The University College of Estate Management (abbreviated to UCEM), formerly the College of Estate Management (CEM) is an independent UK-based higher education institution which provides courses by

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

for people in the

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw Real Estate, land and the sale of developed land or parcels ...

and construction industries throughout the world. UCEM is also one of eight original members of the Independent Universities Group, made up of universities not funded by the

HEFCE The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engla ...

. As of 2013, UCEM had educated over 150,000 students.

History

The College of Estate Management was founded in 1919 by the "Chartered Auctioneers' and Estate Agent's Institute" (which later became the

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for surveyors, founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental level, and aims to promote and enforce the highest international standards in the val ...

, RICS). The college was formed specifically to serve the property-related

estate management Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and monit ...

and

construction industry Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...

sectors. The scale of British lives lost in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

had led to a shortage of trained staff to manage the country's estates. In 1938 the College gained recognition from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

to provide tuition for its internal degree. An association with the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

goes back to 1967 and the College relocated from

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

in London to the University of Reading's Whiteknights Campus in 1972. UCEM is an independent self-funded charity. It was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers in its own right by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in January 2013. On 11 November 2015, CEM was awarded

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

status by the Privy Council and changed its name to the ''University College of Estate Management''. In September 2013, the college appointed Ashley Wheaton as its ninth Principal, taking over the role from Ann Heywood, who retired. Formerly located at the

's Whiteknights Campus, UCEM moved premises in September 2016 to 60 Queens Road,

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

has been patron of UCEM from 1998 to present (2020). In March 2019, to celebrate the University's centenary year of existence, Prince Charles visited the UCEM building in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, to meet students and staff. (See

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

)

Courses and qualifications offered

A large variety of courses are offered, including programmes accredited by professional bodies such as the RICS and the

Chartered Institute of Building The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is a UK-based international professional association which exists to promote and advance for the public benefit the science and practice of building and construction. On official website Originating in ...

. UCEM diploma or degree courses include (to Nov 2014) surveying practice, building surveying, construction management, estate management, property management, quantity surveying, shopping centre management, construction and real estate. At any one time the University College of Estate Management has between 3500 and 4000 students participating from over 100 different countries.

Alumni

Notable alumni include: *

Albert Costain Sir Albert Costain (5 July 1910 – 5 March 1987) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe from 1959 to 1983, preceding future Conservative leader Michael Howard. Early c ...

– Conservative MP Folkestone & Hythe 1959–1983 *

Irene Barclay Irene Barclay (1894–1989), née Martin, was the first woman to qualify in England as a chartered surveyor, and was a noted campaigner for social housing. Life Irene Barclay was the daughter of a socialist and pacifist Congregationalist minister ...

– first woman in Britain to qualify as a chartered surveyor, following the passage of the Sex Disqualification Removal Act 1919. She was an active social reformer, focusing on improving housing conditions in the St Pancras slums in London between the First and Second World Wars for which she received an OBE. 1894–1989. *

Alison Nimmo Dame Alison Nimmo DBE (born 25 May 1964) is a Scottish Chartered Surveyor who was chief executive of The Crown Estate, (an organisation with a property portfolio estimated at £10 billion) from 2012 to 2019. Early life Nimmo was born in Edinbur ...

– chief executive of the

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priva ...

2012 - 2019; * Angus MacDonald – Scottish SNP MSP (since 2011) *

Baron Mais Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

– former

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

1972–1973 *

Desmond Plummer Arthur Desmond Herne Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone, TD, DL, FRSA (25 May 1914 – 2 October 2009) was a British Conservative Party politician in London and the longest serving Leader of the Greater London Council 1967–1973. Educ ...

– former English Conservative politician and the longest serving Leader of the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

1967 - 1973 *

Gerald Bowden Gerald Francis Bowden (26 August 1935 – 7 January 2020) was a British Conservative MP, who represented Dulwich from 1983 until 1992. He was defeated by future Labour cabinet minister Tessa Jowell in the 1992 general election. Career He was ...

– Conservative MP

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

1983–1992 * Sir John Henry Ritblat – honorary president and formerly chairman and CEO of The British Land Company PLC *

Paul Morrell Paul Dring Morrell (born 28 February 1948) is an English chartered quantity surveyor, former senior partner of Davis Langdon, and from November 2009 to November 2012 the UK Government's first Chief Construction Adviser. Career After graduati ...

– Government Chief Construction Adviser Nov 2009-Nov 2012 * William Hurst Rees – original editor of "Valuation: Principles into Practice" st Edition 1978(a leading handbook for students on UK valuation) *

Robbie Moore Robert David Moore (May 3, 1954 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. He played his college hockey at the University of Michigan and the Universi ...

– Conservative MP for

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

since 2019.

Research

The College of Estate Management conducts independent, applied research within the industries it serves, which is available as a resource to students and alumni.

References

External links

UCEM

RICS
{{Authority control Education in Reading, Berkshire

Educational institutions established in 1919 1919 establishments in England