Chartered Surveyor, Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship (Building 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
Study Mode(s): Part-time (day)
Campus: City Campus

Information for 2024

Introduction:

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.

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

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.

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.