About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: K440
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 280
- Department: Construction and Property
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full-time; four years sandwich
- Delivery: Full-time, sandwich
- Study Abroad: Yes
- Programme leader: Teresa Wood BEd, Dip ToC, MA
- Key fact: This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Introduction
The BSc(Hons) Real Estate (Valuation and Management) will appeal to you if you have an interest in the practical side in working in commercial or residential property. For example, buying and selling, valuations, resolving landlord and tenant disputes, negotiating compensation and day-to-day management.
Property impacts on everyone and every business, from houses we live in, to places of work and leisure. The property industry needs professionals to develop, sell and manage this built environment. The benefit of this course is that it prepares you for work in a wide variety of Built Environment sectors.
Structure
Content
You will develop skills and knowledge in the areas of building construction, law, valuation, planning, sustainability, business economics, management, and interprofessional skills. In addition, you will develop interpersonal, communication, negotiation, presentation and business skills. Optional subjects are available in the third year to enable you to follow particular topics of interest, such as Total Quality Management or a European language.
The Department's inter-professional approach includes projects where you will work with students from other disciplines within the built environment. This encourages mutual respect and understanding of the other professionals with which you are likely to be working during your career, and helps you to develop and practise the skills of presentation, negotiation, communication, and teamwork.
Teaching and learning
Teaching methods are varied depending on the module; lectures, project work and tutorials all have a part to play. Assessment is achieved through a balance of coursework and examinations. Examinations are held in either January or May/June. Coursework will be assessed by means of essays, reports, surveys, design projects, teamwork and role plays.
You are encouraged to do 'formative work' to prepare for assessments: this does not count towards your marks but the feedback which you receive will help you to improve your performance. Support is available for students who have difficulties with numeracy, IT, literacy and study skills.
The teaching staff provide a friendly, enabling environment for learning. They are also actively engaged in research or professional practice, ensuring that you learn directly from the latest academic and business developments.
Study time
The course is normally studied full-time. It might be possible to study the course part time by selecting fewer modules each year than if you studied full time. However, this means that you will need to be prepared to attend lectures, etc several times a week depending on when modules are scheduled for full time students.
Special Features
Professional accreditation
The course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and satisfies the academic requirements for full membership of the RICS. On successful completion of the course you are required to spend a minimum of two years in practice and pass an Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), set by the RICS, before gaining full membership.
Taking a placement during your course can count as one of your APC years. This means that you could become a member of the RICS after only one year of graduating, which increases your appeal to potential employers. Details of RICS membership requirements can be found at www.rics.org.uk.
Links with Employers
The programme has strong links with professional practice and intuitions. Through our unique Real Estate Partners Employers consortium our students meet with major employers on field trips in their second and final years. Employers input into programme development, through visiting speakers, industry projects, site visits and review of modules.
Placements
If you are doing the full-time course, you may spend your third year in a placement to gain practical experience, and to qualify for a 'sandwich' degree. The integration of a placement into courses is highly favoured by employers.
A placement connects university with work, allowing you to consolidate your knowledge and skills by applying them in a professional situation in the real world. This experience will also enrich and focus your final year studies. We offer support and guidance to help you find a placement, and you will be visited by a tutor who will also be available if you have any problems.
Fieldwork
We encourage a close knit community spirit on our course and facilitate this with a trip to a field study centre during Induction week. Here you will have an early opportunity to establish friendships and develop as a group.
In the final year there will be a field trip to a major European city. Recent destinations have included Budapest, Berlin, Vienna, Leipzig and Prague. The objective of this visit is for you to learn about the European property market. Both trips are subsidised by the Department, although students are expected to contribute towards the cost.
Study facilities
A range of specialist facilities are provided by the Department. A suite of computer rooms supports software for word processing, data analysis and spatial enquiry. They provide access to e-mail and internet, including Faculty and University websites which enable you to use a vast number of specialist electronic journals and publications, and resources provided by lecturers to support their modules.
A Project Room provides space for students to work on individual and group assignments, together with a range of materials and equipment. An audio-visual group provides support for photography, digital imaging, filming and sound recording.
You may also use the well equipped laboratory for spatial analysis (including mapping and Geographical Information Systems), with a specialist technician supporting both teaching and research.
The Department is based in a large modern building, to which a new set of studios and teaching rooms (designed by a member of the Department) have recently been added.
Student representatives sit on a wide range of committees from University to course level, where they can influence discussions and decisions which affect your learning experience.
Careers/further study
Careers in property are varied, challenging and exciting. Valuers and surveyors can be involved with many aspects of property: management, valuation, development, taxation, purchase, sales and disposal. Job opportunities are wide, and diverse. Recent graduates are working in private practice, in firms such as GVA, Savills, HSBC, Persimmon Homes and the Irish National Building Society. Others are working in the public sector, specifically Local Authorities and the Valuation Office.
Previous graduates have worked in residential and commercial property organisations ranging from large national/international companies through to small independent surveying firms, consultancy, and local government.
This course meets the academic requirements for membership of Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV) which also has links to the European group of Valuers (TEGOVA).
The European Council of Real Estate Professions (CEPI) recognises this degree as it meets their educational requirements for estate agents and property managers.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating- includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Key employer partnerships
The course is supported by a group of employers who contribute towards resources used in teaching, offer sponsorship and placements to students, and who are keen to employ our graduates. Find out more about our real estate consortium.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about some of the key jobs in construction and property.
Useful links
UWE - careers in property
European Council of Real Estate Professions (CEPI)
Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV)
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 280
- GCSE: Maths and English Language at grade C or above required.
- Specific subjects: None specified
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about entry requirements.
On the course, you will learn how to undertake property valuations and use business statistics, so you need to be comfortable with using maths and must have at least a grade C in GCSE Maths.
Fees
Details regarding fees and funding are available on the Money matters webpages.
How to apply
Please see the general information about applications.
Students who successfully complete the Built and Natural Environments foundation course may be permitted to transfer onto the first year of this degree course.
We welcome applications from students without the conventional entrance requirements but have substantial relevant work (or other experience) and whose motivation and skills would enable them to succeed on the course.
Students with disabilities
We welcome applications from people with disabilities.
We are committed to supporting students with disabilities, and wherever possible we will make reasonable adjustments to these activities to enable students with disabilities to successfully complete the course. We encourage applicants to disclose any disabilities or support needs in their application forms, so that we can offer information, advice and support. There is a Disability Service at UWE Bristol and a Disability Support Co-ordinator in the Faculty. Following is a list of the types of activities that the course normally involves.
- Use a computer
- Read and produce drawings, plans and maps
- Visually inspect buildings and locations, including physical movement around and through buildings and locations
- Visually inspect construction sites, including physical movement around and through construction sites
- Participate in field courses or activities away from the University
- Measure distances and sizes of buildings, materials or sites
- Team working and negotiation
- Take part in discussions and presentations
Open days
We run open days throughout the year, when you can meet lecturers and current students, see the facilities and resources that we offer, and visit the student accommodation. Please ask for details. For further information regarding the course, you are welcome to contact:Teresa Wood (Programme Leader) Teresa.Wood@uwe.ac.uk or the Admissions team admissions@uwe.ac.uk +44 (0)117 32 83333.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011