PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION
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AWARD and COURSE TITLE / BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
INTERMEDIATE AWARDS / BSc in Quantity Surveying
Diploma of Higher Education in Quantity Surveying
Certificate of Higher Education in Building Studies
Name of the Teaching Institution / Sheffield Hallam University
Faculty and Department / Development and Society, Department of the Built Environment
Mode(s) of Attendance
(eg. FT/PT/SW/DL) / FT/PT/SW
UCAS CODE / K240
Professional/Statutory/Regulatory Body Recognising this Programme / Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Association of Building Engineers
Chartered Institute of Building
QAA Subject Benchmark Statement or other relevant external reference point / Construction, Property and Surveying Subject Benchmark
Date of Validation / May 2011

1PROGRAMME AIMS

This award has been designed to meet the requirements of the learning outcomes for Quantity Surveying as defined by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors educational framework and the associated Professional Pathway. The course content is closely mapped against the RICS mandatory, core and specialist Quantity Surveying competencies laid down as part of their assessment of professional competence. In support of this, the programme aims to:

  • Equip students with the technical knowledge and wider transferable skills needed to support a career in quantity surveying, where problem solving, communication and team working are essential.
  • Deliver vocationally, professionally and industrially relevant education, through educational framework in which students can optimise their personal, academic and professional development to provide a sound foundation for future employment in a changing environment.
  • Provide an educational experience that enables the full realisation of each individual's potential through autonomous learning, critical thinking and reflective practice with respect to quantity surveying within the built environment as a whole.
  • Enable a wide range of learners to engage with a build environment education through transfers between courses within the programme, the provision of differing modes of attendance and entrance points.

2PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

2.1Knowledge and understanding covered within the Programme. By the end of the programme you will be able to

  • Explain the process of finance, design, building appraisal and building technology, its effective management and administration.
  • Employ principles, techniques and procedures of quantity surveying necessary for the financial and legal management of the construction project procurement process from inception through to completion.
  • Use scientific principles and analytical methods as tools for planning and production in the construction process during the management, maintenance and adaptation of buildings.
  • Identify and explain good practice in business and project planning and management, industrial relations and change management.
  • Identify and apply legal and contractual principles appropriate to the construction industry.
  • Apply principles of economics, financial management and competitiveness in a commercial and industrial context.
  • Locate and apply national and international statutory requirements, standards and codes of practice.

2.2 Intellectual/Subject/Professional/Key skills covered within the Programme: by the end of the programme you will be able to

  • Understand and apply technical, professional and management skills and explore the role of the Quantity Surveyor in the context of a wider professional environment
  • Translate accurate practical measurements into suitable visual formats, use estimating and specification techniques, design project plans and resourcing.
  • Place issues of safety, stability, cost effectiveness and serviceability within a legal and contractual framework.
  • Appraise client needs, evaluate and analyse information, concepts and processes and synthesise essential aspects of ideas and information
  • Explain the process of design and construction, its effective management and administration, including understanding spatial requirements, environmental needs and services.
  • Apply principles of economics, legal and financial management in a commercial context and apply national and international statutory requirements, standards and codes of practice.
  • Present cogent, concise and comprehensible technical reports based on accurate information and independent investigation in a professional manner
  • Work constructively in groups and individually using written, verbal and graphical communication skills. Apply appropriate IT skills and research skills and employ critical self-awareness to reflect on and evaluate experiences.

3LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

3.1The approach to Learning and Teaching within the Programme

The aims of the BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying Programme recognise the breadth of requirements necessary for the development of effective practitioners within the quantity surveying profession. These requirements are identified in broad terms as a combination of knowledge and skills but also include critical thinking and reflective practice. The programme aims can be summarised within the following guiding principles:

  • We will seek to enhance the employability of our students, preparing them for careers in the quantity surveying profession.
  • We will promote a wide understanding of the range of contexts for quantity surveying activity and make explicit the links between these contexts.
  • We will maximise the flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness of the learning processes by making best use of the full range of resources at our disposal.

Our approach to learning and teaching is informed by the University's Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy and aims to meet the aspirations of SHU’s Corporate Plan:

‘to provide a high quality vibrant and challenging learning experience’

As stated in Section C2, the programme approach to LTA aspires to provide greater consistency in the student experience and that the excellence of our learning and teaching be recognised nationally and internationally for the outstanding quality of the student learning experience.

We aim to provide this high quality learning experience throughout the programme based on close collaboration between students and staff to encourage innovation and promote continual reflection on practice.

