Estate Management

Subject description

Estate management is quite a broad term for a number of areas that include property management, surveying, business and finance and the built environment. Closer ties are beginning to emerge between estate and property management and business and financial practices, and essentially the subject is primarily concerned with the valuation and management of land and buildings in the public and private sector.

With house prices rising at an astonishing rate over the last few years and now the recession, the government has come under increasing pressure to relieve the UK of what is now termed a 'housing crisis'. This crisis has come about because of the rise in house prices which first-time buyers can no longer afford and a lack of affordable housing for those and others. Also, the rise in investment buyers has meant that a lot of properties that those on average wages could have once been able to buy, now have to rent instead. All of this, along with the controversial introduction of the Home Information Packs has meant that housing, property and estate management has become an area of tremendous interest. The government has predicted that we need another four million homes in the UK, but where these houses are to be built has also courted controversy.

As a result of these discussions and the debate over brownfield and greenfield sites where development can be introduced, there is now a large number of opportunities for those who have the skills to promote and manage property development and to understand urban, environmental and sustainable planning procedures.

Example areas of study

Estate and property management courses are quite widely available but different courses at different institutions have a varying focus. Some focus more on the valuation and management side of estate management, where a similarly titled course may focus more on development and investment opportunities. It is important that you look at the modules and focus of the courses that you are interested in before submitting an application. The list of subjects below will give you an idea of the things that you may study.

• Introduction to law
• Economics of land and property
• Building and construction technology
• Environmental planning
• Sustainable development
• Urban estate management
• Surveying and valuation
• Investment
• Property management
• Business economics
• Facilities management
• Land economics
• Conversion and refurbishment
• Project planning and management
• Building design
• Conservation and preservation of historic buildings
• Taxation
• Land use studies
• Finance and business studies
• Map and plan creation
• Marketing
• Quantitative methods in finance
• Security analysis
• Landlord and tenant law
• History of the built environment
• Negotiation techniques
• Environmental policy and assessment
• Management principles

Some careers possibilities

Graduates from courses in estate management may go on to careers in management within the estate and property industry, surveying or valuation practices, estate agencies, local and national government, retailers, financial institutions or general management. There are some postgraduate courses available in related subjects.

What do I need to get on a course?

There are different levels of higher education courses is estate management, such as HNDs, foundation degrees and undergraduate degrees. All of these courses have different entry requirements but the list below should give you an idea of the qualifications and grades that you may need to pursue a degree in estate management.

• A-level: BCC
• UCAS Tariff: 160-280 points
• SQA Highers: CCCC-BCCC
• SQA Advanced Highers: BC
• International Baccalaureate: 30-35 points
• European Baccalaureate: 65-70%
• BTEC National Diploma: MMP in a relevant subject
• Irish Leaving Certificates: BBBBBB
• HNC/D: in a relevant subject

For your application or interview the following may be useful:

• Further information is available from The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,The Royal Town Planning Institute andThe Institute of Residential Property Management

To find out more about the typical subjects you will study, potential career paths and further information useful for your application log-on to Course Discover at www.coursediscoveronline.co.uk*

*NB: Your school or college will need a subscription to Course Discover in order for you to gain access, for further information go to:www.coursediscover.co.uk