Look West

The reference to the MSc construction project management at the Bristol University of the West of England (UWE) was misleading in that this course, together with our MSc QS, is only for cognate graduates, preferably also with relevant work experience. The course specifically designed for QS conversion of non-cognate graduates is the graduate diploma QS, which has been accredited by the RICS since August 2004 and was specifically designed to address our concerns, shared with local and international QS employers, about Master's conversion courses.

Graduate diplomas are usually professional ‘conversion' courses designed for graduates of other disciplines and comprising some 120 credits. These are typically based on largely undergraduate honours level study. However, to meet RICS accreditation requirements the UWE graduate diplomas in BS and QS comprises 180 credits, one third of which are at Master's level.

Thus the graduate diploma is particularly designed for non-cognate graduate conversion, where the emphasis is on a vocational qualification requiring a solid technical knowledge.

The delivery model for the graduate diploma QS at UWE then becomes one of one year full-time of undergraduate modules, covering core technical studies, followed by one year part-time of postgraduate modules.

This is the preferred delivery model for building surveying students, whose employers seem to need some evidence of technical education before they are considered employable.

By contrast, perhaps in response to demand and the wide range of services they can support, QSs seem to find no barrier to employing completely non-cognate graduates and supporting them through three years of part-time study.

Besides having their fees paid by the employer and benefiting from seeing their education put into practice and reinforced on a daily basis, these part-time conversion students have the benefit of being able to log their RICS APC experience concurrently with their studies and take the final assessment immediately on graduation.

QSs seem to find no barrier to employing completely non-cognate graduates and supporting them through part-time study

At UWE, the importance of a good technical base is reinforced by non-cognate graduate applicants being required to complete an assessed 15-credit module of pre-enrolment learning, which covers a basic introduction to construction.

It is provided as web-based distance learning, assessed by coursework and examination. Students and employers have been positive about the benefit of this early pre-entry study to help students get established in the first few months at work.

This then leaves the MSc to clearly focus on the intellectual and career development of the cognate graduate, preferably with several years of professional experience. Graduate diploma students can convert to a Master's (MSc) degree by continuing with a 15-research module and a further 60-credit dissertation.

The only other university currently offering the graduate diploma QS course is Anglia Ruskin University.

Regarding the 32 MSc courses worldwide that are RICS accredited for qualification to the QS and Construction Faculty, it interesting to note that 23 of these are in construction management or are in construction project management, two are in construction, one is in sustainable construction and one in construction law, leaving only two using the title quantity surveying and three using permutations of commercial or cost management.

Tony Westcott, UWE