The approach to learning and teaching within the programme will adopt the following pedagogic principles:

  • Learning should be student centred, having personal as well as contextual relevance.
  • Where possible, learning should be active or experiential so that students engage with the subject matter in interaction with others.
  • The offer of variety in learning experiences which promote critical thinking and problem solving abilities, creativity and innovation, where these skills are developed progressively throughout the programme.
  • A reflective practitioner approach which acknowledges learning based on experience and which encourages reflection on that experience.
  • An emphasis on collaboration and team working with opportunities for activities which promote inter-professional learning.
  • Teaching that acknowledges flexibility in the role of the teacher as designer, developer and manager of learning resources and opportunities for working in collaboration with others and showing a willingness to engage in the scholarship of learning and teaching.

3.2The approach to Assessment and Feedback within the Programme

Assessment is seen as an integrated part of the learning strategy and feedback is regarded as a key element of assessment. Although individual elements of the total assessment package will sit within individual modules it is necessary to consider assessment holistically within the programme as this is a key component of the student experience. Both assessment philosophy and strategy are informed by the following principles:

  • The type and range of assessment tasks are mapped across the programme to ensure coverage of content, skills and professional competencies, to provide a developmental experience and to avoid unnecessary overlap.
  • Assessment tasks are designed to simulate professional practice and to support the need for contextual and inter-professional understanding as identified within the broad aims of the programme.
  • The idea of collaboration is encouraged as a necessary professional skill but at the same time the needs of the individual are recognised. The programme team has given careful consideration of the balance between group and individual assessment.
  • Module assessment is designed to support and motivate student learning through a balance of formative and summative activities and through a range of assessments chosen to appropriately test the stated programme learning outcomes. Methods of assessment include examinations, oral and visual presentations, reports, poster sessions, phase tests and project work.
  • Where appropriate students will be given choice in the specific focus for assessed work and in some cases there will be opportunity for assessment subject to be negotiated.
  • The range of assessment tasks will be balanced and varied in recognition firstly of the fact that different students have different learning styles and secondly that the subject material for different modules requires very different treatment.
  • Feedback and personal reflection are integrated within all module assessment strategies to encourage learners to take an active part in the assessment process.
  • Self assessment and peer assessment will be introduced where appropriate and students will be encouraged to recognise a very wide range of feedback opportunities.
  • Students will be encouraged to develop as autonomous learners from the outset of the programme.

Although the curriculum consists of a series of separate themes - Technology, Financial Management, Law, Management - these are designed developmentally over the three taught years of the programme. Learning, teaching and assessment strategies are designed to ensure vertical integration of the different disciplines. At the same time the intra-professional and inter-professional relationships between these themes are explicitly acknowledged through a horizontal integration within each year of the curriculum. The main focus for this horizontal integration will be the Interdisciplinary strand which runs through the three taught years of the programme. The intra-professional aspect to learning is also consolidated within the professional training year for those students taking the sandwich route.

4PROGRAMME DESIGN AND STRUCTURE

This programme has been designed to provide learners with a well structured and integrated course of study that will prepare students for a career in quantity surveying and with a good understanding of the intra and inter-professional nature of real estate and the built environment.

The course provides integration between modules at each level, both horizontally and also vertically, in the form of themes that develop from the first year through to graduation. The main themes are: building technology; financial management, measurement; law, regulations and standard; management of projects; and lastly, professional practice

During the first year (full time) students will undertake modules that develop their quantity surveying knowledge and skill mainly focused around domestic construction, enhance their academic and professional skills, supporting expertise in law, business planning, economics and measurement applied to quantity surveying. At the end of first year, depending on performance, students can apply to transfer to the other awards in the programme.

During the second year (full time) students will undertake modules that; focus further on core quantity surveying skills such as costing, procurement, tendering and estimating, and forms of contracts, expanding core technology knowledge to encompass commercial and industrial building, and provide you with legal and project management skills and expertise.

After second year students are strongly encouraged to undertake an industrial placement allowing them to progress onto the final year of the sandwich degree.

During the final year students will undertake modules that have a strong applied Quantity Surveying focus allowing them to develop key Quantity Surveying skills in development evaluation, refurbishment, cost planning and management issues. The Quantity Surveying Professional Studies module provides a vehicle for addressing current issues and concerns in the profession. Students will develop their research skills in the Dissertation module which provides the opportunity to specialise in an individual topic of interest.

Part time students will undertake the same range of modules over a five year period (or three years with advanced entry).

