Real Estate Management & Investment MSc



This course is accredited by the RICS and gives you the required knowledge and skills for a successful career in the property market
Overview

The MSc Real Estate Management & Investment degree is a carefully considered programme which meets current industry demands and develops graduates who have the knowledge and skills required to enter the property industry as valuers, agents, property consultants, managers, and developers. 

Working with industry practitioners, the MSc Real Estate Management & Investment course will allow you to gain knowledge of the wide range of principles that underpin property investment assets such as: Building Economics, Property Law, Real Estate Valuation, Property Asset Management, Property Investment Analysis, and the principles of Sustainable Urban Property Development and the skills to apply these effectively. You will complete the course with a Masters Dissertation on a relevant topic. More information about the individual modules can be found below and on the module catalogue.

Property plays a key role in business and investment and there is a need to maximize both the return from and productivity of real estate assets. This requires professional expertise. There is some £883 billion invested in UK commercial property stock and just over half of this is held as investment assets. Within the residential sector, the private rented sector alone has a value of £1000 billion. These real estate assets all require on-going strategic and active management including appraisal, acquisition and disposal

Whatever your background, this Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited course will equip you with the knowledge to become a competent and resourceful professional, ready to go straight into a career as a surveyor in the fast-paced property market. The Masters degree is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) under the Commercial, Residential and Valuation pathways. A career as a surveyor may suit you if you are interested in property and people, and want a professional role with plenty of variety and prospects.

Graduate prospects are good and recent graduates have gone on to work for the likes of: Ryden, Savills, Shepherd Surveyors, DM Hall, Cushman and Wakefield, Montagu Evans, Valuation Office Agency, Lothian Valuation Joint Board, and Taylor Wimpey Homes. 

Person standing to read a book in front of a class

Mode of Study:

Full-time (available as Part-time | Distance-learning)

Duration:

1 year

Start date:

SepJan

Course details

The course content is delivered through lectures and tutorials taught by professionally qualified academic staff and industrial specialists.

You'll develop abilities to analyse, assess and synthesize solutions to problems and gain an understanding of the business drivers and constraints that influence these solutions. Your communication skills will also be developed, giving you the confidence you need to interact with clients and fellow industry professionals.

Real Estate Management & Investment is a global trend and as such there are opportunities to work across the world, particularly within the multinational practices.

Our accreditation means this qualification meets their academic requirements, putting you well on your way to Chartered status. You can obtain full Chartered status following a period of work experience after graduation and on successful completion of the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

Chartered Surveyors with a degree in Real Estate Surveying apply their specialist skills in the fields of: development appraisal; Investment appraisal; valuation; agency (buying and selling land and property); and property management. Graduates can work in the private, public and voluntary sector, which might include: private practice real estate consultancies, commercial and residential surveying firms, property companies, financial institutions and local and central government. 

Recent graduates have gone on to work for the likes of: JLL, Shepherds, Rydens, DM Hall, Cushman and Wakefield, Lambert Smith Hampton, Valuation Office Agency, Lothian Valuation Joint Board, Transport for London, Avant Homes and Knight Frank


Lead Academics

Most of the staff teaching on the course are Chartered Surveyors, Lawyers and other property professionals. They have extensive experience as practitioners. The programme leader is Alison Andrews.
 
Alison Andrews 
Alison is a Chartered Surveyor.


  • calendar How you’ll be taught

    The core material is delivered through lectures and tutorials taught by professionally qualified academic staff and industrial specialists. Independent study is required for each of the modules.

    Students will undertake three taught modules in each of Trimesters 1 and 2 of the academic year and complete their dissertation in the final trimester.

    You can choose to start in either January or September.

    Duration:

    • September starts: 12 months
    • January starts: 18 months with a three-month break over the summer (after the first taught trimester)

    You will generally attend the university two days a week.

    Term dates are available through the website. This course can also be studied Part-time and by Distance-learning.


