What You Need to Know About Becoming a Real Estate Major

They also learn about human behavior, the organizational structure of financial institutions, and how historic patterns can help predict the markets. Successful graduates can build strong professional networks and handle transactions at the local, national and international levels for individuals, businesses or governments.

What Is a Real Estate Major?

A real estate major exposes students to a variety of business concepts and development and investment best practices. Core areas of study include real estate investment and appraisal, and applicable laws and urban development concepts. Programs emphasize data-driven decision-making and analysis. Many real estate programs are located within business schools at universities, which allows students to explore many types of real estate and professional careers – not only simple land transactions.

Common Coursework Real Estate Majors Can Expect

Real estate majors take multidisciplinary coursework with a focus on career readiness. Early courses cover real estate fundamentals along with basic education in finance and professional negotiation. Other courses focus on developing analytical skills through hands-on projects exploring development or redevelopment proposals for land or buildings. These courses provide foundational knowledge with practical applications in many career paths.

Upper-level courses in the major explore specialized topics such as residential property management or real estate finance and mortgage markets. Courses explaining U.S. and international real estate law are also common. Students may also take courses in sustainable development or urban economics and planning.

Experiential learning is often incorporated into real estate major programs. Internships are a common example of this and can be used to expand a student’s professional network and expose them to potential career options.

Every state requires real estate brokers and agents to be licensed, and these courses aid in meeting those requirements. Each state is different, but generally, licenses are granted to those 18 years and older who have completed a written exam.

How to Know if This Major Is the Right Fit for You

Real estate majors should be self-starters who enjoy working in a competitive and ever-changing environment. They should be highly detail- and goal-oriented and interested in studying business and finance. Real estate majors apply business best practices across daily challenges, big and small. If you’re a people person and have a mind for analytical thinking, this major may be right for you.

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What Can I Do With a Real Estate Major?

Many real estate graduates become self-employed brokers or agents, helping individuals or businesses buy, sell, rent or develop property. Real estate brokers are licensed to manage their own businesses, while real estate agents work with brokers on a contract basis.

All states require both types of real estate professionals to be licensed, though that work can be done locally or as part of national and international deals depending on the employer. Related positions as real estate appraisers, who assess the value of single properties, or assessors, who value groups of properties typically for tax reasons, are also job options.

Graduates can also find work with financial institutions, categorizing and defining the markets under titles like financial or development analyst. Others may work in the government sector as budget or management analysts or in related fields like energy and natural resource development.

This Article was Originally Published on Usnews.com