About this course
Our Chartered Surveyor (Building Surveyor pathway) Degree Apprenticeship offers the opportunity to gain a full honours degree while developing valuable industry-specific work experience and earning a wage*.
Who is this route suitable for?
- School leavers looking to do an apprenticeship instead of the traditional study route.
- Existing employees within companies who do not have a degree but want to develop.
Why choose a Degree Apprenticeship - How does it differ from a part-time course?
- Through new government funding, your employer will be responsible for apprenticeship course fees, meaning that you will not pay University tuition fees.
- A Degree Apprenticeship is a three-way agreement by the University, your employer and you. As well as gaining a degree, you'll also benefit from on-the-job training, provided by your employer, opening up opportunities for career development and progression.
- You'll have the added advantage of years of relevant work experience, while making industry connections along the way. This could enhance your future employability and boost your career progression.
Find out more information about Degree Apprenticeships at NTU, including advice for both apprentices and employers.
Course details
Our course offers a balance of vocational and theoretical content. You'll develop a detailed understanding of architectural styles and influences, the history of buildings and building techniques, the evaluation of building elements, and the performance of building materials. You’ll learn to test and analyse all aspects of building performance, advise on alternative uses of existing buildings, supervise remediation and refurbishment projects, and to apply health and safety legislation.
Please note, you will need to be in employment with a relevant company to undertake our Degree Apprenticeship. Contact our Apprenticeship team for more information.
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This course is closely linked to our BSc (Hons) Building Surveying degree. -
Learn from the experts — Land and Property Management at NTU is ranked 2nd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025).
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What you’ll study
The course focuses on developing the knowledge and professional skills required to ensure that construction projects meet their objectives in terms of cost, quality and delivery – with added value in satisfying the design vision. You'll learn about the development of new buildings, alongside the refurbishment and restoration of existing properties.
Year One
Professional, Academic and Business Skills (20 credits)
- This module provides you with an introduction to academic study, to the built environment professions, and to the nature of the work carried out by surveyors.
Construction (20 credits)
- This module introduces you to a range of technical, practical and environmental principles involved in the construction of a range of traditional and nontraditional buildings.
- It provides a framework for understanding the environmental impact of buildings and introduces the concept of building pathology, which examines why buildings fail.
Economics and Valuation (20 credits)
- This module introduces property economics and the links between the economy and the property market, as well as giving you a overview of property valuation.
- By the end of the module, you will be able to use economic concepts and the theory of supply and demand to explain activities in the construction and property market.
Law (20 credits)
- This module introduces you to the English legal system and its relationship with European Union law.
- You will gain an understanding of how law is made, applied and developed, and how it impacts professional activities within the development and property professions.
Surveying Skills (20 credits)
- This module will provide you with an introduction to practice and surveying skills that will be developed throughout the course of your degree and in the workplace.
Year Two
Planning and Land Use (20 credits)
- This module introduces the concepts and principles of the planning system.
- The content of the module is underpinned by the concept of sustainable development. and it considers the impact of climate change on how cities will evolve and adapt in the future.
Property Development: Principles and Practice (20 credits)
- This module introduces you to the development process and the commercial drivers behind them.
- You will examine the roles of various participants in the development process and how they affect its end product.
Contract Administration and Procurement (20 credits)
- In this module you will analyse the procurement process involved in appointing consultants and contractors for building projects.
Employability and Commercial Awareness (20 credits)
- This module provides guidance for gaining, and preparing for, employment within the property sector.
- You will be introduced to the requirements for the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence and the principles of employment law, Health and Safety at Work regulations, and related procedures.
Year Three
Structural Appraisal (20 credits)
- This module develops your knowledge of the performance of buildings and their component parts.
- You will gain an understanding of the modes of failure and different construction materials, and be introduced to basic structural design, disrepair, and methods of remediation.
Building Design Project (40 credits)
- During this module you will work in the studio to explore options in the selection of building materials, construction methods, and environmental services.
- You will develop your proficiency at carrying out a range of surveys associated with land and buildings.
Year Four
Building Pathology (40 credits)
- This module develops your knowledge of building pathology so that you can diagnose, assess and classify defects in low-rise buildings in a practical setting.
- The aim is that you will be able to apply your knowledge to practical situations and specify the use of appropriate methods of diagnosis to deal with hidden defects and sensitive locations.
Heritage and Conservation (20 credits)
- This module develops your knowledge and skills in relation to architectural history and conservation, and heritage philosophy and practice.
- You will learn how to identify different architectural styles, appraise culturally significant buildings, and manage proposed uses and interventions in line with current legal, technical and procedural considerations.
Final year
Building Surveying Practice (40 credits)
- This module develops your knowledge of the performance of buildings and their component parts.
- It will provide an understanding of the current best practice in terms of building management and maintenance. You will be taught how to identify and diagnose complex defects in existing buildings and suggest methods of remediation.
