The 5 Top West Coast Real Estate Grad Programs
The real estate field is expected to experience faster than average employment growth--14% according to the Labor Department. That's why getting into the right grad school is more important than ever. Here are some of the best programs on the West Coast (maybe one is an alma mater).
Cost: $1,380/Unit; 32 units required
Year established: 2004
How long the program takes: 2 semesters full-time, 4 semesters part-time
No. of students enrolled: 31
As a Center of Excellence within the University of San Diego’s School of Business Administration, the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate is a top pick for SoCal grad students. There's also international travel/study abroad opportunities and a mentor program.
Cost: $1,847/unit
Year established: 1986
How long the program takes: 11 months full-time or two years part-time
No. of students enrolled: 34 full-time and 12 part-time
The School of Policy, Planning and Development at USC offers the Dollinger Master of Real Estate development program, with a focus on design, finance and policy. The Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC serves a liaison between the institution and industry professionals. Here's John Kilroy speaking at a recent Lusk event in S.F.
Cost: $1,010/unit for a full-time MBA
Year established: 1950
How long the program takes: Two years for a full-time MBA, three years for the Evening-Weekend MBA program
No. of students enrolled: No firm numbers, but about 15 students per graduating class are in real estate. Between the full-time and evening-weekend programs, there are roughly 30 students currently enrolled who are focused on real estate. Many more (60-plus) take at least the core real estate classes.
The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley offers a range of real estate degree options. Students have the opportunity to complete a certificate program, an undergraduate program, a full- or part-time MBA program and a PhD program. Berkeley-Haas does not offer a degree in Real Estate—it only has an MBA degree. It recently started an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate, but that is not a degree program. Real estate is obviously a core strength of the program, and there are many students focusing on careers in real estate.
Cost: $32,000
Year established: 2004
How long the program takes: 12 months on a full-time basis or two years on a part-time basis
No. of students enrolled: 40
The Master of Real Estate Development program is a joint program with the School of Business that offers a multidisciplinary approach to real estate development that aims to create sustainable, healthy communities.
Cost: $17,964 per academic year
Year established: 2002
How long the program takes: 18 months
No. of students enrolled: N/A
The Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington offers students an interdisciplinary and comprehensive real estate education that values quality and sustainability.The first class of MSRE students graduated in 2011, and alumni have headed off to big firms like CBRE, Skanska and Prologis.
While an undergrad program, we included this honorable mention that gets youngsters on the real estate track before grad school.
Cost: $199/unit for certificate
Year established: Spring 2013
How long the program takes: A full-time student should earn a BS in finance + certificate in four years, but in practice the time is probably four to five years.
No. of students enrolled: In the four commercial RE classes is 160/semester, but only some of these students are pursuing the CRE certificate.
BOMA S.F. EVP Marc Intermaggio tells us a partnership with San Francisco State University to produce "job-ready" commercial property management candidates has taken off since launching. Under the program, students earn a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in finance and a certificate in commercial RE.
