Real Estate and Planning MSc/Diploma

This programme provides the foundation, knowledge and skills needed to work as a development surveyor or planner. On completion, graduates will be able to work either in the public or private sectors, advising on the complexities of property development to occupiers, investors, developers and planning authorities.

The programme is designed to build understanding of the complex interactions and uncertainties of the development process. It provides students with the essential knowledge components of economics, valuation, planning, law, and regeneration and sustainability principles. It also develops an appreciation of the skills and tasks inherent in development projects, including community participation, satisfying the statutory planning considerations, undertaking the necessary financial appraisals, and achieving funding to make it happen.

This programme is suitable for students with an interest in pursuing a career either as a chartered development surveyor or as a planner with a specialism in land and property markets. Such opportunities are available in a range of employers in the private and public sector, including local development and regeneration agencies.

With strong professional links and a focus on up-to-date industry-relevant content, our Real Estate programmes equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to quickly and effectively contribute to the success of their working environment.

On completion of this programme graduates will be able to have a comprehensive and integrated understanding of the property market context and the nature and theory of spatial planning and sustainable development. Our Real Estate and Planning graduates have gone on to work in a variety of roles in the private and public sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

We also have a proven track record in research, and a number of our graduates continue in research to complete PhD study.

Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure & Society is a leading education centre for planning and surveyor professionals in the UK. The MSc has full recognition from the educational requirements of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and has professional accreditation from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

This programme can be studied full-time, part-time or via Independent Distance Learning (IDL), ideal for those in employment or with other commitments, providing flexible study options that fit around work or family. As an IDL student you will not be required to attend any lectures, tutorials or other events at any of Heriot-Watt University’s campuses.

*An IDL programme - whether at PgDip or MSc level - can be completed in a minimum of 2 years. On average, our PgDip programmes studied via IDL are completed in 2-3 years, while MSc programmes are completed in 2.5-7 years. Most students intend to complete their studies via IDL within 2-3 years.

This programme is delivered by Heriot Watt University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Environment and Real Estate. As a Real Estate and Planning postgraduate student you will be part of the Institute’s Graduate School, connecting you with staff, research associates and fellow students engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as affordability, housing markets and private renting; commercial property markets; urban economics; diversity and minority ethnic communities; homelessness and social exclusion; housing policy, management and governance and more.

Our graduates will be able to:

• draw on a wide perspective to offer a holistic approach to sustainable development
• be ready and eligible to undertake the Assessment of Professional Competence of both the RICS and RTPI
• demonstrate sophisticated intellectual and research skills proficient for a professional career
• evaluate complex problems and formulate solutions associated with planning and development issues
• appreciate the values, ethics, responsibilities, and rules governing professional membership of the RICS and RTPI, and the need for professional integrity when advising clients and the public
• have a respect for diversity and an appreciation of social inclusion as a goal of planning
• have an awareness of the role that values and attitudes play in managing change in the built environment
• have an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on the range of disciplines that contribute to the programme and within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure & Society.