Student conducts measurements using landscape mapping device outside Technology Facilities

Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship (Quantity Surveying) BSc (Hons)

Earn a salary and get valuable on-the-job experience while you study for a Quantity Surveying degree.

Key information

Accreditation:

This course is Accredited

Typical offer:

112-120 UCAS points from 2 or 3 A levels

See full entry requirements
Study mode and duration
Start date

Showing content for section Overview

Overview

Secure a professional quantity surveying qualification while you work. You’ll learn about construction topics such as measurements and tendering, Building Information Modelling (BIM), contract law and property economics. You’ll graduate with the confidence to tackle social, economic and technical issues around construction projects of all sizes. 

This is a degree apprenticeship course, so you’ll spend 1 day of your working week on your studies, with the other 4 in your current job. You’ll be able to put what you learn to work immediately, developing your career as you contribute to the success of your company. And your fees are covered by your employer, or the Government, so you won’t face any tuition costs.

I previously found it hard to balance college work during the day and part-time retail work in the evenings, so the degree apprenticeship is a perfect way to earn whilst I learn. My responsibilities at work have given me experience that I can apply in the learning environment as well as confidence which helps with assessments such as presentations.

Tom Colbeck, Degree Apprentice

Course highlights 

  • Work toward Chartered Surveyor status, with the skills you'll need for registration embedded in your studies
  • Put theory to the test in your job and on field trips
  • Learn from practising surveyors and guest speakers
  • Study surveying and Building Information Modelling (BIM) techniques, using professional Revit software
  • Have access to the University's student support services and community including the Library, study support, sports and recreation facilities, and the Students’ Union
  • Build a network of professional peers and fellow students from other surveying and civil engineering disciplines
  • Study alongside your job, with support from a personal University tutor and a workplace mentor

You'll typically go to university 1 day a week for around 30 weeks every year to attend lectures, seminars and workshops. On the weeks you don't go to University, you'll still spend at least 6 hours of your time per week studying or training away from your normal working environment.

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Accreditation

This degree is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) so what you learn on the course is relevant to the industry.

When you graduate, you'll have the academic and work-based experience that you need to register for the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Upon passing the APC, you will be a Chartered Surveyor.

This gives you an edge over students who didn’t do an accredited course when you’re applying for jobs in the future.

I'm an employer interested in this degree apprenticeship for my staff

There's more information for you about degree apprenticeships in general on our information for employers page, or you can contact us directly. 

If you have an employee, or employees, in mind, that's great; if you are creating a new opening, we can help you shape and promote the role.

 

Degree apprenticeships: employer information

Entry requirements

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying (Degree Apprenticeship) entry requirements

Typical offers

  • UCAS points - 112-120 points from 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent (calculate your UCAS points)
  • A levels - BBB-BBC
  • T-levels - Merit
  • BTECs (Extended Diplomas) - DDM-DMM
  • International Baccalaureate - 29

All applicants to the Degree Apprenticeship courses must have an acceptable Level 2 qualification in English and Mathematics. Acceptable qualifications include GCSE with grade C/4 or above and Functional Skills with Pass - please note that we are not able to accept all kinds of Level 2 qualifications, so if you are unsure whether you have a suitable qualification please get in touch. If you do not have an acceptable qualification you will be required to take an additional assessment during the application process.

Selection process

All applicants will be required to complete a Skills Gap Analysis before completing an application form. All applicants will be invited to attend an academic interview and may be asked to submit a portfolio of work or undertake additional assessment.

