School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying

BSc (Hons) Part-time 5 years, Full-time 3 years

The UK Needs More Quantity Surveyors. Be One of Them. Train in cost, contract and commercial management on a professionally accredited course with a guaranteed placement, taught by chartered practitioners in our new Springfield construction facilities.

The UK Needs More Quantity Surveyors. Be One of Them. Train in cost, contract and commercial management on a professionally accredited course with a guaranteed placement, taught by chartered practitioners in our new Springfield construction facilities.

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BSc (Hons)
Start date(s)
14 September 2026
UCAS Code
K240
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (5 years),Full-time (3 years)
Campus location
University: City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

7th in the UK for Architecture, Building and Planning (Daily Mail University Guide 2027)

Quantity surveyors sit at the financial heart of every construction project — and the industry doesn't have enough of them. With around 48,600 quantity surveyors currently working in the UK against a construction sector that's short of skilled commercial staff, qualified graduates are stepping into a genuine seller's market, with typical salaries ranging from the mid-£40,000s to £90,000+ for senior chartered roles in major cities.

Our BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying degree gives you a direct, professionally accredited route into that career. It's one of a small number of UK courses accredited by all four leading bodies in the discipline, and it's built around the real skills employers ask for: cost estimation, contract law, procurement, sustainability and Building Information Modelling (BIM).

  • Quadruple accreditation: by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE), the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) and The QSi — giving you full or partial academic exemption on your route to Chartered status.
  • A guaranteed professional placement: every student on this course is guaranteed a placement, so you graduate with real project experience already on your CV.
  • Taught by practitioners: lectures and studio work are led by chartered academics and industry professionals who bring live projects into the classroom.
  • Built for today's construction industry: you'll blend traditional measurement and cost management with digital tools like BIM, data management and emerging construction technology.
  • A clear career payoff: graduates move into quantity surveying, cost consultancy, commercial management and project management roles, with a direct pathway to MRICS chartership.

What do quantity surveyors work on?

Quantity surveyors manage the cost, financial and contractual side of construction projects, from small refurbishments to multi-million-pound infrastructure schemes. You could be pricing a residential extension one month and managing the commercial risk on a hospital build the next — no two projects, or two days, look the same.

The course is offered as a three-year full time, four years with industrial placement or five years for those already in employment. 

The course is professionally accredited by:

CFF CIOB Logo

CFF RICS Logo

The QSi Logo

What's unique about this course?

This course is designed to stand apart in three ways: the breadth of its accreditation, the strength of its placement guarantee, and the facilities you'll learn in.

  • Four professional accreditations in one degree — RICS, CIOB, CABE and QSi. Few UK quantity surveying courses carry recognition from all four bodies, which means broader exemptions and more flexibility in which professional pathway you pursue after graduation.
  • A placement built into every degree, not an optional add-on — you don't have to compete for a limited number of placement spaces; it's guaranteed as part of the course structure.
  • Learn inside a £100 million construction campus — teaching takes place at our Springfield site, purpose-built for architecture, construction and engineering.
  • An interdisciplinary school, not a siloed department — you'll study alongside architecture, building surveying and civil engineering students, reflecting how modern construction projects are actually delivered.

What happens on the course?

Across three years (five part-time), the course moves you from the fundamentals of construction and law through to specialist commercial practice and an independent research project — always grounded in real projects rather than theory alone.

Year 1 gives you the foundations: how the construction industry operates, the economics behind a build, the legal framework projects sit within, and your first hands-on introduction to digital construction tools such as VR, AI and robotics in the built environment.

Year 2 moves into the technical core of the profession — construction law, procurement, project administration and costing — while a choice of optional modules lets you start shaping your own specialism, whether that's leadership or broader employability skills.

Year 3 sharpens you into a commercially minded professional: dispute resolution, sustainability, commercial project management and advanced measurement and cost management, brought together in an independent dissertation on a construction topic of your choice.

Throughout, the emphasis is on doing rather than just learning about the discipline:

  • Live and simulated projects form the backbone of your assessments, so you're applying theory to authentic scenarios from year one.
  • Individual and group work build the collaborative and communication skills you'll need working alongside architects, engineers and contractors.
  • Digital fluency is embedded throughout, including Building Information Modelling (BIM) and industry-standard measurement and costing software.
  • A wide range of assessment methods — reports, presentations, case-law analysis, practical exercises and examinations — mirror the different ways you'll be expected to communicate as a professional.

Who teaches the course?

You're taught by an award-winning team of chartered academics and industry practitioners, supported by tailored mentoring, regular academic reviews, employer forums, pre-semester catch-up sessions and dedicated research project hubs — so support runs alongside you for the full length of the course, not just in your first term.

Placements on the course

We’ve built professional placements into every degree, every student will be guaranteed a professional placement. Our placements give you the real-world exposure and proven experience your CV needs, while building the industry networks essential for your career.

These short-term, structured experiences include:

  • Short duration: condensed work-like experience in professional environments
  • Academic integration: always linked to coursework, assessments or professional development modules
  • Project-based learning: students work on specific tasks or research with an organisation
  • Flexible format: can be in-person, remote, hybrid or virtual
  • Skill development: enhances workplace skills like communication, teamwork and problem-solving
  • Experiential learning: helping to close the gap between knowledge gained and the skills needed to succeed

Employability on the course

The construction sector's shortage of skilled commercial staff means qualified quantity surveyors are consistently among the hardest roles for employers to fill — which puts you in a strong position from day one of your job search. This course is built to convert that demand into a career, not just a qualification.