- You will also look at the drawing up of schedules of planned and programmed maintenance work, gaining an understanding of budgetary control.
Professional Development and Research (20 credits)
- This module requires you to critically reflect on your work experience. The purpose is to emulate part of the requirements of the End Point Assessment for the RICS APC.
- You can reflect on your work examples and diary recorded in your PebblePad e-portfolio, and select a suitable piece of work for critical analysis, on which you'll write a report.
- You're advised to take guidance and advice from your mentor, supervisor and counsellor throughout this module.
Completing your Apprenticeship
To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.
Gateway
Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.
At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).
Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.
End-Point Assessment
This apprenticeship is non-integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered and assessed by an external organisation. For this apprenticeship standard there is only one End-Point Assessment Organisation: the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Details of the assessment elements can be found in the assessment plan.
There are three elements to this end-point assessment:
- Online Test.
- Case study including report, presentation and questioning.
- Interview (underpinned by a Summary of Experience Portfolio).
Achievement of the EPA enables apprentices to gain Chartered membership of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
How you're taught
How will I learn?
- The Degree Apprenticeship route is taught one day a week during term time, and, where possible, you'll be taught alongside full-time students on the BSc (Hons) Building Surveying course.
- Your typical day will run from 9 am through to about 6 pm, and normally three different subject areas are taught on each day.
- The course is organised into structured modules and is delivered through lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminar groups, site visits, laboratory sessions, and individual and group projects.
- The delivery of the course is enhanced by the incorporation of guest lectures delivered by external practitioner experts, extensive use of case studies and projects (some set by real companies).
- The duration of your Degree Apprenticeship is based on you working a typical 30-hour week, with 20% of this time being used for off-the-job training. If your weekly working hours are less than this, the apprenticeship may be extended.
Research informed teaching
Our research is tackling real-world issues – and the people working on this research will be teaching you. It also informs the subjects you’ll be studying with us so you can be sure your knowledge will be cutting-edge in your field. In the last Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) – the UK’s system for assessing the quality and impact of research in universities – we’re proud that 100% of research submitted by the Centre of the Built Environment was assessed to be either world-leading or international excellent.
Careers and employability
Your future
This course is designed to support and develop your work-based learning, enabling you to progress in your career, equipped with the skills and knowledge to succeed.
During your Apprenticeship, you'll be allocated a work place mentor, and an academic mentor to coach you, bringing together the skills, knowledge and experience of your employer with the academic expertise of the University.
Recent graduate roles from our BSc (Hons) Building Surveying course include graduate surveyor, building surveyor, project manager, and site manager.
Employability team
Our expert Employability team will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice. You can benefit from this service at any time during your studies, and for up to three years after completing your course. Our Employability team runs a series of events throughout the year specifically for Construction students, including our Property, Design and Construction fair, bringing together our students with prospective employers.
NTU Enterprise
You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, a support centre to help students create, develop and grow their own businesses.
Campus and facilities
Our Facilities
We have a vast range of specialist tools, software, workshops and other facilities to help students in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment create their very best work.
Your lectures and seminars will take place on our City Campus. You'll also benefit from dedicated lab spaces in the Maudslay building, including a hydraulics lab and a concrete testing lab.
IT resources
Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across the City site, with PCs providing access to Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, networked file storage, and high-speed online printing services (with a free printing allowance for each student). Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.
Books and library resources
In our Boots Library, you will have access to an extensive and diverse range of books and periodicals that focus on specialist areas within the Built Environment. The library's OneSearch system provides access to all our electronic resources, journals and books.
Within the library there is a liaison librarian who has specialist subject knowledge. They can offer detailed help in finding and using print and electronic resources and also support on things such as Harvard referencing and research skills.
Entry requirements
UK students
To undertake our Chartered Surveyor (Building Surveyor Pathway) Degree Apprenticeship, you will need to be in employment with a relevant employer. For help and advice about sourcing employment opportunities, please get in touch with our Apprenticeship team.
Entry requirements
Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their Apprentices in terms of employment and eligibility. Applicants for this course will need to meet the standard BSc (Hons) Building Surveying FT/SW entry qualifications.
- 120 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels or equivalent qualifications
- GCSEs – English and Maths grade C / 4.
All successful applicants must meet the criteria for Apprentices set by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA).
Other relevant or prior experience may also be considered as an alternative. NTU will liaise with the employer to determine their requirements.
Additional requirements for UK students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS Tariff points attached to specific grades, including A-levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our Tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Other qualifications and experience
NTU welcomes applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds, either for year one entry or for advanced standing beyond the start of a course into year 2 or beyond.
We consider study and/or credit achieved from a similar course at another institution (otherwise known as credit transfer), vocational and professional qualifications, and broader work or life experience.
Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. If you wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning, please contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
We will review your identity documents / immigration status to verify your residency eligibility in line with the apprenticeship funding rules, at the application stage.
Additional requirements for international students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
