BSc (Honours) Real Estate
Four years full-time (including one year work placement) or three years full-time
UCAS code • N230
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Real estate
Related subjects • Construction, building and surveying
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At a glance
Prepare for a career in the commercial real estate industry, learning essential skills such as how to manage, value and develop properties. You enhance your professional knowledge by completing a one-year placement with a national or regional surveying practice or related employer. There are also opportunities to study overseas in your second year.
Key points
• Prepare for a rewarding career as a property professional.
• Go on a one year placement at organisations such as surveying practices, property developers and estate managers.
• Gain an international perspective of real estate through overseas study opportunities.
• Develop all the skills you need to satisfy the academic component for admission to membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
What is real estate?
Developing, redeveloping, refurbishing and investing in real estate are integral parts of the economy, and contribute to the sustainable development of society and the built environment.
This course
Get a head start in a career in the commercial real estate industry in the UK and overseas, on this professionally focused course. You develop the knowledge and skills to value, plan and develop, manage, acquire and dispose of real estate for occupiers and investment clients, in public and private organisations.
You train as a property professional to view real estate as a business medium, and to understand how and where it fits into the business world. By examining the legal and professional background in which the general practice surveyor works, you gain a broad understanding of • real estate valuation • asset management • economics • sustainable planning and development • building technology • law • marketing.
Once you have a firm grasp of the technical aspects of real estate surveying, you learn how to put it into practice appraising development proposals and advising on investment in real estate.
The course prepares you for interdisciplinary teamwork in professional practice through a series of collaborative projects, where you work alongside students studying on related courses such as quantity surveying, building surveying and construction project management. You learn how different professions view the built environment and the importance of finding common ground.
You are taught by lecturers who have professional experience of working as chartered surveyors, planners, lawyers or engineers, and who understand the reality of professional practice. You learn in our state-of-the-art teaching facilities, and also out in the built environment itself. You test out your classroom learning in real buildings and real places.
In your third year you have the chance to put your professional skills to work with a placement at one of the major national or regional offices of surveying practices, developers or asset managers.
Your placement year can usually contribute 200 days towards your professional experience requirement for your Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Assessment of Professional Competence.
You also have the chance to develop your international perspective of real estate and enhance your employability globally by studying abroad during your second semester of your second year through our ERASMUS partnerships.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • principles of valuation • built environment law • building pathology • commercial property valuation • development economics • international real estate investment.
Proud history
Our real estate course builds on the long and successful heritage of property and estate management courses that we've taught for over 30 years. Many graduates of these courses are now employed at director-level positions in the UK and overseas managing the real estate needs of major businesses and agencies.
Contact hours
You take part in a minimum of 12 taught hours per week during your first and second year. The normal teaching pattern typically involves one lecture and one seminar per week, per module. You also have additional timetabled hours periodically for other activities such as laboratory work, guest lectures and field trips.
In your final year, taught teaching is supplemented independent research if you choose to complete dissertation. Throughout your course, you are supported by a personal tutor.
One of our graduates, Louise Brooke-Smith, is Senior Vice-President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Louise is also a visiting fellow in real estate at Sheffield Hallam.
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
For 2013 entry, membership of professional bodies and mandatory UK field trips are included in the course fee.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,680 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• written assignments • practical work • examinations • coursework • assessment of your work experience year by your tutor and employer
Find out about work placements and how we can support your placement experience.
Optional year-long work placements are normally gained by competitive interview and are not a guaranteed part of a course.
Key Information Set 
Joel Chandler
2011 Graduate, BSc Real Estate
The Real Estate course at Hallam appealed to me because of its emphasis on practical learning and its efforts to develop students with knowledge and skills required for the work place. Sheffield Hallam, over any other university, stressed the importance of a placement year to gain work experience and develop your abilities.
The first year consisted of building a strong foundation in modules which we studied throughout the three year course. This included modules such as, commercial valuation, property management, urban economics, property law and professional development. The second year built on from the first year, with emphasis on preparing us for our placement year.
For me the placement year was an essential part of the course, it helped me to put what we had learnt into practice and enhanced everything that we had studied in the first two years.
The final year allowed me to gain further experience in subjects that I had covered while on my placement and allowed me to specialise in subjects I was wanting to practice in the work place in the future.
After graduating I secured a graduate surveying position at Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) in the Agency, Lease Advisory and Valuation departments. My work involves helping colleagues with Red Book valuations, rent review reports and negotiations, along with marketing property for clients who are purchasing, leasing or selling. It has been a steep learning curve since joining LSH. I am currently training to gain my RICS qualification and the quality and breadth of experience and support that I have received at LSH so far has been excellent.
Kai Song
MSc Real Estate
Why did you choose to come to study at Sheffield Hallam University?
'I was interested in the property market and it is big business in China so I looked at courses which would specifically help me in this area. The course is actually really good in the rankings and is among the top-rated courses in the UK.
What do you think about your course, the content, how it is taught, its features and benefits, the facilities that you use?
'The facilities at the University are great. The cafeteria and learning centre are just perfect. The university accommodation is also very clean and secure as well as being really close to the university facilities.
What have you learned from your course?
'The course can be intense but the tutors are very responsible and they provide thorough feedback
'I have learned a lot from the course and as it is very specific I am hoping that it will help me when it comes to finding a job, either in the UK or in China.
What do you think is the best thing about Sheffield Hallam University?
'I am honoured to be here and I hope one day that Sheffield Hallam will be honoured by me having been here.
What would your top tips be to other international students thinking of coming to study in the UK?
'There are many beautiful places around Sheffield so as well as studying, students should try to be happy and look for fun things to do. It is important not to just stay within the Chinese community as there are so many opportunities to interact with others.
It is great to practise your English and get used to the UK environment and, though it is difficult at first, it will eventually feel really great to have done so.'
Staff profiles
Visit the Department of Built Environment website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
