“Quantity surveying is for you if you have an analytical brain, and enjoy working with numbers and working with people.”
BSc (Hons)Quantity Surveying
Apply on UCAS
Starting in: 2025
Register your interest- 3 years
- 3 years part-time
- 4 years with foundation year
UCAS code: QS01
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a quantity surveying degree at Solent University
Learn the fundamentals of construction cost management - from estimating project bids, to analysing cashflow and managing contracts - vital skills to start your career as a quantity surveyor.
- Top0%for teaching quality, out of 131 institutions (Times Good University Guide, 2025)
- 0thUK uni for sustained employment (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes 2022)
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities
- Developed with the main contractor in mind, this course provides the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviours required by construction industry employers.
- The course has excellent links with both regional and national contractors who contribute to the course content.
- You will use a range of specialist facilities, including construction laboratories, a dedicated drawing studio and industry-standard software.
- You'll be taught by qualified professionals with extensive industry experience.
- Part-time option available.
Course overview
This vocationally-focused course delivers all the knowledge and skills you'll need to start a career as a quantity surveyor in construction: from tendering to win a project bid, to analysing cash flow, and effectively managing contracts.
Throughout the course, you'll build a sound knowledge and understanding of the role of cost management professionals in construction, as defined by the professional bodies, and its application in different contexts within the built environment.
At the heart of the course is the development of your problem-solving skills, providing you with the knowledge to provide sound and justified cost management advice and guidance in a variety of different formats. To aid this, you'll be encouraged to develop your technical writing and presentation skills throughout the course.
This course sits alongside an already well-established portfolio of built environment courses with outstanding credentials, and strong links to industry.
While work experience and placements are not mandatory to the course, students are strongly encouraged to complete it where possible. Using our industry links, the course team will endeavour to provide a range of suitable opportunities for you over the duration of your course, in between formal study periods.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Course features
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Part-time option
You can study this course part-time
Who is this course for?
This course is ideally suited to students who have a general interest in construction and who want to specialise in cost management. Applicants should have a logical approach to thinking and have an eye for detail.
What does this course lead to?
Upon successful completion of this degree, graduates will be able to commence a career in cost management in the construction industry. Typical roles for graduates would include assistant quantity surveyor, assistant commercial manager or assistant contracts manager.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Meet the team
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Students make use of modern construction laboratories, a dedicated drawing studio, and industry-standard software during their degree.
This modern studio space has been developed to give students access to an environment which mirrors the feel and atmosphere of a working professional studio. This encourages students from various different built environment courses to come together and collaborate on multidisciplinary projects, just as they would in the workplace.
What you'll study
Core modules
Legal and Statutory Requirements
The module starts with a look at the nature of law in England and Wales, including types of law, how laws are created and an outline of the court system. A particular focus will be on contract law.
Construction Practice
This module has two distinct parts, the first will introduce taking-off, drawing and numerical processes and procedures commonly used in construction. The second will introduce the principles of construction surveying and applications in construction management practice.
Construction Science and Materials
You will be able to utilise the different construction technologies and methods available to you successfully, it is fundamental that you have an understanding for the scientific principles and material behaviour that underpins them and influences their use in construction.
Innovating the Construction Project
Working in groups you will consider a project brief applying resources and techniques to discuss and make alternative suggestions for the project to produce a more efficient, innovative and sustainable approach.
Principles of Quantity Surveying
This module has two distinct parts; the first introduces you to the business and organisational environment that construction managers and quantity surveyors operate within. The second introduces you to the roles, procedures and practices associated with professionals within the built environment especially quantity surveyors.
Technology of Buildings
This module addresses the technology used in the construction of low-rise buildings including light industrial buildings and low-rise commercial buildings. It also introduces the different technological concepts used to enable the construction of building elements; from substructure to completion.
How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Practical exams
- Written exams
- Coursework
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose a career as a quantity surveyor?
The UK construction industry is thriving. As the economy develops, residential housing remains the fastest growing area in the sector. There is increasing demand for talented graduates equipped with the right skills, and this course will help to prepare you for work in this exciting industry.
Effective cost management skills are at the heart of the construction industry. With industry output worth over £110 billion per annum and contributing 7% to UK gross domestic product, construction offers a huge variety of opportunities, with excellent salaries and employment opportunities both in the UK and abroad.
Directors of local and national construction companies, as well as representatives from government bodies, contribute to the course with guest lectures, site visits and live case studies. This provides a real-life learning environment and unique research opportunities.
We also have visits from local area planning officers, construction directors and government agencies.
Through our network of employers you will be supported and encouraged to do a work placement to gain real work experience. Organisations that we have close links with include Knights Brown, Drew Smith, Gleeds, and Eastleigh Borough Council.
You could earn:
Quantity surveyor
Graduates: £21,000 to £28,000
Newly trained chartered surveyors can earn around £25,000 to £35,000. With experience, you can earn around £35,000 to £55,000. Salaries at management level range from around £50,000 to in excess of £80,000.
Estimator
Starting salary: £22,000
Experienced estimators can earn between £31,000 and £53,000. Senior, chartered or master estimators can expect salaries of around £60,000 reaching up to £80,000.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk. Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
“Quantity surveying is for you if you have an analytical brain, and enjoy working with numbers and working with people.”
Solent Futures
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
MSc Project Management
Aligned to the Association for Project Management, this professional course will help you take your career to the next level, by studying methodologies, techniques and processes of project management.
MSc Sustainable Building Design
Develop your theory and practical skills to graduate from this course as a specialist designer with the education and vision required to help create a sustainable future for the construction industry.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are:
- UK, ROI, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,535 per year
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2025/26 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, the 2024/25 other costs were:
Compulsory costs:
Students will be required to have the following personal protective equipment for construction site visits:
- Safety boots that conform to EN ISO 20345:2011. S3 category - protective toecap and midsole and a water repellent upper (approximately £60*).
- Construction hard hat that conforms to BS EN 397 (approximately £6*).
- Builders working gloves suitable for general handling (approximately £3*).
- High visibility vest with reflective tape on body and shoulders (approximately £4*).
- Outdoor lens safety glasses that conforms to BS EN166. Grade F impact lens and optical class 1. (approximately £7*).
* Prices accurate June 2020.
- Purchase of JCT Standard Building Contract with Quantities - £164 (only required if students want their own hard copy)
- Miscellaneous costs for site visits - £200 (approx)
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Solent EU Welcome Scholarship (Fee Discount)
This scholarship is available to students from an EU country, with EU nationality, who are applying for an undergraduate course starting in September 2025. The scholarship will reduce your tuition fees to £10,500.
Find out more about the scholarship
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance in under three minutes Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at MMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D, T-level Pass or equivalent qualification or a combination of qualifications which comply with the minimum entry requirement of 104 UCAS points.
- A BTEC Subsidiary Diploma will be considered in conjunction with other qualifications.
- Applications from mature students may also be considered.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
104-120UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:How to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 26 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Find out more about Solent's contextual offers
Top-up route
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Part-time route
Applications for part-time and distance learning courses are made directly to the University and can be made at any time prior to the start of the course. If you have any questions about applying for this course, please contact the admissions office by emailing admissions@solent.ac.uk.
Alternative entry options
Top-up route
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Part-time route
Applications for part-time and distance learning courses are made directly to the University and can be made at any time prior to the start of the course. If you have any questions about applying for this course, please contact the admissions office by emailing admissions@solent.ac.uk.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
- TOEFL IBT minimum 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Make your application
- 3 years
- 3 years part-time
- 4 years with foundation year
