Options with your subject: Estate management

An estate management degree prepares you for work in the property sector, but also equips you with highly desirable and transferable commerce and business skills...

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Building control surveyor
• Building surveyor
• Commercial/residential surveyor 
• Land/geomatics surveyor
• Planning and development surveyor
• Rural practice surveyor

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Estate agent
• Facilities manager
• Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer
• Housing manager/officer
• Nature conservation officer
• Town planner

Work experience

Undertaking a period of voluntary work in an area that will complement your degree in estate management, such as environmental conservation for the heritage sector, will help show employers that you have relevant experience. This will be particularly useful if you were not able to secure a work placement during your studies.

Many property employers place a strong emphasis on extracurricular activities that demonstrate teamworking and leadership skills. These skills can be developed through sporting activities or by participating in clubs and societies run by your university or students' union. Relevant property-related experience is also important, often gained through a year out in industry or summer placements.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Employment opportunities are available with utilities services, in private practice, commercial organisations, for trusts and heritage organisations, the public sector and local and central government, in a range of activities including domestic, commercial and industrial projects.

Typical employers include:

• global property firms with interests in building surveying, corporate property, and investment, planning and development and residential work;
• medium-sized companies and consultancies;
• housebuilders and housing associations;
• small firms offering opportunities for those with a rural specialism.

Self-employment is also a possibility for those with experience, involving, for example, activities related to commercial, industrial, residential and agricultural property or to land management and production, animal health and welfare and environmental industries. For information on setting up a business, see self-employment.

Find information on employers in property and construction, environment and agriculture, business, consulting and management and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

Estate management is a multidisciplinary course where you learn the whole property picture, from planning law to bricks and mortar. Practically, it tends to be taught by a combination of lectures and site visits in addition to a number of real-life projects and case studies.

The course helps you to develop a range of skills sought by employers in the property sector and beyond, including:

• the ability to manage and analyse complex data;
• effective communication (written, oral, visual and numerical);
• team leadership;
• time management;
• presentation;
• the use of information technology;
• the ability to apply theory to practice.

Further study

Some graduates choose to specialise in a particular area of estate management, for example, taking postgraduate courses in property development, property investment, surveying, real estate management, environmental conservation for the heritage sector, planning and environment, and town and country planning.

Other further study options include postgraduate studies in banking or finance to enhance their knowledge of a different career area. It is also possible to undertake further vocational training, for example in law.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.

What do estate management graduates do?

More than two-thirds of estate management graduates are in employment six months after graduating. Of these, 45% work in professional roles or technical occupations in areas such as surveying, valuation, property development, environmental conservation, facilities management and estate management. 13% are in marketing, sales and advertising roles and the same figure in commercial, industrial and public sector management.

A small proportion (6%) combine work and study and a further 6% are studying full time. Many work towards a professional qualification for membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)  and others taking specialist postgraduate courses in related subjects.

Find out what other graduates are doing six months after finishing their degrees in What Do Graduates Do?  

Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date: 

December 2012

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