by James Robinson
A Scottish university is facing legal action by its students after the RICS refused to approve its Building Surveying honours degree.
Edward Landor, RICS director of education and training, said the four-year course at the University of Abertay in Dundee failed to meet RICS standards: “The lack of chartered building surveyors teaching and leading the programme was of particular concern.”
Twelve students on the course, which began in 1994, are threatening to sue the university if the situation is not resolved. They applied for the course believing that it would be accredited by the RICS. The course prospectus said accreditation was being sought.
Refusing to comment on whether legal action was likely, university spokesman Kevin Coe said: “We are in discussions with the RICS and we hope to have the issue resolved very soon. We are now in the process of submitting another application.”
The RICS accreditation committee, the surveying courses board, meets again on February 25. The Abertay course could win accreditation if another application is submitted before then. But that will not help the 52 students who have completed most of the current course.
Accreditation cannot be granted retrospectively, which means that the course’s first graduates face graduating without accreditation.
