Strong real estate programs?

Question

After searching the forums/search engines for quite some time, one thing I haven't been able to find is a break down of which schools are regarded as having the strongest real estate MBA programs. I saw on Haas' website they stated having one of the top 3 real estate programs in the country. Does anyone know which schools are known to be strong in real estate? Or, does anyone know where a discussion of this topic can be found? Thanks, as always.

aviroop · Answer

USC and UCLA have really strong real estate programs

lanter1 · Answer

Wharton, NYU, Columbia, Haas, UNC, Duke and Yale are all strong when it comes to real estate programs and placement. I am studying real estate while getting my MBA and these are the best schools I have found.

kryzak · Answer

Add Cornell if you're interested in the hotel industry real estate development.

PaulK · Answer

Great! Thanks for the help. UNC, Duke, and Haas are all on my short list. Does anyone know anything about real estate at Kellogg?

drew031482 · Answer

I have reviewed most of the programs, and am applying to Haas, Columbia, Wharton, and UNC. I am also applying to UT-Austin. However, where does Duke compare to these real estate programs. I looked through their curriculum yesterday (for about an hour) and I could only find one class that focused on real estate. Surprisingly, this class was an elective in the entrepreneurship concentration, but I couldn't find any more classes that were similar. Any thoughts or information you can add? Thanks in advance.

Class2012 · Answer

I think UT-Austin too has a good real estate program.

PaulK · Answer

Hey drew,

I went through this a couple years ago as you can see above. I applied to Duke but preferred UNC because I could tell Duke was not emphasizing real estate. Of course, I wound up at Cornell doing this dual-degree, MBA and Master in Real Estate program. Happy to answer any questions as you go along.

gottabwise · Answer

Drew: I actually had some exposure to Cornell's RE program as an undergraduate. I would ask classmates about master's programs and one that came up was USC. Personally, I like the curriculum. However, I must say that Cornell's reputation and network is truly global.

drew031482 · Answer

I decided to expand my search to 6 schools. UNC, UT-Austin, Haas, Columbia, Wharton, and now Fuqua.

From what I have been told, UNC and UT-Austin should be "safe schools" (though I believe numerous gmatclubber testimonials will tell you otherwise), and that Columbia and Wharton are fair reach schools for me. That left me with one "competitive" school, Haas (though their stats are on steroids and might as well be considered a reach). As a result, this left me looking for another "competitive" (8-15 range) range school to compliment Haas. As I reviewed the choices within the group, I decided I didn't want to use both competitive apps on west coast schools, nor did I want to go to a program that far north (Cornell and Ross). Thus, I was left with UVA, Stern, and Fuqua. I've been to Charlottesville multiple times as I'm from DC, and am not interested in living in there, and at this point in time, I'm not sure if I have enough time to thoroughly engage Sterns application because it is focused on "what steps have you taken to learn about the program." As a result, I'm left with Fuqua.

Side note: I went to the Fuqua info session in Washington DC and I met an alum who is in real estate development, which is ultimately what I want to get into. He told me that while not too common, Fuqua students can actually take courses at Carolina and vice versa (anyone attest to this?). Thus, I figure I can supplement the Fuqua cirriculum with real estate courses from UNC if need be. Also, to further drive home my decision to apply, when I told him I wanted to switch over to the other side of the table from Architecture, my current field in which I am unfortunately unemployed, to development he gave me his card and we have e-mailed back and forth about hiring me in some capacity. I'm supposed to meet with him after the New Year to discuss.

VictoryMBA · Answer

Hey PaulK, I'm a grad student in the city planning program at Cornell. I came from a real estate background and decided to do the MRP (Master of Regional Planning) over Real Estate mainly because I don't think I'd ever met anyone in the industry who had an MPRE/MRED etc. All the project managers, land acquisition guys, and some of the vice presidents had their master in urban planning (if not an MBA). It just seemed more traditional. Nevertheless, I am applying to the MBA program for fall 2010 matriculation.

What do you think of the real estate program at Cornell? What do you think of the people? Would you do the dual degree if you had to do it over again? Last semester half my classes were with the real estate folks, so I've been able to develop my own opinions...but I'm just curious as to what you think.

Edit: Also, what you think of the RE program as a stand alone degree as opposed to a supplement to the MBA?

gottabwise · Answer

I decided to expand my search to 6 schools. UNC, UT-Austin, Haas, Columbia, Wharton, and now Fuqua. From what I have been told, UNC and UT-Austin should be "safe schools" (though I believe numerous gmatclubber testimonials will tell you otherwise), and that Columbia and Wharton are fair reach schools for me. That left me with one "competitive" school, Haas (though their stats are on steroids and might as well be considered a reach). As a result, this left me looking for another "competitive" (8-15 range) range school to compliment Haas. As I reviewed the choices within the group, I decided I didn't want to use both competitive apps on west coast schools, nor did I want to go to a program that far north (Cornell and Ross). Thus, I was left with UVA, Stern, and Fuqua. I've been to Charlottesville multiple times as I'm from DC, and am not interested in living in there, and at this point in time, I'm not sure if I have enough time to thoroughly engage Sterns application because it is focused on "what steps have you taken to learn about the program." As a result, I'm left with Fuqua. Side note: I went to the Fuqua info session in Washington DC and I met an alum who is in real estate development, which is ultimately what I want to get into. He told me that while not too common, Fuqua students can actually take courses at Carolina and vice versa (anyone attest to this?). Thus, I figure I can supplement the Fuqua cirriculum with real estate courses from UNC if need be. Also, to further drive home my decision to apply, when I told him I wanted to switch over to the other side of the table from Architecture, my current field in which I am unfortunately unemployed, to development he gave me his card and we have e-mailed back and forth about hiring me in some capacity. I'm supposed to meet with him after the New Year to discuss. Sounds good. I don't think you should worry about the reach schools. My background's in urban planning/studies and I have quite a number of friends with architecture backgrounds. You'll be very appealing to both schools and future employers as someone who understands design and business. Be confident. Other than that, I'd encourage you to see if your schools have connections to developers that interest you. For instance, Cornell definitely has ties to Toll Brothers. Stern might have ties to Related Companies. Also check out the ULI Real Estate Career book. It provides a good overview of the industry and potential paths. https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Track-Care ... 978&sr=8-1

