MSc
Property Development
An accredited and hands-on course leading to Chartered Surveyor status
Course Overview
Why take this course?
We have been delivering property courses for over 35 years and are one of the longest established Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)-accredited centres.
This course specifically aims to develop your practical skills for setting objectives, advising clients and for the efficient management of the built environment. Overall, it provides sound preparation to become a professional in the property sector.
What will I experience?
On this course you can:
- Visit sites and study locally based case studies that will introduce you to the professional markets and environments
- Attend and contribute to current debates by visiting guest speakers
- Gain a solid understanding of contemporary issues in the property sector
What opportunities might it lead to?
Property development is an important, high-value business asset and sound professional advice on it is increasingly sought after.
Many of our graduates now hold senior positions in industry and the quality of the course has been recognised by both the property profession and the national press.
Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:
- property development
- surveying
- project management
- consultancy
I've really enjoyed the excellent sessions by visiting lecturers from different areas of the industry, which have brought the real world into the classroom.
Robert Leslie, MSc Property Development student
Key Facts
- Duration
- 1 year full time, 2 years part time
- Entry
A good honours degree or equivalent academic qualification in any discipline. Exceptionally, proven and substantiated experience in the property or construction fields will be considered.
English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.- Fees
UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man full-time students: £5,000, part-time students: £2,500 p/a* (2 years)
International full-time students: £11,900, part-time students: £5,950 in year 1 and £5,950 p/a* (2 years)
*Please note that all fees are subject to annual increase.- Contact
- technology.admissions@port.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 9284 2555 - Department
- School of Civil Engineering and Surveying
Structure & Teaching
You will be taught by staff from a wide range of professional practice, including chartered surveyors, architects, structural engineers, economists, planners and lawyers. Their hands-on experience is reflected in the modern and diverse nature of this course, which provides you with a flexible degree programme that allows you to tailor the course to your own interests, whilst acquiring a range of skills and experiences that will be of direct benefit in the workplace.
Here are the units you will study:
- Construction Technology and Professional Practice: This unit will develop your understanding of building construction principles and professional practice in the property sector.
- Property and Planning Law, Procedures and Practice: This will develop your understanding of the role of common law, equity and statute in the development of English land law. You will also cover the purpose, legal basis and practice of town and country planning in England and Wales.
- Property Economics, Investment and Development: This will enable you to understand how macroeconomic variables, finance markets and planning policies combine to determine urban development and investment outcomes.
- Valuation and Estate Management: This unit will give you an introduction to, and the rationale for, freehold and leasehold property valuation methodologies and estate management principles, moving on to more advanced techniques overtime.
- Dissertation: There gives you the chance to carry out and complete an independent dissertation project during the final stage of the course. You will be able to choose a subject area of particular personal interest, within the broad scope of the built environment.
Teaching and Assessment
The classroom element of teaching will be via lectures, seminars and tutorials. However, the very nature this course requires a proactive and hands-on approach to learning that also incorporates site visits and field work.
How are you assessed?
Alongside the more traditional forms of assessment, this course is assessed in a variety of different ways that will provide you with valuable skills and experience in activities such as teamwork, report production, making presentations and web authoring. You will also be expected to complete a dissertation project, in a subject of your own choice, which will be developed and conducted with the advice and guidance of a personal tutor.
Facilities & Features
Guest Speakers
Stimulating property development lecture series
Maths Café
Maths Café - drop in any time and get one-to-one help
University Library
Our library offers a wealth of information
Guest Speakers
We organise a stimulating property development lecture series giving you the chance to attend and contribute to topical debates that surround emerging property and business issues. Delivered by specially invited professional practitioners, the lecture series provides an opportunity for business updates and a first-hand perspective on both local and international property environments.
Maths Café
Drop in any time and get one-to-one help with that tricky maths or stats problem. With handouts on key topics to take away and computer-aided learning packages, we can get the problem solved and help you improve your numeracy skills.
University Library
Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.
Careers & Opportunities
Career prospects
Once you have completed this course and obtained your first job, you can begin training to become a Chartered Surveyor with a professional qualification. This is known as the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and is a structured on-the-job training scheme ending with an assessment interview. Once you have satisfactorily completed this, you can apply to become a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This enables you to use the designated status Chartered Surveyor and the letters MRICS after your name.
You will benefit from our strong links with both industry and the surveying profession. Graduates from this course are highly regarded and sought after for property development roles. This course also provides you with the skills and knowledge to support employability in a range of professional roles in the built environment, both in the UK and internationally.
Career planning
One of the benefits of studying at Portsmouth is the support that we provide to our Master's and Research Degrees students in career planning. Our careers and recruitment service – Purple Door – can assist you in career research and finding employment opportunities. Help is also available if you wish to find a part-time job while studying your degree. We offer our postgraduate students and alumni one-to-one appointments with a careers adviser, or an online service for those not able to travel back to the University. Our alumni can call on our career services for five years after graduation.
In addition, regular employability events offer you the chance to meet employers, find out about different career sectors and improve your applications or CV. The Graduate Summer Programme provides a range of guidance and employability seminars and workshops.