Building Surveying

Building surveying is the professional discipline concerned with understanding, assessing and managing the physical fabric of buildings: their construction, condition, defects, value and the legal and financial frameworks that govern their development, sale and maintenance. Building surveyors advise clients on everything from the condition of a property before purchase to the management of major refurbishment and construction projects, and they play a central role in maintaining and improving the built environment. The profession is regulated, and qualifying as a chartered building surveyor through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is the principal career pathway after graduation.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year full-time degree develops your knowledge of building construction, defects, surveying technology, project management, law, economics and the financial appraisal of construction projects. You will study the methods used to analyse the cost and financial feasibility of construction and development projects, and you will develop the communication and team management skills that the collaborative nature of construction and property work demands. A sandwich year placement and a work placement are both built into the programme, giving you significant professional experience in a built environment context and ensuring that your academic learning is directly connected to real practice.

You will develop the technical knowledge, analytical skills and professional judgement that building surveying requires, alongside the ability to communicate clearly with clients, contractors, legal professionals and other members of project teams.

Graduates typically pursue RICS membership through the Assessment of Professional Competence, which requires a period of structured work experience after graduation and leads to Chartered Building Surveyor status. Career pathways include building surveying practice, project management, facilities management, housing, property development, and conservation. Further study at postgraduate level is an option for those seeking to specialise or pursue research.