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Key information

Level
Postgraduate Taught
Delivery type
Full Time, Part Time
Degree qualification
MSc
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September

MSc Real Estate allows you to understand the operation of real estate markets and gain experience of the techniques applied in them. During the master’s programme, you’ll gain a comprehensive foundational knowledge of real estate from a global syllabus related to and linked with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) core competencies. This programme is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). RICS accreditation demonstrates a globally recognised standard of real estate education.  

During the master’s programme, you’ll develop a thorough understanding, application and evaluation of valuation, investment and appraisal techniques.   

As a graduate, you’ll be able to: 

  • draw on a wide range of occupier, valuation, and investment appraisal techniques, 

  • understand legal and planning frameworks in the context of the built environment, 

  • comment on the economics and interplay with the real estate industry and professions, 

  • have a critical and in-depth understanding of the nature of property investment decisions, including complex current and future issues at the forefront of both academic research and professional practice. 

The career-focused degree is suitable for individuals from a wide range of academic backgrounds, looking to develop the skills and knowledge required for a wide range of professional careers within commercial real estate, investment or development.  

Your student experience

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics from The Urban Institute and the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) which sit within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS). EGIS is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. Our teams work closely and have links with industry, and practitioners are regularly invited as guest lecturers in most courses and advise on student research projects. 

Go Global

With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.

Inter-Campus Transfer: Dubai

Discover new friends and places with an inter-campus transfer to Dubai.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

Mandatory September

  • Advanced Construction Technology
  • Urban Economy and Property Markets
  • Real Estate Appraisal and Finance

Mandatory January

  • Real Estate Development
  • Real Estate Management and Sustainability
  • Real Estate Investment Analysis
  • Advanced Real Estate Valuation

Mandatory May

  • Research Dissertation (Urban Studies)

Optional September

  • Business Analytics and Introduction to Big Data

Fees and funding

/ intake tuition fees
StatusFull TimePart Time
UK£10,528£5,264
International£19,816£9,908
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Scholarships and bursaries

Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

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Postgraduate UK Merit Scholarship

This course is eligible for our UK Merit Scholarship, this provides a 20% tuition fee discount to all UK students who achieve a 2:1 in their Undergraduate degree. 

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Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in any academic subject provided that it includes evidence of essay writing and a statement of purpose showing interest in Real Estate. 

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

Employability

With strong professional links and a focus on up-to-date industry-relevant content, our Real Estate programme equips graduates with the knowledge and skills to quickly and effectively contribute to wide and varied roles within the real industry. Graduates of this course are highly sought after in the real estate industry. Graduates from this area have gone on to work within some of the largest and most prestigious international real estate organisations and firms. Real Estate Service Firms: Avison Young, CBRE, Cluttons, Cushman & Wakefield, Drivers Jonas Deloitte, DTZ, EYCO, Gerald Eve, Jones Lang LaSalle, Knight Frank, Rydens and Savills Investment Banks: Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan Institutional Investors and Investment Funds: Aviva, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Legal & General Consultancy Firms: PWC and Deloitte Real Estate Investment and Development Companies: British Land, Cala Homes, Grosvenor and Land Securities We also have a proven track record in research, and a number of our graduates continue in research to complete PhD study.

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