Top Real Estate Education Programs 2018

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Growing Future Leaders

By Chris Nebenzahl, Manager, Yardi Matrix

Real estate-specific degrees continue to grow at colleges and universities across the nation, as the demand for specialized programs of study increases. Nine new universities with real estate-specific bachelor’s or master’s degrees responded to this year’s CPE-MHN Leaders in Real Estate Education survey.

Of the institutions participating in our survey, the average number of accepted real estate students in 2017 was more than 80. What’s perhaps more impressive than the volume of students pursuing real estate degrees is the percentage of 2017 graduates who are currently employed in commercial real estate. Close to 92 percent of all graduates are employed in their field, including 14 schools that have 100 percent industry employment for their 2017 graduates. Significant faculty resources are also being allocated to real estate programs. At some of the larger universities, the real estate department exceeds 20 faculty members.

The types of degrees offered also span the various stages of real estate development, investment, ownership and management. While many of the classes within real estate degrees seem similar to other business fields such as financial modeling, accounting and marketing, these unique and specialized courses take a more detailed look at the nuances of real estate compared to other businesses. At both the graduate and undergraduate level, students are being offered highly customized degrees that will prepare them to enter the workforce immediately, with the refined skill sets needed across the commercial real estate sector.

You’ll find more on this topic in the April 2018 issue of CPE.