  • Industry-informed modules: content is kept current through staff research, consultancy work and direct industry links, so you're learning practices that are used on site now, not a decade ago.
  • Embedded professional development: workplace skills and your guaranteed placement are built into the course structure, not bolted on as extras.
  • A direct route to Chartered status: accreditation from RICS, CIOB, CABE and QSi means you can progress straight into professional assessment (such as the RICS APC) once you have the required industry experience.
  • Dedicated placement support: our Business and Placement Unit helps you identify employers in the UK and overseas, and stays in contact — including tutor visits — throughout your placement.
  • A strong employer network: recent graduates have gone on to organisations including Mott MacDonald, E C Harris, Kier Construction and Thomas Vale Construction, and some are offered roles before they've finished their final year.

Career destinations for graduates include:

  • Quantity Surveyor
  • Cost Consultant
  • Commercial Manager
  • Contract Administrator
  • Project Manager / Estimator
  • Procurement Manager
  • Claims Consultant
  • Planning and Development Surveyor

Postgraduate study is also a well-trodden next step, with graduates typically progressing to Master's-level study in construction project management, construction law or BIM.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Manage project costs, from feasibility through to final accounts, ensuring value for money.

 Provide financial, procurement, and contractual advice to clients in the construction industry.

Oversee commercial performance of construction projects and contracts.

 Manage construction contracts, ensuring all terms are met and disputes are handled.

Calculate and forecast the cost of construction projects based on drawings and specifications.

Oversee the sourcing and purchasing of materials, services, and subcontractors.

 Advise on and manage construction claims and disputes related to costs, delays, and contracts.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

Beyond the course itself, you're joining a university with the facilities, connections and support structures built specifically around construction and the built environment.

  • A purpose-built home for construction: the course is taught at our Springfield Campus, developed with state-of-the-art learning and teaching facilities for the built environment.
  • Quadruple professional accreditation: RICS, CIOB and CABE recognition, plus QSi, giving you the broadest possible route to Chartered status.
  • Taught by researchers and consultants, not just lecturers: staff are active in industry and research, and bring that experience directly into teaching.
  • An interdisciplinary environment: you'll study within an integrated department of architecture, building and civil engineering — mirroring how real construction projects bring disciplines together.
  • Genuine, well-supported placements: our Business and Placement Unit identifies opportunities in the UK and overseas and supports you throughout, including tutor visits.
  • A course built on real projects: authentic case studies and work-based learning connect theory to practice throughout, rather than saving it for a final-year placement.
  • Support beyond graduation: we support your progress towards professional body membership during your studies and after you graduate.
  • Flexible study options: a part-time, day-release route is available for those already working in the industry.
  • Graduates get noticed early: our strong employer links mean some students are offered roles before they've even finished their final year.

By graduation, you'll have the technical knowledge, professional judgement and practical skills to practise as a quantity surveyor, commercial manager or cost consultant — and to keep progressing towards Chartered status. Specifically, you'll be able to:

  • Understand and apply the professional role: act with the professional ethics and responsibilities expected of a quantity surveyor within the wider built environment.
  • Manage a project's full lifecycle: from inception through construction to operation and end-of-life, covering sustainability, resource allocation, construction contracts, health and safety, site surveying, financial viability and cost management.
  • Work confidently with digital data: measure, cost and manage projects using both traditional methods and digital tools including BIM.
  • Respond to industry change: critically evaluate emerging issues and drivers of change affecting quantity surveying and commercial management.
  • Apply sound professional judgement: make practical, informed decisions on complex projects with unpredictable circumstances, in a socially and ethically aware way.
  • Critically evaluate best practice: synthesise the tools, techniques and standards used by quantity surveyors, commercial managers and cost managers.

Alongside your technical specialism, you'll graduate with transferable strengths employers consistently ask for: problem-solving, IT and data proficiency, collaborative and digitally-underpinned team working, independent research, and self-directed, lifelong learning.

Location Mode Sep intake Fee Year
Home Full-time £9790 per year 2026-27
Home Part-time £4895 per year# 2026-27
International Full-time £17600 per year 2026-27

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed.


If a tuition fee is not showing, we may not offer this intake for this course. Please check the start date information on the course finder for start dates.

# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study

  • 96 UCAS points
  • A Levels - grades CCC / BCD
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma - grades MMM
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (96 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at merit)
  • T Levels with an overall grade of Pass and a minimum grade of C in Core.
  •  

    Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

    Students must usually have studied for a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, we will consider applications from mature students who do not have two years of post-16 study, where they have relevant work experience. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

    If you've got other qualifications or relevant experience, please contact The Gateway for further advice before applying.

    International entry requirements and application guidance can be found at http://www.wlv.ac.uk/international/apply

    English language requirements also apply

We work closely with regional and national companies to identify the relevant professional and technical skills required in these specific industries. Employment is secured by graduates in a range of organisations both in the UK and overseas. Recent graduates are working with the following companies: Mott MacDonald, E C Harris, Bullock Construction, Carillion, Thomas Vale Construction and Kier Construction.

Here's what one of our graduates had to say:

"The supportive staff and excellent facilities at the University of Wolverhampton allowed me to fulfil my potential and achieve my First Class Degree in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying. As my course was accredited it has allowed me to progress straight into my RICS APC and continue to further my career. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University."

Alexander Morris, Quantity Surveyor. Studied BSc Commercial Management & Quantity Surveying.

The QSi

Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

"Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), having been judged to meet the CIOB Education Framework. Prospective members holding these qualifications have full academic exemption and may enter CIOB membership without the requirement for an Individual Assessment."

Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)

Accredited by the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for the purpose of graduate membership.

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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How we compare

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Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses.

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