Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management with Foundation Year

Quantity surveying and commercial management is the discipline that keeps construction projects financially viable. Quantity surveyors manage costs across the full lifecycle of a project, from initial feasibility and budget estimation through procurement, contract management and final accounts. They are the professionals who ensure that what is built is what was planned for, at the price agreed, and they operate at the interface between technical construction knowledge and commercial and contractual expertise.

The profession is consistently in demand because every significant building project needs people who can manage its financial complexity.

At the University of Derby this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, giving you a structured entry point if your prior qualifications do not meet the standard entry requirements but you have the aptitude and commitment to succeed in the subject. The foundation year builds the business, mathematics and construction knowledge you need before advancing to the honours programme. The full degree also includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and embedded work placements, making it a practice-rich programme that connects academic learning to real professional experience from an early stage.

Derby's description of the programme notes that quantity surveyors are highly sought after because they combine financial and business acumen with first-rate technical skills, and the structure of the degree is designed to develop exactly that combination.

You will study construction technology, contract law, cost management, procurement strategy, project management, and the commercial dimensions of built environment projects.

Graduates pursue careers as quantity surveyors, commercial managers and cost managers in construction companies, consultancies, developers, housing associations and public sector organisations. The degree provides a pathway to chartership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which is the principal professional qualification in the field. Many graduates progress quickly to senior roles, and some pursue postgraduate study in project management or commercial management.