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Real Estate

MSc or PGDip

Key facts
Overview
How to apply
Tuition fees
Learning and assessment
Research
After you graduate

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Key facts

Start dates

September 2024 / January 2025 / September 2025

Location

Headington

Distance learning

Course length

Full time: 12 months (Sept start), 18 months (Jan start)

Part time: Part time/distance learning: 30 months (Sept start), 36 months (Jan start)

Department

School of the Built Environment

Accreditation(s)

This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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Overview

Our MSc in Real Estate is a conversion programme for those looking to enter this dynamic industry.

Developed in close consultation with leading practitioners, this innovative course is led by the latest approaches and best-practice in the global real estate sector. Through the course you’ll study the fundamental principles that underpin the sector.

You’ll be immersed in the industry and build experience by applying your learning to professional scenarios through projects that are routed in practice. You’ll develop a global perspective and have the opportunity to specialise in an area of your interest through your final project.

Our network and graduates extend throughout the industry. Site visits and regular guest lectures from leading specialists means you’ll gain adept knowledge of the sector and provide invaluable networking opportunities. You’ll also benefit from our mentoring scheme run in partnership with our alumni society.

On graduation you’ll be prepared to complete the assessment of Professional Competence (APC) to become a Chartered Surveyor.

Male and female student talking on the way to a lecture

How to apply

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

The course is primarily open to applicants seeking academic conversion, who hold a 2.1 undergraduate honours degree (or international equivalent) in a non-Real Estate subject. Applicants should demonstrate commitment to a career in real estate, preferably with some work experience.

Candidates with 2.2 degrees will be actively considered - evidencing strong final year performance and/or relevant professional experience.

EU & International applicants who have studied a non-RICS Real Estate undergraduate course are welcome to apply, in order to gain accreditation.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English you will require a minimum academic IELTS score of 6.5 overall with 6.0 in all components.

OR

An equivalent English language qualification acceptable to the University.

Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.

International qualifications and equivalences

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English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Pathways courses for international and EU students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

We advise applying in advance to secure places, and allow sufficient time for applications to be reviewed.

There is no formal application deadline (recruitment closes when teaching capacity is reached).

Applicants should also factor any time needed to meet offer conditions, arrange accommodation, and obtain a UK Student visa (if applicable).

Apply now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£12,500
Home (UK) part time
£6,250
Home (UK) distance learning part time
£6,250
International full time
£17,800
International distance learning part time
£8,900
Home (UK) full time
£13,150
Home (UK) part time
£6,575
Home (UK) distance learning part time
£6,575
International full time
£18,500
International distance learning part time
£9,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£12,500
Home (UK) part time
£6,250
Home (UK) distance learning part time
£6,250
International full time
£17,800
International distance learning part time
£8,900
2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£13,150
Home (UK) part time
£6,575
Home (UK) distance learning part time
£6,575
International full time
£18,500
International distance learning part time
£9,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Full-Time UK Faculty Scholarship Part-Time UK Faculty Scholarship Postgraduate Master's Loan - England

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Learning and assessment

Master’s degree (MSc)
You must complete:

  • Four core 30 credit modules
  • Applied Research Methods module (20 credits)
  • Applied Project module which offers you the option to select either an applied project, dissertation, or Asian city tour. (40 credits)

PGDiploma
You must complete:

  • Four 30 credit modules.

Full time students will typically have one weekly teaching day for each 30 credit module (you’ll study two modules in both first and second semesters). A further day is allocated for applied research methods, guest lectures and UK based field trips.

Part time students may study on-campus or through distance learning. For those studying on-campus, during the semester, you will have one weekly teaching day for the compulsory 30 credit module in which you are enrolled. Distance learners can participate in real-time, and sessions will also be recorded, wherever possible, and made available online so that you can engage with at a pace that suits you.

Outside the module contact hours, you will be expected to undertake independent learning.

Group of students working together on a laptop

Start this course in January

You have the option to start this course in January. You will study a range of modules between January and May. During the summer months of June, July and August you will study further modules and begin work on your dissertation. Between September and December you will complete your final modules and focus on your dissertation.

Find out more about January entry

Study modules

Taught Modules

Compulsory modules

  • Built Environment Delivery (30 credits)

    The built environment touches all aspects of our lives, encompassing the buildings we live in, the
    distribution systems that provide us with water and electricity and the roads, bridges, and transportation
    systems we use to get from place to place. It can generally be described as the man-made or modified
    structures that provide people with living, working, and recreational spaces. We will explore how through
    good design, construction, and management, we can achieve sustainable outcomes that allow people to
    live well, reduce whole life carbon and materials costs through efficient use of resources (energy, waste,
    water) and provide environments that contribute to our physical and mental health and enhance
    creativity and productivity. Through your studies, you will develop an understanding of how the built
    environment is delivered holistically from initial conception of an idea through to planning, financial
    appraisal, and delivery.

