Build it right: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management

From drawings to delivery: lead the commercial side of construction

If you want to make major projects happen on time, on budget and to spec, Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management (QS/CM) puts you at the centre of decision-making.

It’s a career that combines site experience, digital tools, financial control and negotiation — and it’s critical to how the built environment is delivered.

Why study Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management now?

It's a career choice grounded in opportunity and long-term demand.

You’ll have transferable skills.
Every construction project needs cost planning, procurement and contract administration — from housebuilding and retrofit to rail, energy and commercial fit-out.

There’s a recognised skills shortage.
Industry reports consistently highlight hard-to-fill commercial roles. Graduates who can measure accurately, manage risk and understand contracts are in demand.

Infrastructure and net zero are long-term drivers.
Major UK investment in infrastructure, regeneration and decarbonisation means sustained demand for professionals who can manage cost and value over the lifecycle of assets.

There’s a clear progression pathway.
Construction offers structured career development. As you move from assistant roles to managing packages, frameworks or multiple sites, responsibility — and earning potential — increases.

Where could this degree take you?

Your path depends on whether you prefer early-stage estimating, live project delivery, or consultancy-based cost management.

• Pre-contract / Estimating
  • Trainee QS
  • Assistant Estimator
  • Estimator
  • Senior Estimator / Bid Lead
• Post-contract / Site commercial
  • Assistant QS
  • Project QS
  • Senior QS
  • Commercial Manager
  • Head of Commercial
• Consultancy (Professional Quantity Surveyor – PQS)
  • Graduate Cost Consultant
  • Cost Manager
  • Senior / Associate
  • Partner
• Specialist sectors
  • Data centres
  • Health and housing retrofit
  • Rail and aviation
  • Renewables
  • Film studios and life sciences
• Adjacent routes
  • Procurement lead
  • Claims and dispute avoidance
  • Project controls
  • Client-side capital delivery

What employers value most is evidence: cost plans you’ve developed, procurement packages you’ve supported, change you’ve managed and projects you’ve seen through to final account.

The skills you’ll actually use

A strong QS/CM professional turns scope into certainty.

• Technical foundations
  • Measurement and take-off (2D and 3D)
  • NRM cost planning and estimating
  • Bills of Quantities (BOQs)
  • Value engineering
  • Life-cycle costing
• Contracts and procurement
  • NEC and JCT contract fundamentals
  • Tendering routes and bid evaluation
  • Change management
  • Payment processes and final accounts
• Digital capability
  • 2D/3D measurement software
  • BIM and 5D workflows
  • Advanced Excel and cost reporting dashboards
• Professional behaviours
  • Clear commercial writing
  • Negotiation and stakeholder management
  • Ethical decision-making
  • Record-keeping that withstands scrutiny

Why study QS/CM at UEL?

UEL’s BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management is designed to give you practical, career-ready skills.

You’ll benefit from:

• Access to industry-standard software such as CostX, Bluebeam and Autodesk tools
• Project-based learning that reflects real commercial scenarios
• Industry guest speakers and employer engagement
• Opportunities to take part in national challenges and competitions
• A London location at the heart of major regeneration and infrastructure activity

You won’t just graduate with a degree. You’ll graduate with evidence that you can manage cost, contracts and risk in real-world settings.

Explore the course, attend an Open Day, or apply to start building your future in commercial construction.