Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £17,155 per year -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
N230
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Gain hands-on experience in a wide variety of real estate roles on this highly respected course
- Learn industry-standard skills, such as investigation, data analysis and reporting
- Explore the extensive real estate development projects in this vibrant, booming city
- Study real-world challenges to address environmental issues facing the future of the profession
- Work with well-known organisations, develop professional skills and build your network
By studying BSc (Honours) Real Estate you’ll focus on real-world challenges – such as achieving sustainability and climate action in the built environment, building more homes, and advancing equality, diversity and inclusion within real estate projects.
Sheffield Business School accreditation
Sheffield Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has been awarded the Business School Impact System label by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
Employability
100% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating, with 100% in highly skilled employment or further study (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
On this course, you’ll put your classroom learning into practice by working on real buildings, projects and sites on field trips – ultimately leading to a successful career in the built environment.
As one of the longest-running real estate courses in the UK, our teachers are not only experts in their field, they also have strong connections within the profession – giving you a headstart in your career.
At every level of your course, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals who are at the frontier of their fields. You’ll also experience the wider world of property, exploring diverse buildings, places and communities – both locally and globally.
You learn through:
- Lectures and seminars
- Technical workshops
- Industry visits
- Field trips
- Independent study
- Practice-based learning
- Group work
- Work placements
Key themes
You’ll learn how to inspect, value, appraise, propose, negotiate, problem solve, innovate and plan in relation to the full life-cycle of buildings and places – from their creation and use, through to their replacement.
Core modules cover building technology, valuation, law, sustainability and resilience, economics and market analysis, urban planning, property management, investment, property development and climate action.
You’ll be able to apply research-based knowledge to real-world challenges – balancing economic, social and environmental goals in the name of ‘sustainable development’. You’ll also research a topic to master the investigation, data analysis and reporting skills you’ll need in professional practice.
This combination of practice-focused learning and contemporary industry issues will make you stand out to employers and allow you to leave us a confident graduate, ready for your next challenge.
Course support
At every level of study, students are given the opportunity to thrive, culturally, personally and professionally. Throughout your learning journey, you’ll experience a range of dedicated support, such as:
- Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development
- Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
- Free access to office and studio space, expert workshops, freelance opportunities and a vast business network ready for you to tap into
Applied learning
Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge you need to succeed.
Work placements
You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement before your final year. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
Live projects
This course boasts some great hands-on, practical experience. In each year of study, you’ll work on real projects, responding to briefs set by employers, and interacting with built environment professionals. This could include investigating and profiling an employer, or working with students from other courses to creatively address environmental issues.
Through these projects, you’ll learn how to apply your learning into professional practice, while gaining valuable industry experience.
Field trips
In the first year of the course, you’ll take a field trip to a UK city (at no additional cost). Destinations previously have included Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and London.
In the second year, there’s an optional overseas field trip to a European city, (which may require additional cost contributions). Previous destinations have included Lisbon, Dublin and Berlin.
Networking opportunities
Property is all about people. We’ll help you build a network of professional contacts by hosting networking events with employers. You’ll also be introduced to high-profile industry leaders through guest lecturers and masterclasses.
We also have a range of notable alumni to take inspiration from, including Louise Brook-Smith OBE, the first female president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Competitions
Each year we select and mentor a female student to participate in The Association of Women in Property’s Student Award. In 2016 and 2018 our nominees won the Yorkshire and North East regional contest and then went on to win the national award, succeeding against competition from a wide range of universities and disciplines from across the UK.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Property development
- Valuation
- Real estate consultancy
- Investment management
- Commercial agency and deals
- Corporate real estate (i.e. in-house roles)
- Sustainability
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- Avison Young
- BNP ParibasReal Estate
- British Land
- Bruntwood
- CBRE
- Capital & Centric
- Coalfields Regeneration Trust
- Colliers International
- Cushman & Wakefield
- Government of Bermuda
- Henry Boot Developments
- HSBC
- JLL
- Knight Frank
- Lambert Smith Hampton
- Leeds City Council
- Savills
- Network Rail
- Workman LLP
- The Crown Estate
- The Valuation Office Agency
Employability
100% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating, with 93% in highly skilled employment or further study (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Employability
100% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating, with 100% in highly skilled employment or further study (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
On this course you will have access to a variety of learning spaces and the tools and techniques you’ll use in the world of work, including:
- Industry-standard equipment and software like CoStar and Argus
- IT labs and our Adsetts Learning Centre for both independent study and collaboration
360 tour - i-Lab
Real Estate
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 112-120
This must include at least 64 points from two A levels or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- BBC-BBB at A Level.
- DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Merit overall from a T level qualification.
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS Levels, EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language or English Literature at grade C or 4
- Mathematics at grade C or 4
• Access - at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2 from a relevant Open College Network accredited course
• foundation degree - advanced entry - for direct entry to year two you must have a Foundation degree in a related subject, with an average score of 60% across the highest level modules.
