Real Estate
Develop the buildings of tomorrow with our RICS-accredited degree. Gain hands-on experience and prepare for a fulfilling career in this ever-evolving industry.
How to apply Apply Through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/built-environment/built-environment-bsc-real-estate-placeholder-01-1.png)
Key Course Details
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UCAS Code
K440
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Start Date
September
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Location
Pontypridd
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Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£9,535*
International students
£16,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
-
UCAS Code
K441
-
Start Date
September
-
Location
Pontypridd
-
Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£9,535*
International students
£16,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
The real estate industry is fast-paced, dynamic, and full of opportunity. Start your career in a rewarding field where no two properties are the same. Get insight into real estate appraisals and property law with the opportunity to earn while you learn with full-time and part-time study available.
DESIGNED FOR
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a financially savvy creative, or a community builder keen to make an impact, our Real Estate course is for you. You’ll get a broad introduction to the industry in your first year, then specialise in real estate as the course continues.
Accredited by
- Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Career paths
- Real estate surveyor
- General practice surveyor
- Property manager
- Valuation surveyor
- Asset manager
Skills taught
- Project planning and management
- Leadership, communication and teamwork
- Legal frameworks
- Real estate appraisals
- Problem solving
Course Highlights
Module Overview
You’ll learn everything you need to know for a career in real estate – from housing, planning and communities to advanced property law. Develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as you visit local developments and work on real-life briefs.
Your first year is shared with the other Built Environment courses – quantity surveying, building surveying and construction project management. Together you’ll learn the fundamentals, then have the options of placements and site visits.
Built Environment Law
Learn about the wide range of laws applicable to the UK construction industry and the built environment.
Built Environment Economics
Get to grips with the numbers behind construction. Understand the general economy and built environment economy; develop your understanding of economic theory.
Built Environment Principles
Explore the concept of the built environment and the impact construction has on it.
Digital Technologies
Use a 3D laser scanner, laser measurer, drone and VR headsets as you survey, draw, measure and analyse.
Development and Society
Discover how space and the built environment evolve. Consider how development is constrained and challenged through social, political and geographical processes.
Construction Technology
Your introduction to the function, performance fundamentals and common construction techniques used for the major components of domestic dwellings.
In your second year, you’ll explore commercial law, and property valuation and build on your project management skills. You’ll learn how buildings are managed, invested in and appraised.
Management of Buildings
Grasp the principals involved in the management of commercial and domestic buildings, covering legislation, safety in surveying, and the various types of surveying.
Property Valuation
Develop a broad understanding of property valuation including the traditional property valuation methods of comparative, investment, residual, contractors and profit.
Housing, Planning and Communities
Explore contemporary socio-spatial dynamics of UK housing and the impacts of neighbourhood planning and urban (re)development.
Investment Appraisal and Property Management
Develop your understanding and application of investment appraisal, investment markets, investment performance, investment risk and sustainable investments.
Project Management and Professional Practice
Understand the tools and techniques, legal frameworks and ethical considerations involved in project management, applying these across different scenarios.
Commercial Law
Understand the law relating to commercial relationships including legislative control of commercial contracts. Learn to analyse and apply the law relating to commercial relationships.
In your final year, you’ll delve into the industry’s sustainability challenges and choose a topic for your final dissertation. This is where you’ll refine your knowledge and skills, ready to stand out to future employers – and kickstart your RICS qualification to become a chartered surveyor.
Built Environment Dissertation
Go deep into your research and follow your interests to produce a dissertation relevant to real estate.
Advanced Property Valuation
Develop your understanding of property valuation, including modern methods of valuation and statutory valuations.
Commercial Management and Enterprise
Take on an industry-linked commercial management challenge to hone your management and business skills.
Property Law in Practice
Apply knowledge and understanding to perform critical steps in a residential and/or commercial property transaction concerning freehold and leasehold property.
Sustainability and Decarbonisation for the Built Environment
Develop your awareness of the critical issues involved within environmental sustainability and the built environment.
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
You’ll learn from real estate industry professionals and previous graduates who now work at the university and bring their real-world experience and expertise. You’ll experience a mixture of learning styles, including guest lectures, workshops and site visits to local developments, all linking back to our goal of launching your career after graduation.
Assessments take the form of exams, coursework, presentations, and case studies. Some modules give you a choice of assessments from a set list – so you are in control.
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Teaching staff
Our teaching team are all graduates from USW and/or industry professionals who help bring concepts to life through real examples from their careers. They understand what it’s like to be a student, and how to help you make the most of your time studying. The team are enthusiastic about your future and are there to help you every step of the way. You’ll also be offered a personal academic coach for your studies, to help you organise your work and support you with any personal issues you might have.
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Placements and work experience
The site visits are a great way to see real estate in action and help you begin to build a list of contacts in the industry. Between your second and third year, you can take a sandwich year, where you’ll work within the property industry, gathering relevant experience and making valuable connections. A dedicated careers placement officer will help you find these placements and can also help you find work experience opportunities during the holidays.
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Facilities
Our course takes place on our Treforest Campus where our students have access to a dedicated built environment project room, transformative learning spaces and dedicated computer labs with the latest software, such as Think Revit, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, Autodesk QTO, CostX, Synchro, and Navisworks. You can also take advantage of our latest digital technology including VR equipment, drones and thermal imaging cameras – all of which are increasingly used within real estate.
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98%
of USW Built Environment and Civil Engineering graduates are in employment and/or further study 15 months after graduation
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Accredited
RICS is a globally recognised and highly regarded professional body that promotes positive change in the built and natural environments.
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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
UCAS points: 96 (or above)
Typical qualification requirements:
- A Level: CCC to include a relevant subject
- BTEC: Merit Merit Merit in a relevant subject
- Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level with a relevant subject
- Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points.
Additional requirements include:
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
English language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
£9,535
per year*£16,200
per year*£16,200
per year*Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
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Introducing Calon
We are investing in the future of STEM at USW with an exciting new Computing, Engineering and Technology building at our Pontypridd Campus.
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)
- September 2025 Part-time
- September 2025 Full-time
- September 2025 Sandwich
- September 2026 Full-time
- September 2026 Part-time
- September 2026 Sandwich
Advanced entry
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
International admissions
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
Work, earn and learn!
This course is also available through Network75, a combined work and study route.
Learn more