  • note and pen Assessments

    Assessments are by a mixture of coursework, projects and exams. This can consist of a variety of tasks including report writing, essays, research briefs and posters. Full details of the assessment strategy for each module can be found in the module catalogue.
  • briefcase Work placement Whilst there is no credit-bearing work placement, most students take up the opportunities offered by industry to engage in insight weeks and then summer internships/placements. The University Employer Mentoring Programme also offers the valuable opportunity to link you with an industry mentor. We have an excellent careers service that can assist with the application processes and to develop your CV.
  • library Facilities

    Students benefit from a central city centre campus with computer facilities that are open 24 hours at the Merchiston campus of Edinburgh Napier University,

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Building Economics ( BSV11111 )

Macroeconomic overview of the national economy.
Appraisal and analysis of the economic structure and health of the property and construction industries and economic trends in the construction industry.
Economic models of urban location and growth, urban land economics, theoretical analysis, assumptions and application of models.
Economic aspects of urban problems.
The concept of building value.
Principles of developer's budgets.
Balancing value and cost.

Further information

Dissertation ( BSV11120 )

Research methodology, developing a proposal, designing a research strategy, literature reviews, data gathering, analysis, presentation, writing up and presentation.




Further information

Law and Administration: Property and Construction ( BSV11106 )

Introduction to law and legal concepts; jurisdiction; The principles of contract law and law of negligence; Principles of property law and the law of leases; Law of health and safety relating to the construction sector; Methods of dispute resolution, including arbitration and international commercial arbitration; Forms of contract used in the construction and property maintenance sectors; Choice of procurement strategy and selection of appropriate contract types.

Further information

Property Asset Management ( BSV11109 )

The role of the property asset manager, models of property asset management, property asset management (registration, valuation and performance measurement), Information Technology for PAM, property asset management (corporate and public sectors) and corporate social responsibility.

Further information

Property Investment Analysis ( BSV11108 )

An assessment of commercial property investments and their markets
Examine conventional property appraisal and analysis and identify the shortfalls
Understand the application and limitations of the contemporary appraisal methods
Applying broader investment market analytic techniques to property investments
Contextualisation of investment property markets

Further information

Real Estate Valuation ( BSV11141 )

The module aims to provide an introduction to real estate valuation and/or appraisal, the range of possible methodologies, their strengths and limitations and the appropriate contexts for their application. The module focuses on the definitions of value, an introduction to the financial mathematics used in investment appraisal and valuation methodologies, the five main methods of valuation, the purposes and bases of valuation and appraisals, analysis and reporting of risk in relation to the appraisals, the professional guidelines and mandatory requirements (The Red Book) of the main surveying body, the RICS, to be adhered to in property valuation practice and ethics, and current issues in valuation, including sustainability.

Further information

Sustainable Urban Property Development ( BSV11125 )

Sustainable urban development, sustainable development, urban property development, development appraisal, sustainable urban property development protocol, environmental assessment methods, case study applications.

Further information

* These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

ACCREDITED BY

Built Environment Exchange

Join beX, our Built Environment Exchange programme that provides employability projects, internship opportunities and scholarships.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme.

We may consider applicants with a lower degree classification if they has sufficient relevant work experience in the property / real estate industry. There may also be an additional essay requirement if applicants apply with less than a 2.2 Honours degree and this would be confirmed on submission of the application to the Admissions Team.

As this course is accredited by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the minimum level of qualification to be considered will be at Bachelor (Ordinary) degree level. To check the equivalence of your qualification or experience, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team.

English language requirements 

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

International students

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BN Nursing/MSc Nursing (Pre-registration) (Adult, Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities)
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

Admissions policies

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students From 2023/24 2024/25
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £6,930 tba
Overseas and EU £17,090 tba

Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next.
For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees

Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Careers

Chartered Surveyors with a degree in Real Estate Surveying apply their specialist skills in the fields of: 

  • Development appraisal
  • Investment appraisal
  • Valuation
  • Agency (buying and selling land and property)
  • Property management
  • Private practice real estate consultancies
  • Commercial and residential surveying firms
  • Property companies
  • Financial institutions and local and central government

Recent graduates have gone on to work for the likes of: JLL, Shepherds, Rydens, GVA, DM Hall, Cushman and Wakefield, Lambert Smith Hampton, Valuation Office Agency, Lothian Valuation Joint Board, Transport for London, Avant Homes and Knight Frank.

Student beside savilles sign holding a book open in her hands