Education Quarterly Newsletter - October 2026

The accreditation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for its new Master of Science in Sustainable Urban Planning programme in July provided an opportunity to explore how the programme is preparing students for professional practice and for the changing needs of the urban environment.

The programme places emphasis on developing the technical knowledge, analytical thinking and professional skills that students need as they progress into careers in urban planning and the wider built environment.

The accreditation was marked with a visit by RICS Global President Nicholas Maclean, OBE RD FRICS IRRV (Hons), in September to present the certificate of accreditation.  

RICS visited the University of East London to accredit five programmes: BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management (QSCM); BSc (Hons) Surveying and Mapping Sciences; BSc (Hons) Construction Management; MSc Construction Engineering Management; MSc Project Management with Digital Technology.

Andrew Arewa, Director of Sustainable Occupational Safety and Health Research Centre (SOSHRC) said “The RICS accreditation outcome was received with great joy by our team at UEL. Once again, thanks to your panel members, and your excellent leadership before and duration the accreditation visit.”

On 2 September 2026, RICS visited ESSEC Business School to review its MSc in Hospitality Management (IMHI).

Established 45 years ago, IMHI is a specialised postgraduate programme delivered in English and focused on the financial, investment and asset-management dimensions of the hospitality industry and related real estate.

While hospitality education is often associated primarily with the operational management of hotels and other hospitality businesses, IMHI has developed a distinctive focus on the business, financial and real estate aspects of hospitality assets.

The visit highlighted the relevance of the programme to the changing relationship between the hospitality and real estate sectors.

The review of IMHI builds on RICS's continuing engagement with ESSEC Business School. In September 2025, an RICS accreditation panel visited the School to review the, Master in Mangement Immobilier (MMI), the Master in Urban Innovation (MUI) and the MiM Chaire Immobilier with Real Estate Track.

Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) Bachelor of Science with Honours in Construction Management and Quantity Surveying has been accredited.

The visit also provided a valuable opportunity for RICS and HKMU to exchange ideas on the programme’s continued development and its connection with the profession.

Manchester Metropolitan University’s MSc Construction Project Management was accredited in June. Dr Greg Watts said “This is a fantastic step forward, a brilliant accomplishment for our programme and team, and the start of a great relationship between The Manchester Metropolitan University and RICS.”

RICS visited Oxford Brookes University to re-accredit its Built Environment provision.

The review panel were impressed with the quality of the learning environment and facilities available to students, as well as the strong engagement and support from staff across the Built Environment area.

The panel also highlighted the university’s focus on providing students with a practical, industry-relevant education, supporting them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to progress into the profession.

On 16 September 2026, members gathered in Italy for the RICS Italy Annual Meeting, bringing together professionals and leaders from across the Italian real estate and built environment sectors to recognise achievements, discuss developments within the profession and consider priorities for the years ahead.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the recognition of 25 years of RICS accreditation of the Master REM at Politecnico di Milano.

The longstanding partnership between RICS and Politecnico di Milano extends beyond programme accreditation: academics and professors associated with the Master REM played an important role in the early development of RICS's presence in Italy, including the establishment of the first RICS Board and the first Italian chapter; support IREC (International Real Estate Challenge), a student competition that brings university students together to work on real-world real estate challenges, encouraging collaboration between education and industry and providing students with an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in a professional context; and when the Politecnico di Milano hosted the first RICS European Education Forum in 2025.

The 32nd European Real Estate Society (ERES) Annual Conference took place in Vienna from 1–4 July 2026, hosted by TU Wien.

RICS actively participates in ERES and values the opportunity to engage with academics from across the real estate sector.

This year's conference provided an opportunity to explore some important questions around the relationship between higher education and professional qualification, education and professional competence.

One of the key discussions was a panel led by Ian Jeal, RICS Executive Director – Education and Qualification Standards, with Prof. Dr. Marzia Morena FRICS from Politecnico di Milano and Prof. Dr. Harun Tanrivermis MRICS from Ankara University. The panel explored the evolving relationship between university education and professional qualification in the built environment professions.

As universities increasingly deliver practice-oriented and professionally accredited programmes, the discussion considered how academic assessment and professional competence assessment can work together to support the development of professionals entering regulated practice.

The panelists considered a number of questions particularly relevant to RICS-accredited programmes, including the extent to which current competence gaps reflect challenges in attracting people into the real estate profession versus developing the capabilities required by industry, and what this means for the respective roles of universities and professional bodies.

The panel also considered the future of professional assessment, including how universities might respond if RICS moves towards a more modular assessment structure, and what role universities could play in supporting candidates while maintaining the standards, independence and public trust associated with RICS professional qualification.

International developments were also considered, including whether other markets are seeing closer alignment between higher education, competency frameworks and professional registration, and what lessons might be relevant to the real estate profession internationally.