Best Short Courses for Chartered Surveying in the UK 2026

The UK Chartered Surveying Landscape

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is the pre-eminent global professional body for surveying. In the UK, MRICS membership is the gold standard credential across commercial property, residential surveying, quantity surveying, building surveying, and planning — and is widely required by employers, lenders, and government bodies for regulated roles including mortgage valuations and public sector procurement.

The UK property and construction market employed approximately 485,000 surveying and valuation professionals in 2025, with demand remaining robust despite cyclical market shifts. RICS data shows consistent graduate and APC candidate shortfalls in key disciplines — particularly building surveying, quantity surveying, and rural surveying — meaning that qualified professionals face strong employment prospects across most market conditions.

Understanding the RICS APC

The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is the structured training and assessment process that leads to MRICS membership. It requires candidates to:

• Complete a structured training period — typically 24 months for graduates, 48 months via the Senior Professional route for experienced non-graduates
• Maintain a structured training diary recording competency development against mandatory and pathway-specific technical competencies
• Submit a final APC submission — a written competency summary, case study, and CPD record
• Pass a professional interview with trained RICS assessors who test competency depth and professional understanding

Short courses are central to the APC process because they provide both the knowledge needed to evidence competencies and the CPD record that is assessed as part of the submission. A well-chosen short course programme — aligned to specific APC competencies — can make the difference between a first-attempt pass and a referral.

RICS Pathways: Choosing Your Specialism

RICS offers multiple assessment pathways for different surveying disciplines. The most common UK pathways are:

• Commercial Real Estate: Commercial agency, investment, landlord and tenant, lease advisory
• Residential Property: Residential valuation, estate agency, property management
• Building Surveying: Building pathology, dilapidations, contract administration, project management
• Quantity Surveying and Project Management: Cost management, procurement, contract administration, NEC/JCT contracts
• Valuation: RICS Red Book valuation, rating, compulsory purchase, investment valuation
• Planning and Development: Town planning, development appraisal, infrastructure, viability

Your employer and the work you are doing in practice largely determine which pathway is appropriate. If you are unsure, discuss with your APC supervisor or counsellor before selecting short courses to ensure they are aligned to your pathway's competency requirements.

Salary Overview: Surveying Roles in the UK (2026)

Note: London and South East roles are typically 15–30% above these figures. Specialist disciplines (investment, infrastructure, development finance) command further premiums. Bonus and profit-share arrangements are common at Director/Partner level.

Best Short Courses for Chartered Surveying in the UK 2026

1. RICS APC Preparation Workshop

Provider: RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)
Duration: 1 day (face-to-face) or 3–4 hours (online)
Format: Face-to-face at RICS Parliament Square (London) or virtual; regional sessions available
Cost: £195–£350 (RICS member rates available)
Who it's for: APC candidates in the 6 months prior to their final assessment submission; anyone who has previously been referred

The RICS APC Preparation Workshop is the most directly useful short course for candidates approaching their professional interview. It covers how RICS assessors evaluate submissions, common reasons for referral, how to structure the case study and competency summary, and how to perform effectively in the interview. Mock interview elements and feedback from experienced assessors are included.

For candidates who are self-employed, working for small firms without active APC infrastructure, or approaching their final submission without strong in-house support, this workshop is arguably the single highest-value investment they can make. RICS data shows materially better first-attempt pass rates for candidates who have undertaken formal preparation.

2. RICS Valuation — Red Book Fundamentals

Provider: RICS
Duration: 1 day (online or face-to-face)
Format: Virtual classroom or London face-to-face
Cost: £295–£450
Who it's for: Surveyors on the Valuation pathway or those undertaking valuation work as part of a Commercial Real Estate or Residential role; APC candidates building Valuation competency evidence

The RICS Red Book (RICS Valuation — Global Standards) is the mandatory professional standards framework for all RICS-regulated valuations in the UK. All surveyors undertaking formal valuations — mortgage valuations, insurance reinstatement assessments, investment valuations, commercial property valuations — must comply with Red Book requirements. This course provides a thorough grounding in Red Book compliance, including terms of engagement, basis of value definitions (Market Value, Fair Value, Investment Value), reporting requirements, and ethical obligations. It is an essential CPD unit for anyone working in valuation and a strong competency evidence source for the Valuation APC pathway.

3. BCIS Building Cost Information Service — Cost Planning and Management

Provider: BCIS (Building Cost Information Service, part of RICS)
Duration: 2 days
Format: Face-to-face (London) or virtual classroom
Cost: £595–£895
Who it's for: Quantity surveyors and cost managers pursuing MRICS on the QS & Project Management pathway; project managers with cost responsibilities; employers upskilling cost teams

BCIS is the industry-standard cost data source for UK construction, used by quantity surveyors, contractors, and clients for benchmarking, cost planning, and procurement. BCIS training covers elemental cost planning, use of the BCIS cost database, tender price and building cost indices, life cycle costing, and commercial management. For QS pathway APC candidates, demonstrated BCIS proficiency is a core competency marker. This is also a practical commercial skill that translates immediately into better-quality cost plans and client advice.