You may need to have studied specific subjects – find full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

You and your employer

When you begin studying for your degree apprenticeship:

  • You need to be 18 or over
  • You should be able to satisfy government requirements on residency: 
    • you must be a citizen or have the right to live in the UK/EEA
    • you must have been a resident in the UK/EEA (not the Channel Islands or Isle of Man) for a minimum of 3 years
    • you must not need a Student Route visa, and must not have been on a Student Route visa within the past 3 years
  • You need to have the right to work in the UK, and to spend at least 50% of your working hours in England
  • Your job should meet the requirements of the apprenticeship standard relevant to this degree – we can advise you and your employer on this
  • Your employer needs to have registered an apprentice service account – we can help your employer with this if needed

If you aren't currently working in a relevant field, you can apply for a job and degree apprenticeship simultaneously. Read more about applying for this degree apprenticeship.

Facilities and specialist software

Students working at computers

Building Information Modelling (BIM) software

Use our suite of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, including our computer-aided design tools that use digital images to show physical and functional characteristics.

Student conducts measurements using landscape mapping device outside Technology Facilities

Surveying Store

Get practical experience with all the equipment you'll need to develop your skills, including automatic levels, theodolites for measuring angles between designated points, computer-aided design and drafting software as well as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for surveying and marking land.

Learn more

Discover Civil Engineering and Surveying

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Give me time to discover, to create.

Give me vision to dream big, to experiment.

Give me confidence to be courageous, to explore, to step beyond, to break new ground, to share great ideas.

Give me a chance to be part of something bigger.

Give me the University of Portsmouth.

Careers and opportunities

This degree gives you the professional knowledge and practical experience you need to advance your career in the building sector as a quantity surveyor. When you successfully complete your apprenticeship, you'll be a registered Chartered Surveyor.

The skills and qualifications you gain on this course will also make you an ideal candidate for project and facilities management roles in your organisation and beyond.

Female student at computer

Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

What you'll study on this BSc (Hons) Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship Quantity Surveying degree

Modules

Modules studied

You'll examine construction principles for residential and commercial projects, analysing material use and building regulations. Through discussion and case studies, you'll reflect on strategies like renewable energy, water efficiency, and waste management. You'll consider sustainability's significance in property design, development, and management. Ultimately, be ready to explain building concepts and environmental issues, and to select appropriate strategies to create sustainable, environmentally-conscious designs.

You'll learn to apply industry-standard measurement techniques, interpret drawings and specifications to quantify materials and work, and to record dimensions using recognized conventions. On completion of this module, you'll have a strong foundation in construction measurement, ready to play a key role in cost planning and control.

You'll study a mix of theory and practical problems as you learn to assess the economic mechanisms that shape property markets. By applying core concepts such as supply and demand, government policy effects and market forces, you'll analyse macroeconomic impacts on investment decisions. You'll interpret financial statements, using key metrics and ratios, to inform client advice. When you successfully complete the module, you'll have the confidence and financial knowledge to excel in property investment, management and development careers.

You'll create technical drawings, collaborate in diverse teams, survey sites safely, and select the right tools for complex builds. By recognizing career pathways and ethical standards, you'll also shape your identity as you learn.

Modules studied

You'll demonstrate your ability to find and interpret primary sources of English law. Through practical exercises, you'll explain key principles of tort law and contract law, and learn to identify the relevant legal issues to solve problems in property cases. By the end, you'll have the legal understanding to provide sound advice on property matters and feel confident navigating the English legal system.

You'll investigate the problem, communicate with colleagues to gather insights, and propose innovative solutions. You'll then choose a solution, and explain how to implement it. Through your project work, you'll reflect on your professional growth in areas such as describing complex issues in the workplace, communicating across media channels, critically reviewing potential solutions, and justifying your preferred solution.

Through theory and case studies, you'll develop skills to plan, monitor, and control projects while considering technical and human factors. You'll use industry-standard techniques like WBS and CPM to create organizational structures, schedules, budgets, and risk management plans, covering the project cycle from initiation and stakeholder engagement to procurement and sustainability integration. With individual and group assignments, you'll apply your learning to demonstrate effective project planning, teamwork, and communication. By the end, you'll have core competencies and techniques to successfully manage construction projects.

