Building Surveying

This is a Connected Degree

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview

As a building surveyor, you'll be at the heart of decision-making in construction projects that could transform the built environment or contribute to a more sustainable world. You'll advise on the specification of exciting new development proposals and be responsible for assessing the success of repairs and renovations.

On this BSc (Hons) Building Surveying degree course, you'll develop the technical skills and experience you need for a specialist career as a chartered building surveyor. You'll also have the expertise to consult and lead on facilities management, project management and building conservation.

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), graduating from this degree course is the first step to becoming a Chartered Building Surveyor.

Course highlights

• Learn from practising building surveyors and guest speakers, including leading industry professionals and members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

• Benefit from our links to industry through our professional advisory board, a collection of professionals in relevant industries who help shape our course content

• Simulate projects you'll do in your career, with practical surveying sessions in residential and commercial test environments

• Work collaboratively with students from other courses to complete projects, preparing for a career working in multidisciplinary project teams

• Put theory to the test on field trips to locations such as the Passivhaus standard housing development, school refurbishment projects and The National Self Building and Renovation Centre

• Get the opportunity to visit a European city and develop a research project around the city's built environment

• Develop your knowledge of building information modelling (BIM) techniques on industry-standard software

Accreditation
This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Careers and opportunities

90% of our graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduation and 95% are working in highly skilled roles in areas of architecture, surveying, construction, engineering and management.

What's more, graduates from all our building courses are earning an average salary of £27,000 after 15 months, and £38,500 after 5 years.

What jobs can you do with a Building Surveying degree?

Roles you can go onto include:

• building surveyor

• assistant building surveyor

• project manager

• facilities manager

• BIM coordinator

• historic building conservationist

• property developer

When you finish the course, our careers and employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. We'll give you advice and support for up to 5 years after you graduate, to help you get the best start to your career.

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-building-surveying#modules

You’ll be assessed through:

• written exams
• web assessments
• essays and reports
• presentations
• an individual project

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

• Year 1 students: 43% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 49% by coursework
• Year 2 students: 35% by written exams, 25% by practical exams and 40% by coursework
• Year 3 students: 28% by written exams, 23% by practical exams and 49% by coursework

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Chartered Surveyors, Royal Institution of