Course overview

This course has been developed to provide you with the necessary skills, training and knowledge, upon successful completion, to work in roles ranging from professional and contractor quantity surveyors, commercial managers, project managers and similar roles from all sectors relating to the land, property and infrastructure industries.

Due to a strong growth in the built environment as a whole and in particular in the importance placed on financial and legal management within the sector, the quantity surveying role has been growing in importance for a number of years and is now seen as one of the key roles in the delivery of successful construction projects.
In development with our current industry partners, we have developed a course structure designed to provide exploration of a mix of technical skills and digital/technological knowledge, which aims to equip you for working in this growing sector, and preparing you for future developments in this fast moving industry.
This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills, upon successful completion, to give expert advice on the effective management of finance and costs throughout the building lifecycle. You will have the opportunity to gain a solid understanding of quantification and costing of construction works, financial control and reporting, risk management, design economics and cost planning.
You will be taught by current staff with academic and professional experience in quantity surveying, architectural practice, civil engineering and the construction industry, having worked in a variety of professional roles such as quantity surveying, building surveying, construction management, architectural technology and a wide range of professional organisations.

What you'll study

In the first year you will be introduced to the fundamental topics of building cost, design and production processes, which are essential to practitioners in all construction professions. Upon successful completion of this year, you should develop an understanding of the professional duties of a quantity surveyor working in a multi-disciplinary team setting to emulate industry practices.

Modules

Project Design Skills

The aim of this module is to develop and understanding and awareness of the design process as relevant to all professions within the industry. Through introduction to the various techniques used to design and develop projects in a fast growing and changing environment, the purpose is to explore the reason for current practices in design while considering innovative practices of the future.

Compulsory

Domestic Building Science and Services

The module will enable students to develop an understanding of the physical behaviour of the domestic building as a system, services design, durability, comfort and indoor air quality is essential to produce high-performance low-rise buildings, providing knowledge that focuses on the analysis of the physical phenomena and modern methods of energy control and how this impacts energy efficiency.

Compulsory

Domestic Construction Technology

This module seeks to inspire students to develop full understanding of the principles of construction in relation to low-rise domestic building besides an appreciation of the various aspects of the design and construction technology required for constructing a sustainable and comfortable low-rise domestic building.

Compulsory

Construction Materials

Cost Management Practices

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the concept of cost management, the processes and aspects of cost involved in decisions made and some of the tools used to help manage these costs. Through an introduction to the cost management techniques, you should develop an understanding of the process used in the industry and how your actions can impact on the overall cost of a project and the fundamental importance of cost to project development.

Compulsory

Land and Building Surveying

The aim of the module is to give the student a knowledge of how vertical and horizontal control is established on site through levelling and traversing and how this is applied to construction site activities. It will also give the student the necessary fieldwork skills to do this using appropriate surveying instrumentation.

Compulsory

Building Project 1

Group Project 1

The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the role of the construction professional within the multi-disciplinary construction industry, and develop personal and team-working skills and attributes that are needed for a successful career within their chosen discipline and profession.

Compulsory

Construction Management Practice

This module is designed to provide an insight into management aspects within the construction industry with an exploration of the theory behind management practices and motivation. The module will explore management in a general sense but focus on site and project management to provide all professionals with an insight into the complexities and legalities surrounding the management of a site including Resource management and human Resource management.

Compulsory

The second year is where you explore the quantity surveying and commercial management professions in more detail and move from traditional industry practices into the more contemporary and digital practices of contemporary industry organisations. You should expand on the knowledge from Year 1 and discover new ways of working in a multi-disciplinary team in group project two.

Modules

Law for Construction Professionals

This module will provide an introduction to general principles and concepts of law related to the construction industry. The module's aim is to develop an ability to understand and apply these legal principles to particular legal problems that may arise in the course of construction activities.

Compulsory

Commercial Construction Technology

The aim of this module is to develop an advanced knowledge of construction technology and procedures of commercial developments for students who have prior knowledge of low-rise domestic scale construction. The emphasis will relate to multi-storey and commercial framed structures and include a study of pre-construction activities, substructure and superstructure as well as the external envelope and internal access.

Compulsory

Legal Principles

The aim of this module is to introduce all of the professional courses to the broad aspects of English law with a particular focus on the laws of Tort, Contract and Land law. Through detailed discussion of case law and reference to key pieces of legislation the students will develop knowledge and skills to enable understanding of a range of legal matters that may arise in the industry while carrying out their professional role.

