Objectives
The real estate profession provides exciting and rewarding career opportunities. Increasingly more and more successful graduates from unrelated first degree courses, are recognising this and are seeking to pursue professional careers in this demanding and dynamic discipline. Career advancement in this discipline demands knowledge, understanding, capabilities and development of a range of subjects and professional skills, as well as membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The MA Property Investment and Management course provides this educational foundation to holders of unrelated first degrees, as well as providing an award that is recognised by the professional body, RICS. Thus the course provides a route into the real estate business for candidates from a wide variety of first degree backgrounds. It has an investment and valuation focus making it particularly appropriate to applicants wishing to gain a stronger insight into these aspects of the property business. Careers in real estate are interdisciplinary in nature, requiring knowledge and understanding of the principles and practice of a diverse range of subjects; these include building construction, investment, law, town planning, property management and valuation. These subjects are addressed within the course.
Course description
Course content
The course covers the main subject areas of building construction, investment, law, town planning, property management and valuation.
The following subjects are addressed within the range of modules studied.
* property and construction: law, business and skills
* property and construction: technology, contract, cost and value
* economics and sustainability
* research and study skills
* planning, development and sustainability
* research proposal
* postgraduate dissertation
* property management and agency
* investment, valuation and appraisal
* property investment and market behaviour
Accreditation
The course is accredited by the RICS thereby enabling successful graduates entry to the Assessment of Professional Competence of the RICS; a prerequisite for full Chartered Surveyor status.
Assessment
Assessment within modules generally involves a combination of coursework undertaken during the module and a summative end test or formal examination, although a small number of modules are assessed solely by coursework. The assessment of the postgraduate dissertation module is based on the dissertation submitted.
Resources and facilities
As well as the wider facilities offered by the university, students in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment are able to use School dedicated IT and study space, and resources centre.
Study routes
The course may be studied either 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. The course recruits annually and commences in September. Both the full-time and part-time routes start with a six week intensive full-time period that is intended to introduce all students to the world of property and construction as well as encourage and develop a range of interpersonal and study skills.
Special benefits
The course is one in a suite of four which share a common core curriculum, with each course having its own distinctive range of programme specific modules. This commonality between the courses allows opportunity to transfer between pathways during the early phase of their delivery. (See the MA Property Management and Development, the MA Property Development and Construction, and the MA Property and Building Surveying).
Research opportunities
The Postgraduate Dissertation, supported by the Research and Study Skills, and Research Proposal modules, provide opportunity to develop and further enhance research skills, and to undertake independent primary research in the general fields of property and construction and the broader context of business and the environment.
