Non-cognates in demand

MSc conversion courses accredited by the RICS have risen from 18 in 2002 to 30 this year, according to RICS director of education and training Rob Tovey.

Employers are struggling to find places on conversion courses. One boss of a top 10 practice told QS News that some courses were now demanding that graduates have at least a 2:1 in their first degree in order to be accepted for the course. He said: “It’s almost impossible to find a place right now, they are so popular.”

QS News first highlighted the non-cognate graduate trend with arts graduate Richard Hoffman, who decided to turn to QSing and joined Cyril Sweett in 2003. Common first degrees taken by students before the MSc include geography and arts degrees.

Tovey did add that the rate of increase in the numbers of courses and students could tail off due to high graduate tuition fees. “Once you have your normal bachelors degree and those huge debts, you’re probably not going to want to get into more debt with an MSc,” he said.

Once you have a bachelors, you’re probably not going to want to get into more debt with an MSc

Rob Tovey, director of education and training, RICS

Figures revealed to QS News from UCAS show that the number of undergraduates taking up QS courses has been steadily on the rise since the start of the decade. The number of accepted candidates for UK courses in the UK has nearly doubled, from 428 in 2000 to 724 in 2004.

Universities themselves have confirmed that more students are taking up construction related courses. Brian Greenhalgh, head of construction studies at Liverpool John Moores University said: “We’re getting more applicants, much more than five years ago, as QSing has broadened out. There is now project management, construction management and whole-life costing among others. The job is not as discrete as it was ten years ago.”

Tony Kelley, marketing and recruitment director at the University of Central England said it was becoming difficult for universities to accommodate the numbers of students. He said: “Last year we had standing room only in some of the core subject lecture rooms.” Universities have also pointed to a rise in students taking up part-time courses rather than full-time ones.