• advanced entry - for direct entry to year two you must have a minimum of all merits on all H2 level units in a construction related HND/HNC, not including key or common skills. Compensation for a pass in one H2 unit with a distinction in another H2 unit is permitted.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent.
We consider other qualifications from the UCAS tariff. Applicants with alternative qualifications or a combination of qualifications and work experience are also considered. We welcome applications from people of any age. Please contact us for further advice.
Meeting the qualifications on the entry criteria does not guarantee you a place. You should ensure that you submit a personal statement and reference as these are considered as part of the selection process. Guidelines on personal statements and references can be found on the UCAS website.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Module Aim:
This module will provide you with knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of the construction of buildings so that you can apply this knowledge in the context of the building inspection, measurement and appraisal tasks undertaken by a Real Estate surveyor.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
Fundamentals of Buildings:
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Foundation construction
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Ground floor construction
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Wall construction
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Internal Floors / Stairs
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Roof construction
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Steel / concrete frames
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Doors, windows internal finishes
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Curtain walling and cladding
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Mains services supply
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External and internal drainage
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Introduction to future technologies
Inspection:
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Inspection & measurement techniques and purposes
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Measurement devices, calibration & error
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Surveying Safely
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Defects & building pathology
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Survey types
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Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
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Disability access assessments under the Equalities Act 2010
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Sales particulars (conventional and online)
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Conveyancing process (searches & enquiries; title)
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Comparison of different countries’ approaches and requirements
Module Aim:
This module will give you the skills and knowledge that you need to get the best out of your studies at university level and it will inspire and empower you to aim for a great career in the built environment in your chosen discipline through engagement with employers and the world of work, including though an employer-brief based Applied Project.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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An orientation to study and life at University (including study skills; assessment literacy; academic integrity; academic advising; welfare support; equality, diversity & inclusion; effective team working)
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An introduction to your course (including building your course community; getting to know each other; field trip; meeting other year groups and graduates from your course)
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An orientation to careers in the built environment (including ‘professionalism’; the range of built environment roles; understanding your professional identity; professional bodies and their requirements; ethics and professional standards; career planning and employability skills; employer presentations; networking)
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An employer-led introduction to a core area of work in your discipline (by for example, a set of sessions in which professionals take you through the reality of how they deal with a key task, from start to finish)
This module is key to settling you into your course and connecting you to the opportunities that successfully engaging with the course will give you.
Module Aim:
Built environment professionals need to understand how the projects that they are involved in are shaped by the interaction of social, legal, economic and environmental factors. This module will introduce you to the core concepts of sustainability, law and economics, by exploring them in the specific context of an area of contemporary challenge within the built environment, such as how to increase the number of new homes being constructed.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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Sustainability (What is sustainability? Where does it come from? Who is in control? How does sustainability enable housing development? How does it restrict it? How does sustainability look in other countries? Is sustainability just about the environment? How is sustainability assessed within built environment projects?)
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Law (What is law? Where does it come from? Who is in control? How does law enable housing development? How does it restrict it? How do disputes arise and how are they dealt with? How is legal risk identified and managed within built environment projects?)
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Economics (What is the economy? Where does it come from? Who is in control? How does economics enable housing development? How does it restrict it? What shapes the economy at national and local level? How is scarcity dealt with? How is economics used in managing built environment projects?)
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Housing (What is housing? Where does it come from? Who is in control? Who provides housing? Who restricts it? Why is there a shortage? What could be done differently? How is housing provided around the world?)
Module Aim:
This module will provide you with a grounding in the fundamental concepts and methodologies of real estate valuation in order to enable you to carry out valuations for range of properties and purposes.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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The nature of value and valuation in commercial and residential markets.
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Valuation and the Property Profession.
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Property as an investment.
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Valuation Mathematics.
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Methods of Valuation.
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The Valuation of Retail Premises.
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The Valuation of Freehold Interests.
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The Valuation of Leasehold Investment.
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Residential Valuations, Mortgages and Insurance Valuations
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Valuation and sustainability
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Is valuation now done the same way in every part of the world?
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How does equality, diversity and inclusion affect property valuation?
