Rural Surveying & Rural Property Management, MLE at University of Aberdeen

This programme provides a range of knowledge and skills e.g. land management, public policy, law, planning, economics, and valuation, integrated to meet the future challenges facing landowners and land managers. As a rural land and business manager the student/graduate is concerned not only with practical land management but also with the financial, legal, planning, and policy contexts within which decisions are made and business interests managed. 

Understanding of traditional land management (agriculture, forestry, sporting) and emerging and topical issues (environmental and conservation activities, tourism projects, planning issues, countryside access, diversification projects, steading conversions and renewable energy initiatives) is combined with an understanding of the business skills necessary for successful decision-making and rural business management.

As a rural land and business manager the student/graduate is concerned not only with practical land management but also with the financial, legal, planning, and policy contexts within which decisions are made and business interests managed.

How You'll Study

Highly qualified and motivated staff will teach you, including staff with considerable practical experience. A variety of teaching and assessment methods are used. All courses involve lectures, seminars and project work although the relative balance varies as you progress through the programme. Courses typically involve two or three hours of lectures. There are half-day and whole day (for example, to farms and Highland estates) and a 5 day residential field visit (to the Cairngorms) for general experience and in relation to specific assessments. These regularly involve leading practitioners in the field.

Learning Methods

• FIELD TRIPS
• FIELD WORK
• GROUP PROJECTS
• INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS
• LECTURES
• RESEARCH
• TUTORIALS

Why Study Rural Surveying & Rural Property Management?

• The Master of Land Economy is the only RICS accredited programme of its kind in Scotland, providing assurance of quality and relevance in the industry. We maintain very close links with the Rural and Environmental Professional Groups within RICS.
• In the past 2 years over 75% of our students are offered a job contract less than 6 months in to the programme. These include employment with all the main national rural surveying firms.
• Teaching staff come from a range of backgrounds, from professional Rural Practitioners to individuals with experience of rural planning and property, agriculture, rural tourism, valuation, planning, environmental projects and diversification. Teaching staff held roles such as president of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), and head planner in Aberdeen City Council’s planning department.
• The programme includes visits to a wide range of highland and lowland estates for field visits and practical work. It includes a 5-day residential visit to the Scottish Highlands. Employers want graduates with the right practical skills and knowledge and we believe taking your learning out in to the field, literally, is one of the best ways to achieve this.
• The teaching team and student cohort each year form a very strong and positive working relationship. You will be studying with like-minded people who have a passion for sustainability and rural management.

Careers

The programme is designed for graduates from any discipline and is the only programme of its kind in Scotland, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Graduates therefore have the option of entering a career in chartered surveying (Rural or Environmental Professional Groups) having already made progress towards their APC. Career options include areas such as land agency, estate management, countryside management, and rural policy and development. Diploma and Masters graduates in Rural Surveying are particularly highly sought-after by the leading land agency firms throughout the UK: Strutt and Parker, Bidwells and Savills to name but a few. Many of these firms visit the Department as part of their annual recruitment strategy. Other graduates have secured employment with landed estates (Buccleuch Estates, Moray Estates, Strathmore Estates, Dunecht Estates), conservation bodies (SNH, RSPB) and public authorities (National Parks, Local Authorities).

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

• Commercial Surveyor
• Graduate Land Manager
• Graduate Surveyor
• Rural Surveyor