Surveying (Quantity Surveying) MSc
2 Years | Distance Learning | Upcoming Intakes: October 2025, January 2026, April 2026

In this module you will learn about the strategic management and organisational development contexts that shape the built environment, its markets and professions You will critically review and evaluate the operating environment of built environment organisations through the application of strategic management and organisational development theory.

Within each of these areas you will study a range of topics to support this:
• Strategic Management
o The strategic management process
o The external and internal business environment
o Determining the organisations strategic position
o Moving the organisation on through strategic options and implementation
• Organisational Development
o The meaning and nature of organisations
o Organisation structure and culture
o Management and leadership within organisations
o Organisational development and change

On completion of this module the knowledge and understanding acquired forms part of the broader contextual framework for the study of your discipline specific professional pathway.

You will develop, throughout this module, academic and professional skills relating to the use and evaluation of data; effective communication; self-direction and personal responsibility; and the role of ethics and corporate social responsibility within businesses

In this module you will be introduced to the legal system and professional practice concepts that underpin the role of the surveying professional. You will initially study key professional competencies that form part of the RICS mandatory competencies and the CIH code of professional standards. You will then explore key principles contained within the English legal system as they pertain to practice such as legal reasoning and legislation.

Within each of these areas you will study a range of topics to support this:
* Professional competencies

o Professional ethics

o Professionalism and client care

o Communication and avoiding/resolving conflicts

o RICS competencies and continuing professional development

* Legal systems

o Introduction to the English legal system and legal study skills

o Contract Law and the formation of contracts

o Contract law and associated problems

o Land law

o Tort

o Landlord and tenant law

On completion of this module the knowledge and understanding that you have acquired will form part of the broader contextual framework that will prepare you for the further, detailed study of your chosen discipline.

You will develop, throughout this module, academic and professional skills relating to effective communication; self-direction and personal responsibility; and the role of professionalism and ethics within practice.

This module aims to further develop your understanding of the key processes and practices applied within the quantity surveying profession. The module has been designed to be aligned with the RICS competencies framework.

The module will cover the following topics:

• Strategic Procurement,
• Commercial Management (Including Financial Control of Projects)
• Project Management (Including Supply chain management and Health and Safety Management)
• Building Measurement (NRM2)
• Civil Engineering Technology and Measurement (CESMM4)

In this module you will design and implement a substantive research based investigation in order to address a self-selected, authentic work based or professional/practice related problem within your discipline area. This student-led, independent study allows you to synthesize and apply previous learning and experience, and build upon existing academic, research and personal skills.

You will learn how to effectively engage with the research process in an applied context. Aspects will include:
• Application of appropriate research questions
• Critical evaluation of existing literature and other sources to develop conceptual and theoretical frameworks for analysis
• Application of research theory and methods in implementing a piece of research in practice, including critical awareness of research theory, approaches, methods and ethics.
• Application of frameworks to provide an integrated critical analysis of theory and data to identify evidence based conclusions and recommendations where appropriate
• Project management

You will develop your skills as autonomous, reflective learners in the process of completing the research based study.

An in-depth and complex understanding of the chosen area of your professional discipline, and the skills developed in this module, will be demonstrated in a scholarly, academically rigorous research based study article The advanced knowledge gained through original data collection and analysis, and theoretically informed critical evaluation, will have the potential to contribute to the relevant disciplinary community of practice.

In this module you will gain an understanding of, and examine, the role of the surveyor in managing property, construction contracts and the design process. You will learn to identify and analyse the key theories and procedures within construction projects including procurement, tendering and contract selection. You will understand how these are integrated within the roles and duties of the contract administrator and health and safety practice. An understanding of design principles and practice along with specification writing will further enhance your practical skills and compliment the theoretical knowledge learnt.

You will develop, throughout this module, academic and professional skills relating to the use and evaluation of data; effective communication; self-direction and personal responsibility; and the role of ethics and corporate social responsibility within businesses.

This module aims to further develop your understanding of the key processes and practices undertaken by the quantity surveying profession during the development process.

The module will include the following topics:

• Preliminary and Cost Estimating
• Cost Planning, Checking and Analysis
• Cost Modelling
• Building Morphology, Risk Management, Programming Construction Works
• Building Information Modelling (BIM) (Costing, Navisworks)

This module will develop your understanding of the knowledge underpinning the work of the professional quantity surveyor. You will develop, throughout this module, academic and professional skills relating to the use and evaluation of cost and other building information data; effective communication; and self-direction and personal responsibility. Exposure throughout the module to real world practice will enhance the skills necessary for employment in this surveying discipline.

In this module you will learn the fundamentals of construction technology in the context of a society’s aim of mitigating climate change. The syllabus includes the processes and technology of commercial and domestic construction, both current and the recent past to equip graduates with the knowledge to manage the construction, maintenance and development of property assets. The importance of the environmental impact of materials and the use of life cycle costing to enhance sustainability will supplement the teaching of low carbon construction technology and energy sources.

Within each of these areas you will study a range of topics to support this:

• Construction technology
o The structural elements, finishes and services found in typical low rise domestic construction.
o The structural elements, finishes and services found in commercial and industrial property.
• Low carbon design
o Site selection and building orientation
o Passive low carbon design in the domestic and commercial field
o Water conservation
o Green roof and wall applications
o Sustainable urban drainage
• Renewable energy applications
o Photovoltaic applications
o Biomass heating
o Ground and air source heat pumps
o Solar water heating
o Wind energy

On completion of this module the knowledge and understanding acquired forms part of the broader contextual framework for the study of your discipline specific professional pathway.

You will develop, throughout this module, academic and professional skills relating to the use and evaluation of data; effective communication; self-direction and personal responsibility.

In this module you will develop your understanding of the research process and research methods. You will engage with materials that will enable you to plan and design a research proposal for a subsequent research based study in your discipline area.

Aspects will include:
• Engagement with the purpose and process of research
• Identification and refining of appropriate research questions
• Critical awareness of research theory, approaches, methods and ethics, to inform effective research design
• Searching for, managing and evaluatingsources for inclusion in a literature review

You will develop your skills as autonomous, reflective learners in support of the process of completing the dissertation.