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Module Aim:
In this module you will identify and analyse the key features of UK real estate markets, and the means by which value, prices, allocation, land and property use, locational and investment decisions are determined. You will then use this understanding as a framework for examining non-UK real estate markets. Key economic and valuation concepts will be applied and developed in order to inform authentic evaluation and decision taking about rival investment opportunities in various UK and non-UK locations.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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Showcase the global opportunities of a career in real estate
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The dynamics of investment in UK and global real estate
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Characteristics of the UK commercial and residential real estate markets and sectors
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The development process, including finance, redevelopment (brownfield), the impact of planning controls and regeneration objectives
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Taxation of commercial real estate, including non-domestic rating
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Inward investment & economic development
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A comparison of the Chinese, Singapore and Hong Kong property markets
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Corruption, bribery and money laundering risks and compliance
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Islamic finance
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REITs and other indirect investment vehicles
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Legal structures of property ownership outside the UK
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Investment risk assessment (eg sustainable financing)
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International valuation standards and practice
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Commercial property valuations (including investment appraisal using Discounted Cash Flows)
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Investment valuations
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Asset valuations
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Liability for valuation
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Valuation reports
Module Aim:
This module will enable you to critically evaluate lease advisory, property management, valuation and related real estate professional roles by studying and applying the fundamental legal and professional principles applicable to the management of commercial real estate leases and assets.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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Employability skills for placement success
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How properties are owned and managed
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Commercial leases as a real estate management tool
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Sustainability and Green Leases
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Lease interpretation and negotiation
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Rent review, lease renewals
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Valuation aspects of the landlord and tenant relationship (e.g. 1954 Act valuations; lease terms effect on valuation; surrender and renewal; rent and premiums)
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Application of professional codes to the landlord and tenant relationship
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Avoiding discrimination in property management
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Property management outside the UK
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Property insurance
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Property insolvency and repossession
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Property disputes and dispute resolution
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Valuation of premises and businesses (marriage value; plant & machinery; business and intangible assets)
Module Aim:
In this module you will investigate how regulatory and commercial processes of ‘planning’ bring about urban (re)development. The two core areas to be explored (and compared and contrasted) are the English town & country planning system, and master-planning & development appraisal as carried out by developers. The module’s focus will be upon contemporary urban challenges set by matters such as the decline of ‘the High Street’ (and urban centres generally), and it will explore the attempts by each type of ‘planning’ to revitalise and/or repurpose urban buildings and places.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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The ‘death of the high street’ and the challenge posed to real estate professionals
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Identifying and understanding the factors that shape the past, present and future of urban areas
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Property law-based approaches to development control (e.g. racist zoning in the US as a case study)
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The rise (and fall?) of the town & country planning regulatory system
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Understanding the national and local role of planning policy, by examining what is being done to trying to ‘save’ the high street through regulatory planning
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Incentives and interventions: compulsory purchase; local taxation; grants
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Comparative approaches to inner-urban transformation from around the world
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Sustainability, place and place-making
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The benefits (and challenges) of community participation in decision--making
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How owners manage emptiness via demolition, security, meanwhile use, charity shops.
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Contemporary approaches to retail and high street regeneration
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How developers ‘plan’ – their role in master-planning
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How developers ‘plan’ – development appraisal
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How investors ‘plan’ – what are property funds looking for in retail/ mixed use schemes?
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Exploring examples of successful (and unsuccessful) council / developer collaborative ‘save the high street’ schemes
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Academic research and theorists on how best to explain and address the ‘death of the high street’
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Building skills related to finding and using academic research and concepts in evaluation and essay writing
Module Aim:
In this module you will put into practice the sustainability principle of ‘think global, act local’ by collaborating face-to-face with students from across the Department of the Natural and Built Environment and potentially online with students at other universities around the world, in order to work upon an Applied Project related to the resilience of built environments.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
Collaboration skills:
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Working with others, building relationships, including with external stakeholders
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Developing collaborative and strategic design proposals
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Cross-cultural communication, collaboration and inclusivity
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Communication, presentation and reflection skills
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Understanding and responding to client requirements
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Developing and presenting environmental and construction design solutions
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Reflection on collaborative learning
Resilient built environments:
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Study and consideration of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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Resilience and sustainability: are they the same thing?
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Hazards facing built environments (e.g. climate change, flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes, heat stress, war, pandemics, energy & technology failures)
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Infrastructure & resilience
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Insurance, finance and resilience
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Principles of resilient design, construction and use of built environments
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Professional roles and requirements in built environment resilience
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Deep-dive into one hazard (e.g. flood resilience) and contrast UK and non-UK approaches to resilience to that hazard
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Module aim:
The aim of this module is to enhance students’ professional development through the completion of and reflection on meaningful work placement(s).
A work placement will provide students with opportunities to experience the realities of professional employment and experience how their course can be applied within their chosen industry setting.
The placement will:
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Allow student to apply the skills, theories and behaviours relevant and in addition to their course
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Enable students to enhance their interpersonal skills in demand by graduate employers – communication, problem solving, creativity, resilience, team work etc
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Grow their student network and relationship building skills
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Provide student with insights into the industry and sector in which their placement occurs
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Help student make informed graduate careers choices
Indicative Content:
In this module students undertake a sandwich placement (min 24 weeks / min 21 hours per week) which is integrated, assessed and aligned to their studies.
