ATLANTA, GA (Sept. 4, 2012) – The real estate collapse has actually had a positive impact on collegiate real estate programs by leaving behind a higher concentration of students truly interested in the field.
That was one of the observations contained the most recent episode of “America’s Commercial Real Estate Show,” which provided an enlightening look at four of the nation’s top college real estate programs.
“We know the students we have right now are die-hard real estate folks,” said Richard Martin (top right photo), an associate professor of real estate at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. “If you’re studying real estate right now it’s because you’re passionate about it.”
“Undergraduate programs across the country – including ours – have seen a decline in students who were interested in learning about flipping houses and that sort of thing, and we’re left with the students who truly want to go into the real estate industry,” added Karen Gibler (top left photo), an associate professor in the Real Estate Department at Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business.
Georgia’s Terry College of Business offers three real estate degrees: an undergraduate degree, an MBA with a concentration in real estate and a Ph.D.
The accessibility of professors is an attribute the program actively touts, Martin added. “We’re a relatively small major within the larger university and so this leads to a lot of interaction with faculty,” he said.
Despite its landlocked location, the real estate program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison places a strong emphasis on global realestate studies, said Stephen Malpezzi (middle right photo), a professor in the Department of RealEstate and Urban Land Economics, which is part of the university’s School of Business.
“Our students have opportunities to study international real estate in the classroom but, more to the point, we have regular trips to major real estate conferences in Germany, France and Asia,” he said.
Clemson University is unique in that, rather than the traditional MBA with a real estate concentration, the school offers a Master’s of Real Estate Development, said Robert Benedict (lower left photo), the director of the degree program.
The two-year program features courses in planning, construction science, architecture and law. “We found that rather than have students develop a specific skill set that’s heavily geared towards real estate finance, we try to prepare students that are well rounded,” Benedict said.
Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta, which also offers bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in real estate, benefits greatly from its location in a major urban area, Gibler said.
“For student activities and projects, we can tap into the local Atlanta business community as well as our international relationships to enhance the projects and education,” she said.
The entire episode on college real estate programs is available for download at www.CREshow.com.
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