
Building Surveying with Facilities Management - MSc
Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry.
The MSc Building Surveying programme with Facilities Management is designed to respond to the dynamic demands for sustainable management of the existing built environment and is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time
- Location City Centre
- Award MSc
- Start date September 2023
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Engineering and the Built Environment
- Faculty Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment
Overview
The MSc Building Surveying programme with Facilities Management is designed to respond to the dynamic demands for sustainable management of the existing built environment and is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
What's covered in this course?
The course is founded on the principal that participants intend to attain membership of the RICS. The programme therefore embraces the values of the RICS and reflects the requirements of the professional body in terms of core technical and professional skills and attributes. All students are expected to be student or graduate members of the RICS.
The Building Surveying course content and delivery is underpinned by the need to respond to the RICS Strategic Foresight 2030 report, including incorporation of the seven strategic pillars for the future within learning, teaching and assessment.
The course will provide you with a broad but solid foundation in the fundamentals of organising, managing, and designing work to existing buildings. It seeks to provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges presented by the globally evolving built environment marketplace.
This course focuses on developing and expanding the knowledge, understanding and ability of practitioners to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. You will receive a rigorous grounding in the advanced skills needed to operate at a high level in industry and become competent in the solving the problems and challenges you will face. You will also be able to add value to your decisions through a thorough analytical approach and be able to better implement them as a competent building surveyor.
The course encompasses the entirety of the property life cycle, allowing you to appreciate how decisions made in one aspect of a property’s development and use can have a significant impact later on in the life cycle.
Tailor your degree
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course. This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Accredited By
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
Why Choose Us?
- Accredited Course - Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).
- Graduate success - Our graduates have secured positions with prestigious firms, such as Balfours and Prudential.
- A well-established provider - The faculty has a reputation as the West Midlands' chief hub of knowledge, technology and skills-transfer into industry.
- Professional placement option – Gain desirable employability skills with the option of a professional placement.
- Preparation for industry - A simulation of the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is built into the assessment process.
- Respond to current industry challenges - This course is designed to respond to the challenges of the 21st century identified by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), such as increased use of BIM, smart cities and Big Data
OPEN DAY
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to meet us in person. You'll get the chance to learn about courses in subject talks, chat to tutors and explore our campus. We'll post you a detailed event programme to help plan your day and find your way.
Next Event: Saturday 24 June
Entry Requirements
Essential Requirements
A good UK honours degree at 2:2 or above/equivalent in surveying, construction, civil engineering, real estate or any other construction subject |
We will also consider other qualifications and suitable work based experience on an individual basis. You may be asked to attend a selection interview. |
Additional information for EU/International students
Essential |
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Non-EU students need to demonstrate a good command of English. IELTS 6.0 or equivalent is needed before they can enrol in this programme. |
Introduction course |
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If you do not have a Building Surveying degree or considerable experience, there is an online introduction course based on self-directed learning available (at no charge) to prepare you for entry to this Master’s programme. You are required to complete this at your own pace as part of your application process. |
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2023
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £8,500 in 2023/24
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £9,350 in 2023/24
- Part Time
- 20 months
- Show fees
- £945 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 60 credits
- Year 2 - 120 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2023
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 12 months
- £16,870 in 2023/24
- Full Time
- 18 months with Professional Placement*
- £18,557 in 2023/24
Professional Placement option*
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Module
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
This module focuses on the key surveying competencies of building pathology, inspection and measurement of land and property. The module draws on the various aspects of these competencies and their inter-relational qualities to develop a cohesive approach to the undertaking of a variety of surveys.
You will be exposed to the range of data collection and data management techniques, the variety of surveys available for commercial and industrial property as well as evaluating the construction and condition of the building and the impact this might have on the viable use of the building. The need to collate information, integrate data from a variety of sources, reflect and formulate into a coherent professional report is a key employability skill.
In this module you will develop your understanding of the theories of Facilities The MSc Building Surveying with Facilities Management course has four key themes relating to Building Surveying. This module focuses on one of those themes, Facilities Management. The module seeks to develop your intellectual appreciation of theory and practice in the subject and how the subject contributes to the successful management of existing buildings.
