Building on its reputation as one of the most productive universities in the area of real estate research and its strong relationships with the real estate industry, the Belk College of Business at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is launching an interdisciplinary Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) degree.
The MSRE was approved by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors last Friday, and recruiting for the first class starts today. The program will begin in August 2012.
“In good times and bad, the commercial real estate industry is one of the key drivers of the economy,” said Belk College Dean Steven Ott. “There will always be a need for specially-trained employees to manage the complexities of real estate finance, development and construction.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to expand the Belk College’s real estate curriculum to respond to the needs of the industry and develop the next generation of highly-skilled executives and managers.”
Ott, the John Crosland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Real Estate, was the founding director of the Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte. Since becoming Dean in January 2011, he has appointed Dustin Read as his successor. Read will serve as the faculty director of the MSRE in addition to heading the Center for Real Estate.
The Belk College hopes to recruit an inaugural class of 12-15 students in the MSRE in Fall 2012, building to an enrollment of 15-20 new students each year. Read expects the class to be a mix of part-time and full-time students, including both recent graduates looking to break into the industry and real estate professionals who aspire to move into management. Visit Master of Science in Real Estate for more information and admissions requirements.
Students in the MSRE will take classes in various components of commercial real estate, including law and land use policy, finance and investment, construction management and financial management. The MSRE curriculum was developed in consultation with the Real Estate Advisory Board, a group of industry leaders who also helped raise $4.4 million to support expansion of the real estate program at UNC Charlotte.
Outside the classroom, students will participate in community-service projects that will emphasize the social and environmental implications of real estate and promote sustainable practices in the industry. Students may also participate in professional internships to gain experience in the industry for those in career transition.
“Our students will have a variety of internship and job prospects,” Read said. “Our advisory board members have pledged their support of our students’ professional and career development.”
The MSRE will be unique in the state and one of a handful of master’s-level programs in real estate in the Southeast. The top-ranked programs nationally include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California-Berkeley.
“We’re optimistic about launching the program and the opportunities it will present, both for the students and the industry,” Ott said. “We’re confident that the combination of a top-notch faculty, our location in Charlotte and the steadfast support of industry leaders will be very attractive to prospective students.”