Master of Professional Studies - Rural Estate and Land Management

The courses attract graduates from a wide range of first degree subjects and most of those completing the courses go on to be rural surveyors or land/estate agents – a role where they are essentially a negotiator. So, Harper Adams will help students to develop this essential skill and develop an understanding of the issues affecting potential clients. Modules studied cover the main areas required for professional practice, in particular providing the necessary legal foundations for practice, and covering the all-important areas of the UK planning system, land tenure, rural valuation, primary production in agriculture and forestry, countryside and environmental management. A wide choice of modules means that to a large extent students can tailor the programme to their own requirements.

Employment prospects in rural practice are good, and successful graduates have gone on to a wide range of jobs in recent years on rural estates and with local and national firms of rural surveyors and agricultural valuers. Feedback from students shows that the intensive modular block structure is well-received, along with the practical slant of many of the assignments. This is underpinned by the professional standing of many of the tutors, who are active with the profession at the highest levels nationally and with some being assessors for the RICS APC.

All prospective chartered surveyors must complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) offered by RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), and the programmes provide the academic foundation for candidates wishing to pursue the rural APC. The MProf and MSc REALM programmes are both accredited by the RICS, recognising the high regard in which the courses are held, thereby providing  the first step on the route to qualification as a chartered surveyor. The MProf in particular, is one of a very small number of courses in the country to have this distinction with regard to the rural APC pathway, which is why students are required to study 12 modules (180 credits) rather than the traditional eight (120 credits) on the MSc. As a result, the MProf programme is particularly popular with part-time students, who are able to combine suitable employment with study and progression through the APC. This programme can also be studied as part of a degree level apprenticeship over 2-3 years.

The Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) and the Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) provides a route for students who may fall short of exacting entry requirements, to get up to speed before transferring to either the MProf or MSc programmes.