4. Building Pathology and Defect Analysis — Birkbeck University of London

Provider: Birkbeck University of London (Department of Continuing Education)
Duration: 10 weeks (evening course, part-time)
Format: Blended — evening lectures at Birkbeck's Bloomsbury campus, with online materials
Cost: £680–£950
Who it's for: Building surveyors pursuing MRICS on the Building Surveying pathway; property managers and facilities managers working with building defects; APC candidates building Building Pathology competency

Building pathology — the systematic investigation and diagnosis of building defects — is the core technical competency of the Building Surveying APC pathway. Birkbeck's evening course provides rigorous grounding in the causes, mechanisms, and remediation of the most common UK building defects: dampness, structural movement, concrete deterioration, flat roof failures, timber decay, and thermal performance failures.

Birkbeck's evening delivery format is well-suited to working surveyors — courses run typically one evening per week over a term, enabling full-time employment alongside study. The academic rigour of university-level delivery also provides strong written evidence for APC submissions. For surveyors in London and the South East, this is one of the most respected short course options available.

5. NEC4 Contract Administration — RICS

Provider: RICS / NEC (Institution of Civil Engineers)
Duration: 1–2 days
Format: Virtual classroom or face-to-face
Cost: £450–£750
Who it's for: Quantity surveyors, project managers, and contract administrators working on NEC4 contracts; APC candidates building Contract Administration or Project Management competency

NEC4 (New Engineering Contract, 4th edition) is the dominant standard form contract in UK infrastructure, public sector construction, and increasingly in private sector projects following government procurement policy changes. NEC4 administration requires specific knowledge of programme management, early warning processes, compensation event assessment, and collaborative contract management principles that differ significantly from traditional JCT contracts.

For surveyors working with Highways England, Network Rail, the Environment Agency, or any major public sector infrastructure client, NEC4 proficiency is a practical necessity rather than optional CPD. This course provides both the contractual grounding and the CPD evidence needed for APC competency submissions in contract management.

6. Property Law for Surveyors — The Open University

Provider: The Open University (OU Law School)
Duration: 8–10 weeks (self-paced online)
Format: Fully online
Cost: £695–£895
Who it's for: General practice surveyors, commercial real estate professionals, and APC candidates building Legal/Regulatory Compliance competency; non-law graduates who need to strengthen property law knowledge

Surveying practice in the UK is underpinned by a complex layer of property law — landlord and tenant legislation, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Leasehold Reform Act 2022 provisions, planning law, compulsory purchase, and land registration. Many surveyors — particularly those from non-law degree backgrounds — find property law the most challenging area of APC competency to evidence, especially at Level 2 (apply) and Level 3 (reasoned advice) standards.

The OU's online property law course provides accessible, structured learning for surveyors who need to build legal knowledge alongside full-time work. The OU is particularly strong for self-directed learners who benefit from well-structured online materials and flexible study schedules.

7. Financial Modelling for Property — Reed Courses / Coursera (UCL)

Provider: Coursera — University College London (UCL) Real Estate Economics and Finance
Duration: 4–6 weeks (online, self-paced)
Format: Fully online
Cost: Approximately £60–£180 (Coursera subscription or single-course enrolment)
Who it's for: Commercial real estate surveyors, investment analysts, and development surveyors who need to develop financial modelling skills; APC candidates building Valuation or Development Appraisal competency

UCL's Real Estate Economics and Finance course on Coursera is an excellent, high-quality online option for surveyors who need to develop investment analysis and financial modelling skills without the cost and time commitment of a full postgraduate programme. It covers DCF modelling, yield analysis, development viability appraisal, property portfolio analysis, and market cycle dynamics.

The Coursera platform allows audit-only access for those primarily seeking the learning rather than the certificate. For APC candidates, completing and obtaining the course certificate provides a strong, demonstrable CPD record entry. This course is particularly relevant for those pursuing the Commercial Real Estate, Valuation, or Planning and Development pathways. For complementary skills, see our guide to project management courses in the UK.

8. AssocRICS: Associate Assessment Pathway

Provider: RICS
Duration: Flexible — minimum 12 months structured experience; assessment at candidate's readiness
Format: Employer-based structured training with RICS submission and interview
Cost: RICS assessment fee £570 (member); employer training costs vary
Who it's for: Professionals without a full RICS-accredited degree who want a formal RICS credential; career changers and experienced technicians moving into formal surveying

AssocRICS is RICS's associate-level credential — a formally recognised professional status that sits below MRICS but demonstrates baseline surveying competence assessed through the RICS framework. It is an important step for professionals who are not on a traditional graduate-to-APC pathway and is increasingly valued by employers who need formally credentialled technicians and junior surveyors.

Unlike MRICS, AssocRICS does not require a degree — it is assessed on demonstrated competency through structured experience and a professional interview. Many AssocRICS holders subsequently proceed to MRICS via the Senior Professional APC route, making this a viable entry point to the chartered pathway for career changers. Short courses aligned to the specific AssocRICS competency pathway are a key tool for building the evidence needed for a successful submission.

For the broader property sector context, including estate agency and property management roles, see our guide to real estate courses in the UK.

Online vs In-Person: Which Works for Surveying CPD?

Surveying CPD has historically been dominated by face-to-face delivery — property inspections, contract negotiations, and professional interviews are inherently in-person activities, and the culture of the profession has reflected this. However, the pandemic accelerated adoption of online CPD significantly, and RICS now accepts online learning as fully equivalent CPD evidence provided it is structured, assessed, and documented.

For APC candidates in their final 12 months of training, a combination is typically most effective: online courses for foundational knowledge building (law, financial modelling, specific competency areas) and face-to-face workshops for APC preparation, interview practice, and professional networking. Building a network of fellow APC candidates through in-person events is also practically valuable — peer knowledge sharing is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the professional interview.

Frequently Asked Questions