Guide to studying Building

CONTENTS

1. What's Building?

2. Why study Building?

3. What jobs can you get as a Building graduate?

4. What do graduates do and earn?

5. What qualifications do you need?

6. What degrees can you study?

7. How will you be assessed?

8. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

What's Building?

A Building degree covers the study of building materials, techniques, building economics, quantity surveying and property development, among other aspects.

Why study Building?

A degree in Building could carve the way for an exciting graduate job with a strong starting salary. Read our five reasons to study Building for more information on why you might choose to study this subject area.

What jobs can you get as a Building graduate?

As you'd expect, the job opportunities that arise from a Building degree are largely based in the construction industry – or at the very least, dealing with the physical world.

Examples of professions include quantity surveyor, property developer, conservationist and environmental impact auditor.

What do graduates do and earn?

In the infographic below, the first table shows what graduates of Building have gone on to do in the months after their graduation.

The second table shows the average salaries of undergraduate Building students entering employment. The three skill levels – high, medium and low – reflect the UK's Standard Occupational Classification's major groups 1–3, 4–6 and 7–9 respectively.

Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017/18

What qualifications do you need? 

Entry requirements for Building courses vary from university to university, and you should always check the specific criteria of any university/course that interests you.

Most universities don’t request that applicants hold any specific A Levels (or equivalent), but some may request for Mathematics or a science.

What degrees can you study?

There's a range of courses that come under the title 'Building', including:

• BSc Construction Building Surveying
• BSc Building Surveying
• BSc Construction Management
• BSc Building Technology

How will you be assessed?

Assessment comes in a mixture of examinations, project work, coursework and presentations.

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

There are plenty of options if you’d like to continue in education after graduating. This includes:

• MSc Building Design Management
• PhD Building Technology
• MSc Asset Management & Development