gottabwise · Answer

Drew: You should also check out your schools' performances in the ULI Hines Student Design Competition. Some schools are strong year after year and others struggle year after year. https://www.udcompetition.uli.org/

drew031482 · Answer

Gottabwise,

Thanks for the link. At GaTech I took a development class that had people from the business and building construction schools, in addition to architecture students, and our professor showed us the schemes for this same competition. Being that this class was taught through the architecture school, many of us were rather disgusted by the designs, but then again, we had no comprehension of what any of the #'s meant.

At the end of the semester we had to design our own developments, and though I had to finance guys with me on our project, I still had little idea what the numbers meant relative to other designs. That being said it was a fun experience.

In reference to your other post, I went to a ULI presentation on Careers in Real Estate, but because I didn't register prior I was told they were going to mail me a copy of the book via mail. That was a long time ago and it never came. Oh well.

gottabwise · Answer

I once aspired to have a career in development and can identify with your GATech experience ("no comprehension of what the #'s meant). That can be frustrating which is why I'm looking forward to business school. I also intend to get more quant exposure beforehand.

Regarding the ULI book, check out the table of contents online to see if it's something you'd like to still get. You also might be able to find it a local library.

grapesfarmer · Answer

Any thoughts on the MRED program at Portland State Univ?

They have a strong urban planning school from what I read in the forums, but no mention abt its MRED program.

mbahopeful89 · Answer

I am going to UNC this year in part because of their strong real estate program. I have a real estate background and UNC has a VERY strong network in DC (where I want to eventually settle after my MBA) but I see people all over NYC, Chicago, even West Coast as well.

Also, I don't believe Duke has a strong real estate program, even though it is still a good school. Most people at Duke interested in real estate take classes through UNC. I was even told this when I interviewed at Duke.

mbahopeful89 · Answer

Sounds good. I don't think you should worry about the reach schools. My background's in urban planning/studies and I have quite a number of friends with architecture backgrounds. You'll be very appealing to both schools and future employers as someone who understands design and business. Be confident. Other than that, I'd encourage you to see if your schools have connections to developers that interest you. For instance, Cornell definitely has ties to Toll Brothers. Stern might have ties to Related Companies. Also check out the ULI Real Estate Career book. It provides a good overview of the industry and potential paths. https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Track-Care ... 978&sr=8-1 Actually I didn't see someone already posted about this

GyanOne · Answer

Real Estate Specialization at Kellogg

While there are many schools that offer courses in Real Estate in their MBA programs, and a few that even offer majors in the area, Kellogg stands out among all of them for the avenues that it provides to those from the Real Estate industry  . Other schools may have related advantages (e.g. they may be better located for opportunities with more Real Estate firms, or they might have other programs related to Real Estate running on campus that MBA students can take courses from), but Kellogg’s educational focus on the area is outstanding:

1.  The dedicated major in Real Estate at Kellogg is very comprehensive.  It includes a focus not just on the technical or the investment aspects of Real Estate, but also dwells on understanding Real Estate markets and global trends in the area. Students at Kellogg choosing the major go not only for the traditional Real Estate MBA career paths in development or investments, but also make successful transitions to strategy, consulting, and even entrepreneurship. And for those wondering how much Kellogg will support these ambitions, remember that Poets & Quants rated Kellogg’s Career as the world’s best in 2012.

2.  Kellogg also has the Real Estate lab, a unique initiative  which allows interested students in a 3-month long Real Estate (live) project. That’s pretty good, considering that most other programs will struggle to get students into internships in such a niche area.

3.  The Booth-Kellogg Real Estate challenge  gives further chance to hone their competitive skills on issues related to Real Estate. This is a fairly unique event specific to both management and Real Estate.

These are only three reasons – there are a lot many more. The important thing for applicants though is to be able to leverage their experiences and create a winning application that can help them get into Kellogg. 
 READ KELLOGG MBA SUCCESS STORIES HERE

StratusDonna · Answer

While you can take classes at UNC from Fuqua it is still a bit of a hassle and if you want to engage with Professor Hartzell as a lifelong mentor- I'd give UNC the nod over Fuqua in this case In terms of any other info on UNC vs Fuqua and how to navigate life between the two- or if you want further discuss of your application and strategies for possible scholarships- reach out to us at this link: https://stratusadmissionscounseling.com ... b-visitor/

Strong real estate programs?

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