BSc (Hons) Construction & the Built Environment (Graduate Apprenticeship)

Program Overview

This RICS-accredited Graduate Apprenticeship in Construction and the Built Environment combines work and study, allowing participants to earn a degree while enhancing their practical skills in chosen pathways such as Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying, Real Estate Surveying, or Architectural Technology. Through a blend of university-based and work-based learning, graduates gain both academic knowledge and industry experience, preparing them for successful careers in the construction sector. The program is delivered via block release, with teaching concentrated in three two-week periods throughout the year.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The RICS Accredited BSc (Hons) Construction and the Built Environment Graduate Apprenticeships aims to produce graduates with the skills, knowledge and behaviours to make a valuable contribution to their employing organisation. Participants on this programme will join one of 4 specialist pathways, which aligns with their job role:

• Building Surveying: Involves advising on many aspects of building construction and design for new and existing buildings.
Building Surveyors advise on a range of things including maintenance and repairs, restoration and refurbishment, and they provide expert assessments and reports on all kinds of buildings.
• Quantity Surveying: Learn the skills involved in design economics, procurement strategies, cost planning and estimating, measurement and quantification of construction work, commercial management and professional practice.
• Real Estate Surveying: Combines real estate surveying with valuation, planning and development.
It studies how commercial and residential property markets work and draws upon the economics of the real estate sector to gain knowledge of how they develop.
• Architectural Technology: An architectural technologist is a specialist in the technological aspects of building design and construction, bridging the gap between design theory and construction practice.
Graduates will develop abilities across the core and emerging areas of their chosen degree pathway allowing them to apply their work-based learning in an academic context and to take their University learning into the workplace to make a valuable contribution to the creation, improvement and maintenance of the built environment. As well as a number of common modules taught in the first and second years, there are specific modules focusing on the core competencies relevant to the individual pathways. The application of professional skill-sets to solve scenario-based problems on all of the Construction and the Built Environment pathways is key to our work-based learning strategy.

Outline:

Mode of Study:

Block Release, Full-time

Duration:

4 years

Course details:

As a Graduate Apprentice you will study for your degree alongside your job, spending approximately 80% of your time in work and 20% in university. This unique combination offers an integrated experience, where practical skills and knowledge gained during the university days can be embedded in your working practices. Skills learned directly in the workplace are aligned with and can be applied to coursework and assessment. This allows you to attain an honours degree in 4 years, the same time as traditional full-time students. In accord with the Framework developed by the Technical Expert Groups (TEGs) advising Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on Construction & Built Environment, Subject Benchmarks set by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for both Architectural Technology as well as Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying and in addition to the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Competency Mappings, the programme’s curricula includes the following:

• The principles of design and technology in Construction and Built Environment
• Relevant laws and their regulation of the sector
• Business strategy and management concepts, such as data management, business finance and business strategies
• Project and delivery management, including the core and subject-specific knowledge, skills and professional standards necessary to practice
• The valuation of land and property
• The reconciliation of project objectives, finding appropriate; solutions which recognise, the context-specific constraints of cost, time, quality, life cycle aspects and sustainability
• Professional standards and ethical conduct, recognising obligations to society, the profession and the wider environment
• Environmental sustainability
• Innovation
• Continuing professional development, negotiation and leadership in the workplace
• Health, safety, welfare and quality issues
• Professional and ethical conduct, recognising obligations to society, the profession and the wider environment
• Working both as an individual and part of a team to develop and deliver solutions within Construction and Built Environment
• Consultancy
• Sustainable development
• Research

How you’ll be taught:

As a Graduate Apprentice, you benefit by being both an employee and a registered student at Napier. You typically spend 20% of your work time studying through a mixture of university-based and work-based learning. Studies are designed to complement your role in the workplace. This programme is delivered over a full calendar year on a block release basis. Our block teaching takes place over 3 x 2-week periods in August, December and May. The remainder of your time, outside of teaching blocks, will be spent working with your employer and developing your professional competencies. Your work-based learning will be overseen by a workplace mentor and university coach. You will be offered tripartite progress review meetings each trimester to support you in your work and studies.

Popular modules:

Year 1

• All Surveying pathways (common year 1):
• Surveying
• Building Design and Technology 1
• Property Value Studies
• Building Design and Technology 2
• Construction Cost Studies 1
• Construction and Property Law

Year 2

• Architectural Technology Pathway:
• Design and Building Standards 1
• Design and Building Standards 2
• Building Modelling 2
• Architectural Technology 2
• Building Adaptation & Conversion
• Design for Manufacturing
• Building Surveying pathway:
• Building Surveying 1
• Facilities Management
• Building Surveying 2
• Contract Administration
• Construction Cost Studies 2
• Construction Financial Management
• Real Estate Surveying pathway:
• Real Estate Surveying 1
• Facilities Management
• Real Estate Surveying 2
• Planning Law and Development Control
• Construction Cost Studies 2
• Construction Financial Management
• Quantity Surveying pathway:
• Quantity Surveying 1
• Quantity Surveying 2
• Construction Cost Studies 2
• Construction Financial Management
• Contract Administration
• Facilities Management

Year 3

• Professional Standards (40 credits)
• Innovation in Construction and Built Environment (40 credits)
• Environmental Sustainability (20 credits)
• Health and Safety (20 credits)

Year 4

• Consultancy Project (40 credits)
• Sustainable Development (20 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment:

A mixture of practical assessments, reports, academic essays and exams. You are also assessed on your learning in the workplace, primarily in the summer trimesters. As you progress through the course, more of your job role is used to gain credit towards their final award through Professional Practice and your final-year dissertation. This programme is delivered over a full calendar year on a block release basis. Our block teaching takes place over 3 x 2-week periods in August, December and May. The remainder of your time, outside of teaching blocks, will be spent working with your employer and developing your professional competencies. Your work-based learning will be overseen by a workplace mentor and university coach. You will be offered tripartite progress review meetings each trimester to support you in your work and studies.

Careers:

As a Graduate Apprentice you are fortunate to be studying for your honours degree alongside your work-based apprenticeship position and to have the support of both Edinburgh Napier staff and your workplace. Your employer will look for opportunities for you to apply your learning in work and develop as a professional, meaning you may be offered career progression opportunities at any time during your studies. Whether you’re working on site or behind a drawing board, in construction you'll shape and build the world. This Graduate Apprenticeship opens the way to a broad range of jobs in this exciting sector, such as:

• Building services engineer
• Chartered surveyor
• Site manager
• Facilities manager
• Cost Manager
• Contracts manager
• Architectural Technician

Other:

This Graduate Apprenticeship is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for the surveying pathways, and the AT pathway is accredited by CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists). You will graduate with both an Honours degree and the underlying knowledge and skills to progress and achieve the highly regarded professional qualification awarded by RICS and CIAT. Facilities include modern classrooms and cutting-edge labs. Our Merchiston Library is a bright attractive environment providing both silent and collaborative study spaces designed to suit a variety of learning styles. In addition, Merchiston boasts a business incubator, two cafes and a 500-seat computing centre, with both Mac and PC hardware, that is open 24hrs a day in Trimesters 1 and 2.