Property Development – (M.Sc.)

The School of Environmental Design and Management (EDAM) offers a number of property related undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses. Based in the award winning Portland Building, the School shares its facilities with the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil Engineering, providing a vibrant and friendly community for both staff and students involved in the built and natural environments.

The University of Portsmouth has delivered property courses for over 35 years and is one of the longest established Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited centres. Many of our former students now hold senior positions in industry and the quality of our courses has been recognised by both the property profession and the national press - The Guardian and Times both rated the course as 'excellent' and 'a top ten performer' in their respective 2005 higher education surveys.

You will be taught by staff from a wide range of professional practice, including surveyors, architects, structural and civil 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.

The MSc programme specific aims are to enable you to:

* extend your skills of critical analysis, reflection, evaluation, decision-making and problem-solving so that you will be able to operate professionally within a frequently changing setting
* develop practical skills needed for everyday work in setting objectives, advising clients and working professionally
* demonstrate levels of research understanding that enable analysis and evaluation of published work and undertake a research project
* develop knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues related to the property sector as a basis for evidence of informed practice
* demonstrate the ability to offer appropriate advice on investment in, and the efficient management of, the built environment

Working in property makes for an interesting, challenging and exciting career. It is well paid and very sociable. It gets you out of the office and you will meet and work with all sorts of interesting people. The best thing about working in property is the sheer variety. No two days are ever the same.

So far as finding employment is concerned, property markets have benefited from a prolonged period of economic growth. Property is an important, high-value business asset and sound professional advice on its development and use is increasingly sought. Put simply, there are not enough graduate surveyors to meet market demand and this has created a situation where employment prospects and starting salaries are excellent.

With the successful 2012 Olympic bid and a number of other high profile projects planned for the south and south east, there is every prospect that such demand will continue.

Once you have 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 RICS and are able to use the designated status 'Chartered Surveyor' and use the letters MRICS after your name.