BSc Hons Building Surveying

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Northumbria University

Program Overview

This degree combines technical, legal, and practical skills to prepare you for a career in building surveying—inspecting, maintaining, refurbishing, and managing buildings, from historic structures to modern developments. It suits people who like working on site, solving problems (defects, materials, environmental issues), and bringing together knowledge of law, technology, and project control.

Curriculum Structure

Year One (Level 4)
In your first year you’ll build a foundation in the built environment, covering modules such as The Evolution of the Built Environment (20 credits), which explores historical to modern building styles, context, and surveying professions; Construction Technology where you learn basic building systems, materials, regulatory and environmental issues; Property Surveying where you use surveying tools to measure buildings, identify defects, and learn about low-carbon design and refurbishment.

Year Two (Level 5)
Here the focus shifts towards deeper professional and technical competence—modules like Contract Administration and Practice, which teaches you about procurement, tendering, health & safety, and how surveyors work in contract roles; and more advanced property surveying tasks, diagnostics, perhaps planning conservation and cost control. You also explore how economics works in development and construction through Development and Construction Economics.

Final Year (Level 6, or with Placement Option)
In your final year you’ll pull together all your learning in real-world or realistic professional contexts: diagnosing defects, advising clients via modules like Building Advice Centre, engaging in live or field-based projects, potentially taking a placement year to gain on-site experience that counts toward chartered status. You’ll also work on advanced survey techniques, building pathology, and the professional practice side (law, contract work, ethics).

Focus areas

Building pathology & defects diagnosis; Measurement & refurbishment; Law, contracts & procurement; Sustainability & low carbon design; Digital surveying tools; Conservation & heritage.

Learning outcomes

You will graduate able to carry out thorough building surveys; identify and diagnose defects; understand legal, contractual, environmental constraints; communicate professionally with clients and stakeholders; manage refurbishment or conservation projects; engage with health, safety, and sustainability issues.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

This programme is accredited by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which means it meets standards for graduate membership and helps pave the way toward becoming a Chartered Building Surveyor.

Reputation (employability rankings)

Northumbria is ranked Top 15 in the UK for Construction, Surveying & Planning (Guardian University League Table, 2025).
The Department of Architecture, Built Environment & Planning is ranked 11th in the UK for research power in REF 2021.
The course emphasises employability: many graduates stay on with placement employers, and it offers real client advice modules and field study trips to embed industry relevance.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Northumbria, the Building Surveying degree is designed to immerse you in the practical aspects of the profession from day one. You'll engage in site visits, utilize cutting-edge surveying technologies, and work on live projects that mirror industry challenges. This approach ensures you're not just learning theory but are well-prepared for the demands of the surveying world.

Modules like Advanced Building Appraisal introduce you to modern surveying techniques, including BIM, drones, laser scanning, and thermal imagery. You'll also participate in practical workshops, seminars, and directed learning sessions that reinforce these skills. Additionally, the course offers opportunities for site visits to both occupied and unoccupied buildings, allowing you to survey, measure, and investigate real-world structures.

This blend of classroom instruction and hands-on experience ensures that by the time you graduate, you have a comprehensive understanding of building surveying and are ready to make an immediate impact in the field.

Key Experiential Learning Highlights

Site Visits: Regular excursions to various properties, enabling you to conduct surveys and assessments in real-world settings.
Advanced Surveying Technologies: Training in tools like BIM, drones, laser scanning, and thermal imagery to enhance your surveying capabilities.
Practical Workshops: Sessions that focus on defect diagnosis, property refurbishment, and building performance evaluations.
Professional Development: Modules that prepare you for RICS membership and include mock interviews and CV workshops.
Collaborative Projects: Group assignments that simulate real-life surveying scenarios, fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Field Study Trips: Residential visits to major UK cities to compare surveying practices and broaden your industry perspective.

For a comprehensive list of facilities and resources available to Building Surveying students, please refer to the official university facilities page.

Progression & Future Opportunities

If you complete this degree, you could go into roles such as:

Construction Project Manager
Site Manager or Construction Site Supervisor
Commercial Manager / Contracts or Procurement Manager
Building or Asset Manager

What makes this program strong and what you can expect:

What the Degree Offers & Why It’s Valuable

University Services & Support
• You have access to Careers and Employment Services — from first year through final year, you’ll get help finding placements, CV/workshop support, guided career advice.
• Option to do a year-long work placement with a construction or engineering company — this gives real experience and often helps get your foot in the door.
Accreditation & Long-Term Professional Value
• The degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and forms part of the CIOB Education Framework.
• Because of this accreditation, after you graduate and gain 3-5 years of relevant industry experience, you may be eligible for full Chartered Membership of CIOB without needing an individual assessment. That opens doors in management / senior roles.
Reputation & Rankings
• Northumbria is ranked 11th in the UK for Construction, Surveying & Planning (Guardian University League Table, 2024).
• Over 94% of students on this course agree that it enables them to develop the knowledge & skills they need for future work.
Industry Partnerships & Projects
• There are strong local/regional construction, engineering, and manufacturing sectors (e.g. companies in the North East of England) nearby, which helps for placements, site visits, guest lectures etc.
• The university is also part of collaborative initiatives in digital construction / digital design management (e.g. KTP projects with Turner & Townsend) which gives exposure to cutting-edge tools and practice.
Salary & Employability Stats
• For recent graduates in Building/Construction-types degrees at Northumbria, typical salaries around £29,500 (≈ 15 months after graduation) with a range ~ £26,000–£33,000.
• Longer term (after ~3 years), those numbers tend to rise, often into the £34,000 region or higher depending on your role and progress.

Further Academic Progression:

Once you finish the BSc, there are a number of paths if you want to continue studying or specialise further:

A Master’s degree in areas like Construction Project Management, Digital Construction, BIM, or related fields.
Possible postgraduate research (MSc by Research, MPhil, or PhD) if you are interested in more academic or large-scale planning / policy work.
Short-course / certification options in specialist/technical areas (e.g. procurement, sustainability, building services, advanced digital tools).