This module builds upon current theory and practice in facilities management explored in the FM (1) module reinforcing skills in critical thinking and problem solving thereby enabling you to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of facilities management at both strategic and operational level; to demonstrate both a knowledge and understanding of the technical nature of building assets including but not limited maintenance contracts and project management of FM which is intrinsically client/organisational focused.
This integrative module enables you to apply knowledge gained in modules throughout the programme to a “real life” practical scenario based assessment. It will provide an understanding of the factors influencing development decisions and how to evaluate possible development solutions in the context of client requirements.
You will work in interdisciplinary teams to meet the requirements of your client. The module encourages you to develop competence in evaluating information and will extend your communication and problem solving skills. These are all vitally important in a professional practice situation
This course is seeking to create effective, efficient and creative managers of construction projects from design right through to occupation. Innovation is a key aspect of this both in managers’ ability to conceive of new approaches but also to implement series of improvements and to cope with disruption. The module takes a ‘learning approach’ to innovating considering this at both the system level and the individual level. In this, it explores and challenges different conceptions of innovation and seeks to devise strategies for implementation and success within different contexts.
The module enables you to understand the importance of working within the boundaries of established professional best practice. It focuses on the skills and competencies that are required in practice to meet professional standards and expectations. This includes ethics; stakeholder analysis; business presentation skills; negotiation; conflict management, team working; reflexivity etc.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed Level 7 project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material.
Professional Placement
In order to qualify for the award of MSc Building Surveying with Facilities Management with Professional Placement, a student must successfully complete all of the Level 7 modules listed above as well as the following Level 6 module:
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Download course specification
Download nowThe course is delivered via a series of lectures, tutorials, case studies and project work. The assessment is by portfolio exercises, reports, presentations and a dissertation.
Each of the taught modules are designed to have a total study time of 200 hours. Approximately 36 hours of this is face to face teaching, tutorials and seminars, with the remainder a mixture of directed and self-study.
Professional Placement option
The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.

Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
This course is accredited by Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)

RICS
This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is specifically designed to meet the competencies required by its specialist Environmental Surveying pathway.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
The Chartered Institute of Building is at the heart of a management career in construction. Its focus is on those entering and already in a management career in construction, by delivering qualifications and certifications that meet the needs of a changing industry. It works with members, employers, academia and governments across the globe to drive forward the science, practice and importance of management in construction.
Employability
Enhancing your employability skills
Birmingham City University has the Graduate+ scheme, an extracurricular programme which has been designed to hone the subject-based skills you develop throughout the programme alongside broader employability skills. You’ll develop skills in CV writing, presentations, a portfolio and more.
You are also encouraged to join the RICS and get involved in local Matrix events.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities
The facility our students value most is not actually on campus, but is the location of the campus in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside opposite the new High Speed 2 station construction, and minutes from dozens of fascinating live projects within the city centre.
Birmingham as it changes constantly on our doorstep really is our ‘living lab’. By simply looking out the window of our classrooms you’ll be able to witness live projects as they’re happening around us. You’ll constantly be inspired by dozens of fascinating case studies just from walking from the station to the campus.
The facilities on offer to our students reflect the work environment you will enter as you start your career. Learn more about what we have to offer below.
Our staff
Dr Mohammad Mayouf
Senior Lecturer in Digital Built Environment
Dr Mohammad Mayouf teaches a range of modules across Construction Management, Quantity Surveying and Building Surveying both at Undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His expertise include embedding and applying the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) within the built environment teaching curriculums, and research and collaboration with...
More about MohammadDr Ghasson Shabha
Senior Lecturer
Ghasson has obtained his PhD in Architecture from Bath University, UK. He is an architect by profession with a wide range of experience in the design and property management of office, residential and commercial buildings. He has acted in an advisory capacity to Housing Associations, PROMIS , Dubai, CIB and Building Research Establishment (BRE).
More about GhassonAmanda Mundell
Senior Lecturer
Amanda is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and the Built Environment and teaches on post-graduate and undergraduate programmes. Her teaching experience is supported by 2:1 law degree (specialising in Planning and Environmental Law), a post-graduate professional qualification (Legal Practice Course), along with 15 years...
More about Amanda