Compulsory

Commercial Building Science and Services

This module focuses on the Building services and systems for commercial and high rise buildings. This includes the electrical, mechanical and public health systems. It also includes some fundamental aspects of building science such as building physics, building materials, thermal comfort, thermal efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

Compulsory

Project Administration

Quantity Surveying Measurement

This module will explore the concepts, theories and principles relevant to quantity surveying professional activities both pre and post contract. In addition, this module seeks to explore the measurement of construction works and the preparation of tender documentation including schedule of works, preliminaries, approximate quantities and Bills of Quantities.

Compulsory

Building Project 2

This module will focus on further integrating your understanding and appreciation of construction management, quantity surveying, building services engineering, building surveying, architecture technology or real estate management with the process of design, together with developing your skills of communicating your designs through drawing and model making which are vital to ensuring that your ideas are understood and can be implemented.

Compulsory

Group Project 2

The aim of this module is to develop the student’s skill base through the continued development of critical, transferable study skills that are of practical benefit in the workplace and that promote and enable continued professional development. The module is linked to the personal tutorial sessions that take place during the academic year as well as using other online based delivery methods.

Compulsory

In your final year you will focus on contract, commercial and financial management topics, applying your knowledge in ‘real life’ projects that will reflect the work that goes on in industry, thereby making your transition into work on graduating smoother.

Modules

Contract Management - 20 credits

Group Project 3

The aim of this module is that students will accrue a detailed understanding of some of the key stages involved in a construction projects through the operations of a simulated design and construction team. Students will learn how to manage, through Building Information Modelling, aspects of a project through a feasibility study working in groups drawn from Civil and Building courses across the School of Energy, Construction and Environment.

Compulsory

Research Dissertations

The aim of this module is to enable students to develop their research skills by conducting primary or secondary research focused on a specific problem of relevance to their discipline. Students would use different methods and research skills to effectively communicate research novelties and ideas to the academic and non-academic communities.

Compulsory

Construction Finance and Value Management - 20 credits

Commercial Management

This module will develop understanding and critical awareness of commercial management in construction. Participants of this this module will develop the ability to apply a range of different commercial management techniques that drives competitiveness, balanced against profitability in the construction industry.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Actual teaching contact hours will vary depending on the level of study and the requirements of a particular semester. In a typical week your contact hours will be divided amongst:

Lectures
Seminars
Tutorials
Laboratories
Workshop and studio sessions, supervised by academic and technical support staff.
Digital Workshops

In addition, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study each week depending on the demands of individual modules. The number of contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 14-15 contact hours per week in the first and second year dropping to around 12 contact hours per week in the final year as you become a more independent learner.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

Practical or project work
Coursework
Essays
Group work
Presentations
Posters

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Job ready

On successful completion, you will have knowledge of:

Economics of construction.
The legal and regulatory framework within which buildings are constructed.
Procurement and contract administration procedures.
Current innovations relating to the construction of buildings.
Building technology and construction processes.
Management processes and systems associated with construction.
Building science with respect to materials, structure, services and internal environment.
Design processes used in construction.
How quality is achieved in construction processes and products.
Health and safety in building design and construction.

On successful completion, you will be able to:

Analyse, interpolate and present information.
Analyse and solve construction problems of a technical and managerial nature.
Analyse data and information sources in construction.
Develop price estimates and cost budgets.
Analyse financial information and cost budgets.
Undertake procedures associated with project management.
Prepare pre-contractual documentation.
Prepare valuations and claims.
Assess stage payments.

Entry requirements

Contact PSB Academy

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
International	Contact PSB for fees per year	Not available

Careers and opportunities

Quantity surveyors and commercial managers play a pivotal role in the delivery of every construction projects; career prospects can exist wherever new projects are being contemplated, or where facilities are being refurbished, or where building work requires professional control. This is a global profession, so career prospects may be worldwide.

Where our graduates work

Our previous graduates have found employment in private practices, contracting organisations, commercial organisations and local/central government, regionally, nationally and internationally. They have gone on to work with companies such as Mace, Galliford Try, Balfour Beatty plc, Laing O’ Rourke, Barrett Homes, Watts Construction Ltd, and BAM Construct UK.

Further study

You can choose to continue your studies at Coventry University with the Construction Management with BIM MSc.

Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management BSc (Hons)

Course overview

What you'll study

Modules

Modules

Modules

How you'll learn

Assessment

Job ready

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

Careers and opportunities

Where our graduates work

Further study