Building Surveying BSc (Hons)



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(The Complete University Guide 2027)

Course overview

Building Surveying is an in-demand professional field of work that involves advising on many aspects of building construction and design for new and existing buildings. Building Surveyors advise on a range of things including maintenance and repairs, restoration and refurbishment, and they provide expert assessments and reports on all kinds of buildings.

Edinburgh Napier's Building Surveying course is industry focused and contains many practical applications including trips and excursions relating to various modules. The academic experience plus the practical skills gained during the course, will equip you with the tools required for the workplace.

All academic Programme Leaders within the surveying subject group are Chartered Surveyors themselves with professional practice experience, which allows for academic and professional skills transfer to students. These skills are essential when advising clients on residential and commercial building activities.

This course will equip you for a career in property refurbishment or managing and maintaining portfolios of properties. You may be involved in the diagnosis of building faults, undertaking inspections, and applying construction technology principles when advising on preventative or remedial solutions.

The honours course is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and you will be eligible to apply for Chartered Surveyor status once you have gained suitable experience after graduating and met the competency requirements of the RICS.

Building Surveying student smiling for the camera

Mode of Study:

Part-time (also available Full-time)

Duration:

5 - 6 years

Start date:

Sep

Course details

On this course, you will develop knowledge in design economics, property inspection methods, building conservation and estimating, life cycle costing, building measurement and building maintenance management. You'll learn how to diagnose building faults, undertake inspections, and apply construction technology principles when advising on preventative or remedial solutions.

You will undertake 4 modules each year/stage, generally two 20-credit modules each term.

In Stage 1 and 2 of the course, you'll study the technical and legal aspects of building surveying, along with building pathology of buildings old and new.

In Stage 3 and 4 of the 5-year part-time degree, you'll be provided with an in-depth knowledge of design and construction: conservation, as well as statutory health and safety. You'll also examine how facilities management of property works.

You can also gain 80 credits from the 2 Work placement modules in Trimester 3 of Stage 4 and 5. If you don't select these modules you can study the prescribed modules for Trimesters 1 and 2 of Stage 5 and 6.

The modules in the 6-year part-time degree without Placement are slightly different in Stage 4, 5 and 6. See Popular Modules for detail.

In Stage 5, you will gain enhanced skills in areas of building pathology and building conservation, and apply your skills in a multi-disciplinary project and in your dissertation.

By the end of your studies, you will gain knowledge of contractual procedures, insurance requirements, data collation methods and their application and the use of maintenance information and operational building maintenance policies.

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    How you’ll be taught

    This course is taught in person only and is not offered online or by distance learning. Classes will be held in day time and can not be attended in the evening.

    Lectures and tutorials by professionally qualified academic staff and industrial specialists, field trips, case studies and project evaluations.

    The timetable and attendance may vary based on the modules that you will take.
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    Assessments

     Assessment is by a mixture of exams and coursework; this can consist of a variety of tasks including report writing, essays, personal and group-based presentations, posters.
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    Work placement

     Students will utilise their current employment related to their part-time surveying studies by undertaking the work placement module in Trimester 3 of Years 4 and 5.
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    Facilities

    This course is taught in person at our Merchiston campus.

    You will be given the opportunity to visit properties and are actively encouraged to develop your building inspection  skills throughout your degree.

Popular modules

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4 (with Placement)

Stage 5 (with Placement)

Studying with no placement would entail a slight variation from Year 4

Stage 4 (without Placement)

Stage 5 (without Placement)

Stage 6 (without Placement)

RECOGNISED BY

Meet your Programme Leader and Teaching Team

Throughout your studies, you'll learn from experienced professionals and industry leaders who bring valuable expertise, insight and real-world perspectives to your learning experience. Most of the staff teaching on the course are Chartered Surveyors and other property professionals with extensive experience as practitioners.

Programme Leader: Grant Sinclair.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Building Surveying?

Our entry requirements indicate both Standard and Minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students. Competition for places varies from year to year and you aren't guaranteed a place if you meet the minimum qualifications.

This course is only available for entry into Years 1 and 2.

The University does not sponsor students to study on part-time programmes in the UK under the Student Visa route. International Applicants must therefore have other valid immigration leave to study on this programme.

Can you go straight into second year of university?

Advanced entry into Year 1 or Year 2 of this course is possible for students with suitable qualifications. See the individual year tabs for more information.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the undergraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

Minimum Year 1

Scottish Higher

  • Standard Entry Requirement: BBBC

  • Minimum Entry Requirement:CCCC

You may be given an adjusted offer of entry if you meet our specified minimum entry requirements within our widening participation criteria, and outlined in our Contextual Admissions Policy. Click here for further information about our entry requirements and admissions policies.

A level

  • CCC

Irish Leaving Certificate

  • H2, H3, H3, H3 at Higher Level

BTEC National Extended Diploma (Level 3)

  • MMM (Merit, Merit, Merit)

BTEC National Diploma (Level 3)

  • DD (Distinction, Distinction)
     

International Baccalaureate Diploma

  • Award of Diploma with 27 points overall with three Higher Level subjects at grades 6, 5, 4

T level 

  • Pass

Scottish HNC

  • Other HNC subjects may be considered for year 1 entry where a C in the graded unit is achieved.

Minimum Year 2

Scottish Advanced Highers

  • BBC
    In addition, National 5 grade C in Maths is required (Applications of Maths is accepted).

A level

  • BBB
    In addition, GCSE Grade C/4 in Maths is required.

BTEC Extended Diploma Level 3

  • DDM (Distinction, Distinction, Merit) in a related subject.
    In addition, GCSE Grade C/4 in Maths is required.

HNC

  • Pass HNC in Architectural Conservation, Architectural Technology, Building Surveying, Built Environment, Construction or Construction Management with grade B in the Graded Unit.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English. Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

If you do not currently meet our minimum English language requirements, we offer a number of pre-sessional English language courses which could help you achieve the required level. 

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • MSc Nursing courses
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2026/27 2027/28
Scotland (per 20 credits) £305 tba
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland (per 20 credits) £1,215 tba
Overseas and EU (per 20 credits) £3,520 tba

Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20). The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits*.

Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.

If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.

Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20). The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits*.

Careers & employability

Example of building site plan drawing

What can you do with a degree in Building Surveying?

A degree in Building Surveying will enable you to assess the condition of existing buildings, to identify and analyse defects, and create proposals for repair. You’ll understand the design and legal principles around building and construction, and gain knowledge of how to ensure public safety and security. All of these will help you to develop sharp skills in IT, reasoning, analytical thinking, and great attention to detail. Once you have completed your degree, you will have lots of career paths to choose from, such as:

  • Chartered Building Surveyor
  • Chartered Commercial Building Surveyor
  • Facilities Manager
  • Technical Standards Surveyor
  • Property Management Surveyor

What does a Building Surveyor do?

As a Building Surveyor, you will be working in various branches of the construction industry. You will shape the way we live by guiding construction and development projects while introducing sustainable and environmentally friendly building methods. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with architects, engineers, ecologists, property developers and other professionals. It's likely you'll get to work with some of the latest technologies, such as creating virtual reality models and using data. Some typical day to day tasks might be:

  • Making sure properties meet building regulations, fire safety and accessibility standards
  • Assessing damage for insurance purposes 
  • Ensuring projects are completed on budget and to schedule 
  • Advising on the management and supervision of maintenance of buildings
  • Researching property related information like land records and other sources 
  • Advising on energy efficiency, environmental impact and sustainable construction.
Back of an Architect pointing to part of projected building plans