Analyzing experience gaps against ethics/conduct codes and differentiating between levels of competence, you’ll formulate data-informed skills growth strategies across communication, analysis, stakeholder discernment, and specialized technical realms.

Modules studied

You'll set out the stages of a scheme design, with reference to the RIBA Plan of Work, and learn to assess and recommend procurement routes throughout the project lifecycle. You'll also analyse the property market, evaluate risk in procurement approaches, and apply economic insight to the construction industry. On completion of this module, you will know how to guide project inception and set your clients on the path to success.

You'll interpret drawings and apply standardized measurement techniques to generate bills of quantities. Through drafting exercises, you'll transfer drawn information into recorded dimensions for cost estimation. With skills to prepare, read, and respond to tender documents, you'll gain broad insight into the tendering process - whether compiling the documents yourself or receiving them from others.

You'll evaluate industry fragmentation in a major project, and see how BIM can provide integration across disciplines. Moving beyond 2D, you'll model projects in 3D for deeper insights. Collaborating securely in teams, you'll use BIM standards to complete virtual buildings.

Integrating technical, economic and design considerations, you'll progress through the project lifecycle, honing professional communication techniques. You'll also evaluate your personal development options and build your portfolio of project experience and industry connections, as you complete a project that demonstrates your professional abilities. 

Modules studied

Through case studies, you'll analyse issues affecting progress and completion, appraise solutions, and compare dispute resolution methods. With well-rounded knowledge, you'll make informed choices to resolve differences and keep projects on track.

You'll advise clients on costs, manage contracts and handle changes. Working to deadlines, you'll value work, prepare accounts and negotiate variations. This hands-on experience, using industry software and processes, will equip you with technical know-how to excel as a professional quantity surveyor.

On this module, you'll evaluate tools to find the perfect fit for your project needs, and expedite the entire estimation process with automated quantification, digital takeoff and BIM tools. You'll graduate ready to lead construction teams with software fluency that saves time and reduces errors.

Modules studied

You'll provide a detailed analysis of a key issue, reflecting on solutions with sound technical principles. Demonstrating professional competencies, you'll also formulate a career development plan for lifelong growth.

You'll work with already-qualified professionals to identify and address your experience gaps, review past submissions for insights into the assessment process, and gain confidence by practicing your final interview.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • computer-based tutorials
  • fieldwork and site visits
  • workshops

How you're assessed

You'll be assessed through:

  • closed and open book exams
  • problem-based coursework and professional style reports
  • computer-based portfolios
  • group presentations
  • major work-based project

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies.  As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

Supporting you

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Costs and funding

Tuition fees

The course fee is shared between the Government and some employers, meaning no cost to you as the degree apprentice. Total tuition fees are £27,000 paid over five years.

Please see our Degree Apprenticeships page for further information.

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Additional costs

Our accommodation section shows your accommodation options and highlights how much it costs to live in Portsmouth.

You’ll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.

You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.

We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

We will provide you with hard hats and Hi-Vis vests. You will need to buy your own safety boots costing approximately £35.

Apply

Application deadline

  • The application deadline to start in September 2025 is to be confirmed.

Applications received after this date may not be considered.

 

I'm applying with my current employer

If you're already in full-time work, and your employer is interested in you studying this course, get them to contact us and we'll work out how to work together. 

If your employer isn't interested yet, you might find it useful to share our information for employers page with them.

Employer contact form  Information for employers


 

I'm looking for a job with a Degree Apprenticeship role

If you're not in full-time employment, or your current employer is not interested in degree apprenticeships, you'll need to find a role that does offer a degree apprenticeship. You can search the gov.uk list of open degree apprenticeship vacancies, or contact us with your details and we'll let you know when degree apprenticeship vacancies come up.

When you apply for a role that includes one of our degree apprenticeships, you'll follow the company's standard recruitment process for the job, while we assess your academic suitability for the course.

Search degree apprenticeship roles (gov.uk)  Contact us

 

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.