Quantity Surveying Online Degree Pathway

Analyse the economic environment in which the UK and international construction industry operates. The unit applies microeconomic theory: supply, demand, price and value, to construction markets, examines the financial structures of construction firms, and develops practical skills in producing and interpreting budgets, cash flow forecasts, and profit and loss accounts.

Study the legal frameworks that govern design, procurement and construction in the UK, including the law of contract, torts and property. You apply legal principles to realistic construction scenarios, assess the rights and obligations of parties in dispute, and develop the ability to provide structured legal advice, skills directly required for RICS-aligned professional practice.

Investigate the materials, methods and regulatory context of low-rise residential construction. The unit covers site investigation, the characteristics of structural and finishing materials, building services installations, and the requirements of the Building Regulations, and examines how sustainability imperatives and low-carbon construction technologies are reshaping residential design.

Apply multi-disciplinary design and technical knowledge to a residential project on a prescribed site. You prepare a feasibility study and design brief, develop a scheme to the design specification using digital tools, and produce a materials and workmanship specification, integrating the professional roles, documentation and decision-making processes of a real construction project team.

Develop the surveying and measurement skills fundamental to quantity surveying practice on low-rise residential projects. The unit covers site survey and digital representation, building setting out, the preparation of elemental quantities for substructure, superstructure and external works, and the cost models used to estimate project costs at early design stages.

Examine how construction businesses are planned, structured and led in the delivery of complex projects. The unit covers corporate business planning, organisational communication structures, leadership and teamwork theory, and the ethics and diversity frameworks that responsible construction organisations embed into their culture and operations.

Develop the planning and management skills needed to programme and deliver construction projects safely and efficiently. The unit covers the scheduling of construction operations, the use of industry-standard programming software, health and safety obligations including risk assessments and method statements, and the impact of digital technologies, from BIM to automation, on construction processes and performance.

Extend construction technology knowledge to the design and construction of complex commercial and multi-storey buildings. The unit examines the structural systems, building services and regulatory frameworks relevant to complex buildings, and investigates how emerging materials, performance standards and digital innovation are driving technical development across the industry.

Study the procurement, contracting and financial control processes that govern construction projects from appointment through to final account. The unit covers the principal forms of procurement, the standard JCT and NEC contract families, interim valuation and cost control, and the preparation of final account statements, core competencies for RICS pathway assessment.

Apply cost planning and tendering techniques to construction projects across a range of values and types. The unit covers tendering models, unit rate calculation, bid strategy and adjudication, the relationship between design decisions and cost, and the preparation of approximate estimates and elemental cost plans, establishing the financial management skills central to quantity surveying practice.

Extend measurement practice to complex commercial buildings and their engineering services. You prepare quantities for multi-storey structural elements, facades, internal finishes and components, and produce measured quantities for mechanical and electrical installations, including water, electrical, HVAC, and drainage systems, in accordance with the New Rules of Measurement (NRM).

Integrate the technical, commercial and advisory competencies developed across the qualification in a comprehensive project-based assessment. You advise a client on procurement and tendering strategy, prepare approximate estimates and detailed measured quantities, compile pricing documentation, and produce interim valuations and a final account, demonstrating the professional judgement expected of a graduate quantity surveyor.