COLLEGE TRAINING .

Most prospective agricultural valuers will have had an initial college training at one of three colleges:

Harper Adams University College
Reading University
Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester

All three offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The undergraduate courses at Harper Adams are usually four year sandwich courses with the third year spent on a work placement, gaining practical experience to support the work done in college.

A member of staff in each of the three colleges liases with the CAAV and would normally be the person who would assist with membership and other matters. They are listed in the college sections below.

Others members enter the profession with other qualifications or experience.

All three offer courses which are Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited degrees and allow graduates to enrol directly onto the RICS' Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). The sandwich placement year carried out at Harper Adams may be counted as one of the two years' required training for the RICS' APC. For more information on the RICS' APC/ ATC please click here.

Other institutions providing courses supporting the profession are:

Cambridge University (Department of Land Economy)
College of Estate Management (Reading) – e-learning & correspondence courses

while some members have previously studied at Newcastle and Aberdeen universities.

HARPER ADAMS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Harper Adams is based just outside Newport in east Shropshire.  The college was recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning
by the Higher Education Funding Council in 2005, and has recently launched a National Rural Knowledge Exchange in support of rural professions.

The main courses of interest to aspiring CAAV members are likely to be:

The B.Sc.(Hons) Rural Enterprise and Land Management (REALM), a four year sandwich honours degree in which the third year of the course is spent on a practical professional placement. 

This course also gives admission to the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

The BSc in Rural Property Management covers similar material to the REALM course but is NOTY RICS accredited for the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Like REALM it includes a placement year in which students can gain professional or practical experience in industry. This course is also suitable for admission to the  RICS Assessment of Technical Competence (ATC).

The PgC/PgD/MSc Rural Enterprise, Amenity & Land Management (REALM), which can be taken full-time or part time via a series of intensive one-week modules.  Eight modules and a dissertation are studied for the MSc.  Twelve modules are taken for the PgD.  This course also gives admission to the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

The CAAV representative at Harper Adams is Charles Cowap. (Send Email)

READING UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate courses are for three years.

There are four undergraduate courses run by the Department of Real Estate & Planning, part of the University Business School.

BSc Rural Property Management

BSc Real Estate (rural)

BSc Investment & Finance in Property

BSc Real Estate with Diploma or MSc Urban Planning.

Click here for further information.

Postgraduate courses include MSc Rural Land and Business Management (one year) and MSc in Rural Planning.

The CAAV representative at Reading is Roger Gibbard who may be contacted for further information regarding the courses at Reading (Send Email)

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, CIRENCESTER

The School of Rural Economy and Land Management offers a three year undergraduate route and a one year (full time) postgraduate route into the rural surveying profession. Both courses are suitable for students wishing to become members of the CAAV.

Undergraduate B.Sc. (Hons) in Rural Estate Management

Postgraduate M.Sc. in Rural Estate Management

The CAAV representatives at Cirencester are Diane Martin (Send Email) and David Lewis (Send Email).

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate courses are for three years.

Department of Land Economy - Undergraduate courses (3 years duration) 

Postgraduate Courses

COLLEGE OF ESTATE MANAGEMENT

This college, based in Reading, offers supported e-learning and training courses which can assist those who are currently working in the profession.

Diploma in Surveying Practice - this course offers a rural option. The Diploma in Surveying Practice is recognised by the RICS as meeting its academic requirements for Technical Membership. You will still be required to undertake the RICS Assessment of Technical Competence (ATC). However, the first year of the two-year ATC may be undertaken during the second year of the Diploma in Surveying

BSc in Estate Management - It is possible to gain part of the 2-year experience requirement for the RICS' APC during the final year of study, provided in relevant employment.