  • Valuation and Investment (30 credits)

    Develop an understanding of the operation of the real estate investment markets in the context of the economy and wider financial markets. You will explore the various principles, approaches, methods, and techniques of valuation as related to real estate. These are linked to the assessment of investment worth so the techniques of valuation can be used within investment decision making. This understanding is built on to explore the role of property within a multi-asset portfolio. This includes transacting, financing, and structuring property investments (in the UK and internationally) including the use of debt and indirect investment vehicles. You will also learn to use excel spreadsheets to build valuation and investment models for portfolio analysis, as part of a wider 
    understanding of the use of technology and IT within and its effect on the real estate sector.

  • Law and Professional Practice (30 credits)

    You will gain legal knowledge to identify where issues might arise in real estate and the legal remedies
    available. It will also alert you to more significant problems where professional legal input may be
    required. You will be introduced to the following substantive areas of law, contract and
    tort law, professional negligence, occupier’s liability, trespass and nuisance, English land law, and
    landlord and tenant law for both commercial and residential leases, as well as the increasing important field of
    environmental law. You will also study what constitutes best professional practice including ethics and
    the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) Code of Conduct.

  • Business and Management (30 credits)

    Your studies will include identifying the financial situation of a business, taxation, the functioning of property
    finance markets, market trends, and the efficiency of property markets. You will learn to develop techniques
    by which the financial performance of a real estate business can be evaluated, and real estate assets valued
    using accounting data. This includes the study of the economics of real estate markets and organisations,
    and the economic context within which they operate. You will also be able to analyse the implications of
    government economic policy for real estate markets. Having delivered a basic understanding of the key
    fundamentals of business, we will focus upon several practical, current, and real life scenarios faced by
    corporate and property managers in the private, public, and corporate sectors of the real estate industry. We
    study the skills required of a Chartered Surveyor when managing real estate from both a practical and
    strategic viewpoint.

  • Applied Research (20 credits)

    This module is a combination of real estate market analysis and research in a practical and contextualised
    environment. 

    Within semester 1 you will examine the real estate market systematically, analyse selected segments and sectors of markets, study research methods, and conduct assigned and self-directed research projects by assimilating the concepts and knowledge gained in the other taught modules throughout Semesters 1 and 2. The module provides exposure to both domestic (UK) and international markets.

    Semester 2 includes a series of in-house seminars on international real estate research and you will have an
    opportunity to attend a 5 day organised field trip to an EU country. Seminar topics focus on real estate
    research in an international context, with discussions and research undertaken on the American, Asian and
    European real estate markets

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Applied Project (40 credits)

    As you approach the end of your programme, you will have the opportunity to apply what you have learnt over
    the programme into your final project. You have a choice of three alternative options that have been designed
    to offer you greater flexibility to accommodate completing the programme, whether you are based in the UK,
    internationally or in employment.


    The Applied Project module has three optional pathways for completion of study.  
    1. Submission of Applied Project of 10,000 words.
    2. Submission of Dissertation of 10,000 words.
    3. Attendance on the Asian City Tour and submission of an Asian City Tour Report, 10,000 words.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Learning and teaching

This course has been designed to provide you with integral theoretical knowledge, practical experience rooted in industry and a professional network.

We take a practical approach to teaching. Throughout the course you’ll work on complex challenges that are based on real-world scenarios and simulate professional practice. Meaning you’ll have opportunities to apply your learning and build your confidence.

Learning methods include:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • project work
  • problem based learning.
  • independent study.

To provide you with a well-rounded understanding of the industry, you’ll study core modules which explore the fundamental principles of the sector:

  • Law and professional practice
  • Valuation and investment
  • Business and management
  • Built environment delivery.

Field trips

The course includes UK based field trips and a residential European field trip. You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in an optional Asian city tour which will visit three cities in China and South Asia.

Through these trips you’ll explore a range of major investment, development and management projects and stakeholders’ perspectives, to both experience and critically engage with the challenges of real estate practice across unfamiliar, diverse environmental and social contexts.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

There are no examinations in the course and you will be assessed solely by coursework. Assessment methods used in the course include:

  • coursework
  • reports
  • presentations.

Research

The Real Estate teaching team is well respected within the property profession.

The Real Estate and Land Policy Group examines the impact of land and housing markets/policy on broader development processes - particularly for enhancing urban sustainability. We also address broader market-based fundamentals such as valuation, and emerging areas of research include behavioural finance.

After you graduate

Career prospects

The RICS accredited MSc in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes has an excellent reputation in the industry. The course has been designed to ensure that it responds directly to the current and future needs of the industry.

Our academic staff have extensive experience across the industry and our network extends across national and global companies. Throughout the course you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a mentoring programme and gain valuable insight into the industry.

You will graduate with adept skills and a wealth of experience, ready to start your career in the profession and complete your journey to chartered status.

The programme’s links with the major surveying firms is one of its key strengths with the majority of our students, after completing their academic studies, being employed in either the public or private sector. Examples include Barclays, Deloitte, CBRE, Cluttons, Cushman & Wakefield, GVA, JLL, Knight Frank, NHS and Savills.

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.