Their personal Placement Academic Supervisor (PAS) will be their key point of contact during their placement and will encourage and support students to reflect on their experience, learning and contribution to the organisation they work for.
To demonstrate gains in professional development, students will be required to share their progress, learning and achievements with their Placement Academic Supervisor and reflect on these for the summative piece of work.
Final year
Compulsory modules
Module Aim:
This module has two aims:
Development Management: to enable you to individually and collaboratively identify, formulate and advance feasible real estate development proposals by identifying and addressing relevant physical, legal, finance and market factors.
Climate Action Retrofit Project: to enable you through working collaboratively in an immersive, work integrated learning environment, to address an employers’ brief use your disciplinary knowledge and given professional identity to identify, formulate and advance feasible retrofit proposals to address energy and environmental challenges posed to existing buildings by the climate emergency.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
Development Management:
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Identifying and dealing with legal constraints at potential development sites
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Land contamination: law and science
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Heritage, conservation & development
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Planning law & policy factors
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Residual valuation, cashflow, finance & funding
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Modelling a development project (including risk and sensitivity)
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Reporting a development appraisal
Climate Action Retrofit Project:
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Climate change, energy and the built environment
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Strategies for climate action and delivering Net Zero
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Construction and Real Estate professionals’ roles and perspectives on climate action
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Energy efficiency in new build
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Retrofitting existing buildings
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The challenges and dangers of retrofit (eg Grenfell tower)
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Evaluating research and technologies for retrofit
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Selecting, costing and communicating retrofit proposals
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Reflection upon your personal development during the course and planning for your future personal development
Module Aim:
This module will give you the knowledge and skills to target your future careers towards strategic roles in corporate real estate and in the investment management of real estate assets and portfolios.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
Career planning
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Reflection on placements and managing professional challenges and change
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Orientation to graduate careers, career planning and the APC
Strategic Real Estate Consultancy
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Strategic roles within real estate management and consultancy
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Principles of management and strategy
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Managing change
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Corporate Real Estate: business environment, corporate alignment and drivers
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Offices: past, present and future (in the UK and globally)
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Tenure choices
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Relocation & Space utilisation
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Working practices, wellness, inclusivity and culture
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Sustainability considerations in corporate decision-taking
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The future of real estate
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Consultancy and reporting
Investment Management
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Introduction to real estate investment portfolio management
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Investment method of valuation
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Discounted cash flow analysis
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Statistical data sources and indices
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Statistical analysis, correlation and regression
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Data analysis and property market research
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Diversification – risk and return
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Modern Portfolio Theory (Markowitz)
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Portfolio Theory and CAPM
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Investment strategy and performance benchmarking / measurement
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Sensitivity analysis; scenario analysis and risk analysis
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Portfolio manager guest lectures
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Portfolio acquisitions, sales and management
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How to reflect on portfolio performance
Module Aim:
This module will give you the skills that you need in order to plan and implement an individual research study related to a built environment topic of your choice with a particular emphasis on the types of research questions, research methods and data sources that you will encounter in professional practice.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
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Deciding what to research, based upon reflection on your career goals and experience to date
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Formulating a workable Research Question
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Research ethics
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Critical evaluation of data sources and existing studies
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Working with policy and business information sources
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Understanding intellectual property, data re-usage rights and information governance
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Gathering and preparing existing data for re-processing
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Hypothesis testing, basic algorithms, validity and verification
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Quantitative data analysis: working with Big Data and data mining
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Qualitative data analysis: working with texts, maps, images, case studies, legal materials
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Descriptive, predictive and normative analysis
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Dealing with uncertainty, incompleteness and bias
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Succinct communication of findings
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Evidence-based decision making
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How to reflect on the progress and effectiveness of a research project
Module Aim:
In this module you will carry out an individual research study related to a built environment topic of your choice, and report and reflect upon the outcome of that study, with a particular emphasis on the types of research questions, research methods and data sources that you will encounter in professional practice. You will report and reflect upon the outcome of your study.
Indicative content:
Module content may vary in response to changing teaching and professional developments but could include:
NB: this module will not have taught content (that is provided in the Research Methods module). The following listing is therefore the knowledge and skills that you will use and develop by undertaking your individual project:
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Keeping your Research Question and research design under review as your study progresses
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Critical evaluation of data sources and existing studies
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Working with policy and business information sources
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Understanding intellectual property, data re-usage rights and information governance
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Gathering and preparing existing data for re-processing
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Hypothesis testing, basic algorithms, validity and verification
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Quantitative data analysis: working with Big Data and data mining
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Qualitative data analysis: working with texts, maps, images, case studies, legal materials
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Descriptive, predictive and normative analysis
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Dealing with uncertainty, incompleteness and bias
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Succinct communication of findings
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Evidence-based decision making
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How to reflect on the progress and effectiveness of a research project
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Business School (PDF, 255.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.