. Planning policy and building regulations are looked at in order to understand how planning and building controls influence the success of a development, as well as its compliance with development policy. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Property inspection, repair and maintenance
  This module focuses on the range of techniques used by building surveying professionals in the undertaking of different types of surveys on commercial and large residential properties. It also focuses on the development of planned maintenance programmes and reviews financial controls and planned roll-out programmes of work, facility and asset management, building and fire safety legislation, post occupancy legislation incl. the Party Wall etc Act. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Theory of architecture, design and conservation
  This module is an in-depth review of key aspects of architecture theory, modern design and conservation through the study of selected British case studies. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Sustainable construction and the environment
  This module looks at the increasing important role of energy and environmental factors that are increasingly impacting on buildings, their use, and their occupants. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.

Year 3

• Optional placement year

Year 4

• Research paper
  This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake an independent piece of research, investigating in depth a subject in which you have a particular interest and of your own selection. You'll have to submit a dissertation of between 6,000 and 10,000 words. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Project management
  In recent years the specialism of construction project management has been developed by construction professionals working within construction companies, construction consultancies and the public sector. This specialism is required to achieve effective and efficient management of the whole construction process from inception to completion. This module seeks to support this response by introducing the theory underlying project management and applying this to practical issues and problems in the construction industry. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• Management of the firm
  This module looks at the role of the entrepreneur and how to set up a business, forms of ownership, the management and marketing of a business, in addition to understanding the financial accounts and risk management. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Contract administration
  This module provides the knowledge necessary for the execution of the contractual duties of architects, building surveyors, property and construction managers in contracting and development companies, consultancy practice, public service and private corporations. It's designed to build on and apply knowledge obtained from a study of construction law. The module is an introduction to the period of professional training necessary to qualify as a professional and covers key areas of practice. Assessment methods: 50% coursework, 50% exam.
• European construction and property
  This module takes an international perspective on the built environment by focussing on current developments in Europe in the property and construction economic sectors. The module offers a field trip to a major European city, which includes company visits and professional presentations and provides the basis for the summative assessment. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
• Property law and valuation
  This module focuses on introducing you to the various principles of law and valuation that are relevant to surveyors working in the construction and property industries. Assessment method: 100% coursework.

For those who love construction and enjoy variety in their work, surveying is an interesting and stimulating career choice. Surveyors advise clients about the design and construction of new buildings and maintenance and repair of existing buildings.

Take a look at some potential careers, including building surveyor or quantity surveying, in our Prospects section.

Many of our graduates enter the industry as trainees with quantity surveying/construction firms and organisations in UK and abroad. Recent graduates have gone onto jobs such as Graduate Building Surveyor and Property Manager.

Continuing to postgraduate studies and APC training

This course prepares you for a career in building surveying, allowing you to enter postgraduate studies and the profession at graduate surveyor level. From there you can progress to chartered status through RICS-approved Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) training.

Employability Service

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

Your lecturers are leading practitioners in their fields, so everything we do is industry relevant. Inspiring guest speakers from renowned arts organisations and theatre companies will give you further industry insight and build your professional connections.

Personal Tutoring

As a Built Environment and Architecture student, you will be allocated a named tutor during your first three weeks at LSBU.  The role of your tutor is to be your primary contact for academic and professional development support.

Your tutor will support you to get the most of your time at LSBU, providing advice and signposting to other sources of support in the University.

Your tutor should be the first person at the university that you speak to if you are having any difficulties that are affecting your work. These could be academic, financial, health-related or another type of problem.

You will have appointments with your personal tutor at least once a year for approximately 30 minutes throughout your course.  You can contact your tutor for additional support by email or phone.

• A Level BBB or;
• BTEC National Diploma DDM or;
• Access to HE qualifications with 24 Distinctions and 21 Merits or;
• Equivalent level 3 qualifications worth 128 UCAS points
• Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
• We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.

Advanced entry

• A surveying/building related BTEC HNC/HND/Foundation degree. Contact our admissions team for specific grades.

For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.

Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 226 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

Possible fee changes

The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.

The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.

Scholarships

We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.

The individual fee for this course is shown above. For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 226 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

We have a range of PhD Scholarships available in partnership with businesses and organisations; read notices of PhD studentships.