Course / BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying (Full Time)
Year / Level / Semester 1 / Semester 2
Year 1/ Level 4 / Domestic Construction Technology and Environmental Services
Materials / Interdisciplinary Project
Professional Information Management / Building Regulations and Planning
Economics / Contractual Procedures
Built Environment Law / Surveying (Inspection & Measurement of Land & Property)
Business Planning / Measurement 1
Year 2/ Level 5 / Commercial and Industrial Construction Technology and Environmental Services
Costing 1 / Advanced Data Management
Health & Safety Management / Research Methods
Site Management Practice / Project Planning
Measurement 2 / Measurement 3
Procurement and Detailed Contract
Year 3 / 36 Week Industrial Placement
Year 4 Sandwich /
Year 3 Full Time
Level 6 / Dissertation
Reflection on Professional Experience1 / Reflection on Professional Issues2 /D& C Comparative International Practice3
Integrated Project
Quantity Surveying Professional Studies
Costing 2 / Advanced Construction Planning
Refurbishment & Maintenance / Costing 2
All modules are mandatory except where an elective is offered. Depending on route there are some variations to the mandatory modules: (A) Learners transferring from SHU HNC/D will undertake Measurement and Management of Sustainable Construction instead for this module. (1) For learners on sandwich route,( 2) For learners on full time route,(3) For learners who have undertaken the international block
Course / BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying (Part Time)
Year / Semester 1 / Semester 2
Year 1 / Level 4 / Domestic Construction Technology and Environmental Services
Business Planning / Measurement 1
Professional Information Management / Surveying (Inspection & Measurement of Land & Property)
Year 2 / Level 4 / Built Environment Law / Contractual Procedures
Economics / Interdisciplinary Project
Materials / Building Regulations and Planning
Year 3 / Level 5 / Commercial and Industrial Construction Technology and Environmental Services
Measurement 2 / Project Planning
Health & Safety Management / Advanced Data Management
Procurement and Detailed Contract
Year 4 / Level 5 or 6 / Site Management Practice / Measurement 3
Costing 1 / Research Methods
Quantity Surveying Professional Studies
Refurbishment & Maintenance / Advanced Construction Planning
Year 5 / Level 6 / Dissertation
Reflection on Professional Experience
Integrated Project
Costing 2
Grey Background = Level Six
All modules are mandatory exceptwhere an elective is offered. (A) Learners transferring from SHU HNC/D will undertake Measurement and Management of Sustainable Construction instead for this module.

5PROGRESSION/CAREER ROUTES

Possible progression or career routes after you have completed this programme include

The Quantity Surveying degree prepares you for a wide range of careers in the Built Environment in the UK and overseas. There are quantity surveying opportunities in many areas of public and private organisations.

You will have the opportunity to become a professional member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), following successful completion of the course. In addition professional membership of the ABE or CIOB can be undertaken.

There are currently three Masters courses that can enhance further your specialisation and expertise

  • MSc/PgDip/PgCert Construction Management
  • MSc/PgDip/PgCert Project Management
  • MSc/PgDip/PgCert Low and Zero Carbon Consultancy

6ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND ENTRY PROFILE

6.1Specific Entry Requirements for entry to the initial stage of this programme are

Academic Qualifications including GCE A / AS level grades and subjects, where applicable / 280 UCAS points calculated using the RICS modified tariff, BTEC National & AS levels may count towards these points, however similar qualifications cannot be counted twice. Key Skills are not counted.
Holders of an HND in Construction, Property Management, Building Studies or equivalent with good overall performance may apply for direct entry to year two or year three for the part time route
Mathematics and English at GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent). Formal Maths and English requirements may be waived if the applicant has significant relevant previous work experience.
For admission at Level 5 we will accept Taylor's College (Malaysia) Diploma graduates with an overall pass mark of 60% or higher. These students must complete Levels 5 and 6 to gain the award.
Level of English language capability / British Council International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) overall band 6 for overseas candidates whose first language is not English.
Any other specific, formally certified qualifications (eg. BTEC HNs) / None
Previous relevant work or work-related experience / None
Any specific articulation arrangements recognised for this programme / N/A
Professional qualifications / None
Any other specific entry requirements / None

6.1bSpecific Entry Requirements for entry to satisfy the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (professional body) (agreed December 2006)

ENTRY LEVEL / YEAR 1
(LEVEL 4) / YEAR 2
(LEVEL 5) / YEAR 3
(LEVEL 6)
QUALIFICATIONS / / SW / FT / PT / SW / FT / PT / SW / FT / PT
STPM (equivalent to 280 points A level) / √ / √ / √
Certificate (equivalent to UK National Certificate) / √ / √ / √
Diploma - Pass level (equivalent to UK HND) / √ / √ / √
Diploma - All merit average of 60% (equivalent to UK HND) or higher / √ / √ / √
Advanced Diploma / √ / √ / √
Advanced Diploma - All merit average of 60% or higher / √ / √ / √

All entry criteria shall comply with the current Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia Guidelines for Advanced Entry Requirements in relation to Accredited Degree Programmes

6.2APPLICANT ENTRY PROFILE: the knowledge, skills and qualities etc. required to enable you to benefit from, and succeed on the programme of study are

You should be interested in all aspects of construction and related issues. You will need to be conscientious, motivated and have good time management skills. You need to be able to work in a group and individually. You should be open to new ideas and concepts and be able to critically reflect on your performance.