What you will study
This course will enable you to create key research and systematic aptitudes alongside your practical, technical and professional competencies.
You will study six modules. These have been intended to guarantee that they align with key competencies of the RICS's Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), yet at the same time enabling you to pursue your particular interests through your research project. The project culminates in the unique master's conference. There will also be an opportunity to participate in an international residential field trip.
Flexibility within the curriculum will allow you to extend your insight within focused areas of valuation, property law, investment, asset management and/or spatial development.
Full time
The full-time programme runs over one year and consists of six modules at 30 credit points each. Four modules are core, and two are chosen from a selection of elective modules.
Core modules
Real Estate Fundamentals and Law
30 credits
This module examines the fundamental elements of the real estate market and the legal background against which the property market operates. It will examine the players in the market, supply and demand within the key sectors, investor and owner-occupier appetite and the effects of micro and macro-economic on the real estate market. It also examines the interaction of businesses or corporations and their need and use of buildings, the importance of the effective and efficient use of space, and how other elements such as image, design, and personnel work requirements can affect buildings. This module also provides students with a critical understanding and knowledge of the principles of administrative laws, legal methods, land law, the law of contract and obligations, and tortious liability applicable to real estate situations.
Real Estate Appraisal and Valuation
30 credits
This module develops students' understanding, knowledge and critical appraisal abilities over a wide range of valuation approaches and methods, and appraisal techniques commonly used in both UK and global valuation practice. There are two distinct teaching blocks with supporting tutorials and practice scenarios exercises covering essential valuation and appraisal skills, including an introduction to Information and Communication Technology to support valuation modelling. The module also develops a critical analysis of approaches to valuations and valuation instructions in the global environment.
Research Principles and Application
30 credits
This module aims to provide students with a sound grounding in research principles and methodologies that are commonly applied within the built environment. Throughout a series of lectures and seminars, supported by tutorials students are encouraged and enabled to develop their critical reasoning powers and to gain practice in researching ideas and knowledge and in the design of relevant research instruments.
Research Project
30 credits
This final module provides students the opportunity to design and execute an original research capstone project related to their own real estate interests. They will develop a theoretically informed body of work that integrates both theory and practice. It may take the form of a dissertation, a practice project, design or experiment based project. Following submission students present their findings at a Masters Students Conference.
Elective modules (choose 2)
Land Use, Planning and Development
30 credits
This module is an essential ingredient in the study of land use, spatial planning and its associated decision-making processes for development to proceed in the UK. An appraisal of land tenure and land use development will allow a critical appraisal as to how historic, current and emerging planning and sustainability policies and principles shape placemaking. The emphasis will be on the planning laws applicable in England. Land, property and planning are closely linked so the module enables understanding of the development process from the developers' viewpoint to facilitate schemes effectively. A key range of inputs and outputs are investigated as part of development appraisal modelling.
Asset, Property and Facilities Management
30 credits
The module appraises the wide range of asset, property and facilities management activities and laws associated with real estate land and buildings. It includes developing and executing strategic and corporate real estate asset policies as well as appraising the operational property and facilities management activities on which performance depends.
Property Investment Analysis and Funding
30 credits
In this module students develop skills in carrying out property investment analysis gaining a critical understanding of discounted cash flow variables and performance measures including investment tactics. It introduces the analysis of risk within property and within a multi-asset portfolio and the utilisation of structured finance. Students also study indirect real estate vehicles and instruments, their origins and their current utilisation.
Lease Consultancy - Agency, Tenancies and Dispute Resolution
30 credits
This module aims to provide students with a thorough grounding in the law and practice of landlord and tenant, real estate agency and brokerage practice and, dispute resolution. Students will be introduced to a series of statutory and common law provisions and regulations impacting the landlord and tenant relationship with particular regard to lease creation, lease management and end of lease positions. Leasing practice will cover the entirety of the lease and licence creation process with the operational side of lease consultancy being explored. Conflict avoidance and dispute resolution processes and procedures will be appraised in the light of dispute management systems and controls.
Statutory and Advanced Valuation Practice
30 credits
This module aims to provide students with a thorough grounding in the law and practice of statutory and advanced valuations in the professional practice areas of compulsory purchase and compensation, business rates and council tax, taxation, leasehold enfranchisement and planning compensation. Students will be introduced to a series of statutory and common law provisions and regulations impacting and underpinning the statutory valuation field of practice.
Optional placement year
The professional placement year is optional. It takes place after the full-time year. It allows students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The work placement is an assessed part of the course and is therefore covered by a Student Route visa. Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.
Modules
Professional Placement
120 credits
The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a Master's programme that incorporates an extended professional placement that follows completion of the first 180 credits of taught modules and project or dissertation. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject specific skills in their chosen subject.
It is the responsibility of individual students to locate and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this will normally involve one placement which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the module leader prior to commencement to ensure its suitability.
