Chartered Surveyor, Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship (Quantity Surveyor Pathway) BSc (Hons)

Start date

Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
Typical Offer: 120 UCAS tariff points
Start Date(s): September 2024
Duration: Five years, plus additional 6-12 months for assessment completion
Study Mode(s): Part-time (day) / Part-time
Campus: City Campus

Information for 2024

Introduction:

Our Chartered Surveyor (Quantity Surveyor Pathway) Degree Apprenticeship offers the opportunity to gain a full honours degree, whilst also developing valuable industry-specific work experience and earning a wage. You'll have the opportunity to gain a professional Chartered status too, through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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.

Find out more information about Degree Apprenticeships at NTU, including advice for both apprentices and employers.

Why choose a Degree Apprenticeship - How does it differ from a part-time course?

Through 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. Our part-time route doesn't require any involvement from your employer.
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.
To gain your Degree Apprenticeship you'll complete the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence, through which you'll be awarded Chartered status. Gaining Chartered status as part of your course is unique to our Apprenticeship route.

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.

This course is closely linked to our BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management degree.
NTU is one of the leading providers of construction education. We're ranked 12th in the UK for Building subjects (Complete University Guide 2023).

What you’ll study

This course is for those who want to be the centre of the management of construction procurement process. If you think logically, enjoy using your own initiative, are interested in financial matters and enjoy dealing with people then it's the perfect course for you.

Module content links an understanding of the construction process with key numerical and cost-management skills. Through industry-relevant course material you'll develop a cohesive understanding of the role of the quantity surveyor, alongside other important skills, knowledge and experience.

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.

Fundamentals of Construction (40 credits)

This module will introduce you to the domestic construction industry and the technology associated with it, looking at modern and sustainable forms of construction.
You'll develop an understanding of building materials and their properties, studying a range of building components, elements and forms.

Introduction to Measurement and Cost (20 credits)

This module will introduce and develop your understanding of measurement principles, and your ability to apply measurement skills.
You'll develop an understanding of how construction costs occur, learn how to prepare estimates of these costs, and how to manage their occurrence during the construction process.

Practice in the Workplace (40 credits)

This module will introduce you to some of the important roles carried out by professionals in order to create the built environment.
Focus will be on the structure of the industry, the professions within the industry and where you will fit into it - forming construction teams, tendering for construction work, and health and safety within the industry.

Architectural Science and Building Engineering Services (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the methods of providing comfortable internal thermal, visual and acoustic environments – the ways in which buildings are appropriately heated, cooled, quietened and illuminated.
You'll study the basic principles underlying the operation and function of building engineering services: how buildings are provided with water supplies and concentrated energy, such as gas and electricity, and how waste and refuse are removed.

Measurement (20 credits)

The ability to measure quantities is very important and much sought-after skill for a quantity surveyor. This module will cover the measurement of building works, building engineering services, and civil engineering works.

Construction Technology (20 credits)

This module will primarily focus on industrial and commercial buildings. The key aim is for you to understand modern and traditional building technologies.
It will also consider international construction methods and materials. Sustainability is an intrinsic driver in all construction matters, and its consideration will be an overriding requirement in this module.

Law (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the English Legal System, to help you understand how law is made, administered and enforced. You will also study health and safety, negligence, occupier's liability, and other relevant construction-related legal topics.
The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of legal duties and responsibilities. One particular theme is effective decision-making for construction professionals, and in particular manager's duties in employment and business law.

Contract Administration: Control and Finance (20 credits)

Contract administration is the study of construction contracts and practice. Construction related contracts are widely used in the industry and play an important role in your working practices.
This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of this area by studying key topics related to the administration of construction-related contracts, and applying the practices and procedures to industry-related scenarios.
These topics are crucial to any construction-related project, and represent the fundamental building blocks of a relationship between a client and a contractor, and will form a daily part of a future professional career in construction.

Cost Planning and Estimating (20 credits)

This module aims to develop your understanding of how construction costs occur, your ability to prepare estimates of cost and to manage the occurrence of cost during the construction process.
The ability to produce residual valuations, life-cycle costing and cost plans is very important as a quantity surveyor. This module will cover most of the pre-tender stage estimating techniques.

Sustainable Technology with Environmental Control (20 credits)

In this module you will explore the techniques of sustainability used in building technology and environmental engineering.
You will also learn about providing internal environments within buildings using both active and passive control methods.

Quantity Surveying Project (40 credits)

This module aims to integrate knowledge and skills derived from the study programme, through application to a specific project scenario. It draws on industry practice to provide an overview of the fundamental principles of the construction development and delivery process.
You will further develop your analytical, problem-solving and creative-thinking skills, and your ability to work both independently and in teams, with minimal reliance on close supervision, preparing you for your role in the construction industry.

Contract Practice (20 credits)

Construction-related contracts are used widely in the industry, and play an increasingly important role in your everyday working practice.
This module will develop your existing knowledge so that you're able to undertake contract practice duties, and give reasoned professional advice on matters relating to construction contracts.
By drawing on relevant statute, case law and research, the module aims to allow you to develop a critical, rounded knowledge base of the key issues.

Project and Financial Management (20 credits)

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the UK and international construction industry, and the strategies which can be adopted by clients to successfully procure and manage construction projects.
You will develop the ability to interpret the particular needs of different client groups, to develop relevant procurement strategies, and to apply tools and techniques to support the implementation of those strategies - both procedural and financial.

Dissertation (40 credits)

This module offers an opportunity to develop and utilise a range of research skills to produce a thesis based on a topic you have selected.
Through intensive research and knowledge of appropriate theory, you'll develop an extended research dissertation, guided by your dissertation supervisor.

Completing your Apprenticeship

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.

Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.

End-Point Assessment

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.

Student Profiles

Kirsty Antcliffe

Chartered Surveyor, Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship (Quantity Surveyor Pathway)

Since completing my degree at NTU, I have progressed to the role of Quantity Surveyor and achieved Chartered Surveyor status. Completing the course enabled me to progress through my APC and with the support of NTU and my employer, I passed my Chartership successfully.

Alex Richings - Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship (Quantity Surveyor Pathway)

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) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management course.
Your typical day will run from 9 am through to about 7.30 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 a typical 30-hour working 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.

Here's an example of how your 20% off-the-job training might look like:

An example of your off-the-job training

How will I be assessed?

Your assessment is split into two strands: the University assessment to fulfil the requirements of your degree, and your Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), to fulfil the requirements of RICS Chartered status.

Assessment by NTU

You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and exams. The coursework will make up the majority of your assessment and will consist of group and individual projects, reports, presentations, and essays. You will receive feedback throughout each module.

Assessment by RICS

You can find out more about the APC assessment process by taking a look at our advice pages.