Quantity Surveying

Quantity surveying is the financial backbone of the construction industry. Quantity surveyors estimate, control, and manage the costs of construction projects throughout their lifecycle, working with clients, designers, and contractors to deliver outcomes within agreed budgets. They bring together technical understanding of construction with commercial, legal, and contractual knowledge, ensuring that the financial risks of complex projects are identified and managed effectively.

The profession is integral to every significant building project in the UK and internationally.

At the University of Northumbria, this three-year full-time degree prepares you for this demanding and rewarding profession through a programme that combines academic study with practical industry experience. You will build expertise in quantifying and measuring structures, contract risk assessment, value and cost management, procurement, and the use of emerging technologies including building information modelling and digital tools that support compliance with building regulations and sustainable construction practices. Learning takes place in laboratories, the field, and on-site visits, and interdisciplinary project work mirrors the collaborative professional environment that quantity surveyors actually work in.

A sandwich year placement gives you a sustained period of professional experience before your final year, and a year abroad allows you to engage with construction and procurement in an international context. Work placement activity is integrated throughout. A typical entry tariff of 136 points applies.

You will develop proficiency in measurement, cost planning, contract administration, and the commercial skills needed to work across all stages of a construction project. Professional body accreditation provides a pathway to Chartered Quantity Surveyor status with the RICS.

Graduates go on to careers in construction consultancies, main contractors, client organisations, public bodies, and specialist practices. Postgraduate study and chartership are natural progression routes.