Building Surveying

Building surveying is a core profession of the property and construction sectors, concerned with the condition, management, development, and refurbishment of buildings across their full lifecycle. Building surveyors advise clients on a wide range of matters: the condition of properties and the cost of repairs, the management of dilapidations in commercial leases, the specification and oversight of refurbishment works, party wall matters, building pathology, and the legal and contractual aspects of construction and property transactions. At Glasgow Caledonian University, the BSc Building Surveying is a four-year full-time programme that includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement, giving you extensive professional and international experience alongside a rigorous academic programme.

As the current description notes, building surveyors are key professionals in the acquisition, building management, and development sectors of the property profession, advising on both commercial and residential building issues. The degree develops your knowledge of construction technology and materials, building pathology and defect diagnosis, building law and contract administration, project management, and the regulatory framework governing the built environment. Measurement and specification skills, alongside competence in surveying instruments and building inspection methods, are developed through practical work and professional experience.

The sandwich year and year abroad give you direct engagement with professional surveying environments in both UK and international contexts.

Graduates of building surveying programmes work in private practice, local authorities, housing associations, property companies, construction firms, and public sector organisations. The most direct career path leads towards the Assessment of Professional Competence required for RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) chartered membership, which is the standard professional qualification in building surveying. Specialist areas within the profession include party wall matters, historic building conservation, dilapidations, sustainability consultancy, and expert witness work.

Some graduates go on to postgraduate study or to specialise in related surveying disciplines. The technical knowledge, professional skills, and international and work placement experience that Glasgow Caledonian's programme provides is a thorough preparation for a career in this well-established and consistently in-demand profession.