The first group of students to complete an accelerated construction degree – the only such courses in the UK – are set to graduate this week.
The accelerated two-year degrees in quantity surveying, building surveying, property and real estate, construction project management and architectural design and technology were launched by the University of Salford in autumn 2016.
The first 20 students to have finished their studies on a course that saw them study right through the year, as opposed to taking breaks for holidays, will attend a ceremony at the University’s Peel Park Campus on Thursday.
Nearly half of them achieved a first-class degree.
Students on the course cite getting started in a job more quickly and the ‘lower fee burden’ as their top two reasons for choosing the accelerated route.
Muhammad Hamzah, part of the first group to graduate this week and has already started his career in chartered building surveying with Trident Building Consultancy. He said: “The idea that you could gain the same amount of knowledge in less time was really appealing to me. In my eyes, I was still being given the opportunity to learn such valuable information, with the bonus of moving into the industry quicker. I’m very lucky that it’s worked out exactly that way for me, as I moved straight into a job from university.”
Professor Hisham Elkadi, Dean of the School of the Built Environment at the University of Salford said: “The accelerated degrees have been a great success so far. They can work for students who want a quicker route to a career but also for business who want to upskill their staff. This is far more efficient for them as and means their key workers will be more productive more quickly.”
