Contents
- Why Study Real Estate?
- Reason 1: A Source of Abundant Wealth
- Reason 2: Diverse Career Options
- Reason 3: Advance in Your Chosen Career
- Reason 4: The Real Estate Club at UTD
- Reason 5: UTD is an Approved TREC Provider
- Reason 6: UTD is a CCIM Institute University Partner
- Pursue a Real Estate Finance Concentration at UT Dallas
Why Study Real Estate?
The real estate industry is packed with dynamic and satisfying jobs, making it an ideal hands-on career option for graduating students to pursue. Whether they begin their careers abroad, in a city, major metropolitan area or a rural community, they can take comfort in knowing that individuals and businesses are financing, developing, managing, appraising, buying, selling and leasing property. Real estate companies need educated talent to help them achieve their goals, and businesses need employees who understand the fundamentals of real estate finance to get ahead.
Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, The University of Texas at Dallas offers students an education connected to a booming real estate market. Students can enhance their business or finance degree at the Naveen Jindal School of Management with a Real Estate Concentration and gain the advanced skills they need to meet the unique needs of the real estate industry.
Pursuing a real estate concentration at the Jindal School could be a life-changing step toward a rewarding career. Here are six reasons studying real estate can set you on the path to success:
Reason 1: The Real Estate Industry is a Source of Abundant Wealth
In the global economy, commercial and residential real estate make up the largest source of the world’s wealth with assets totaling roughly $338.4 trillion at the end of 2022.
Real estate makes up a significant portion of the United States economy, contributing approximately 15-18% to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. The DFW Metroplex in particular has been witness to extensive growth in the real estate market, with about $42.5 billion in commercial properties sold in the DFW area in 2022 as reported by Dallas Morning News.
For many American individuals and families, their homes are their single most important investment and their greatest source of wealth and savings. Commercial real estate properties, such as apartment buildings, retail shopping centers and office buildings, create countless jobs. Real estate businesses and investment provide a source of revenue for millions of people, making real estate a cornerstone of economic prosperity.
Reason 2: The Real Estate Industry Has Diverse Career Options
Real estate offers a multitude of rewarding opportunities for people with a full range of skills and interests. Whether you are drawn to sales, debt, equity, valuation, investments, risk analysis, client relations or financing, there are numerous job paths to explore. From real estate agents to property managers, the industry is teeming with an abundance of career options.
Students who study real estate at UT Dallas commonly attain roles in:
- Real Estate Investing
- Lending
- Property Management
- Asset Management
- Tax Appeals
- Appraisals
- Acquisitions and Development
Government careers in real estate include roles in economic development, planning, environmental assessments and property taxation.
Reason 3: Formal Education in Real Estate Can Help You Advance in Your Chosen Career
While the barriers to entry are deceptively low, the real estate industry is complex and has many interconnected and moving pieces that require high-level critical thinking and analysis. With a formal education in real estate, you can attain industry-specific knowledge and financial and market analysis skills that will help you avoid common pitfalls and mitigate risks that plague others who attempt to enter the industry.
Because the real estate industry makes up a huge part of the global economy, an understanding of it is important to those choosing careers in finance, banking, law, accounting, marketing, development, transportation, investments or valuation. No matter your ultimate career goal, education in real estate can put you ahead of the curve with adaptable knowledge in the intricacies of property investments and market dynamics.
Not choosing to pursue a Real Estate Concentration? The Jindal School offers real estate courses as electives to most students. Whether you’re looking to launch a career in real estate or just find an exciting elective, JSOM has courses designed to help you grasp the fundamentals of real estate.
Reason 4: The Real Estate Club at UTD Can Position You for Success
Membership in the Weitzman Institute Real Estate Club at UTD is free to all undergraduate and graduate students interested in real estate. Through the Real Estate Club at UTD, students gain abundant opportunities to attend program events with industry speakers, sharpen their professional skills and build a robust network within the real estate industry.
Members of the club secure access to:
- Opportunities to meet and collaborate with like-minded students
- Networking events with real estate industry professionals
- Educational programs specifically geared toward real estate
- Case competitions to solve real estate problems
- Real estate industry events where students can represent UT Dallas
- Internships and job openings for real estate careers
The Real Estate Club at UTD allows students that share the passion for real estate to develop friendships, learn skills to become viable career candidates, learn about best industry practices and stay up to date on evolving trends while having fun and building marketable skills for obtaining a position in real estate.
Join the Real Estate Club at UTD and get in on the action.
Reason 5: UTD is an Approved Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) Provider
The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is the state agency that tests and issues real estate licenses to aspiring real estate professionals in Texas. Some UT Dallas real estate courses on the undergraduate and graduate degrees are approved by the TREC to fulfill required clock hours before sitting for a licensure exam. Please refer to the TREC website for a list of courses.
In addition, a Texas sales agent who would like to become a broker can waive the additional educational requirements by the TREC if they have a master’s degree.
Reason 6: UT Dallas is a CCIM Institute University Partner
The CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation is a highly recognized and a respected credential for individuals working in the commercial and investment real estate industry. UTD undergraduate and graduate students who earn a concentration in real estate can waive one or more of the CCIM courses required for their designation.
The CCIM Institute aims to help members find the highest levels of success in commercial and investment real estate through access to education, technology and networking. Other benefits for full-time graduate and undergraduate UTD students include free enhanced CCIM student membership, ability to attend industry events and more:
- An online subscription to Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine and podcast
- Free registration to four CCIM Institute courses
- Members-only discounts on CCIM Institute educational material
- CCIM Institute’s CRE Career Center which contains job alerts and career coaching
- Professional mentoring by CCIM designees
Joining the CCIM National program also enables UT Dallas graduate students to expedite their CCIM Designation through the University Fast-Track program. Students who take part in the North Texas CCIM Chapter events can make beneficial network connections with real estate leaders in the DFW metroplex.
Pursue a Real Estate Finance Concentration at UT Dallas
Students earning their bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance or Global Business can enhance their degree with an Undergraduate Concentration in Real Estate Finance and obtain the in-demand knowledge and skills that will enable them to become competent real estate professionals.
The Jindal School also offers an online Graduate and MBA Real Estate Investment Management Concentration for students getting their master’s degree in Finance, Management Sciences or MBA. With this concentration, students gain the critical expertise to become leaders and decision-makers in the real estate industry.
Contact Julie Lynch, Director of the Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate, with any questions you might have about the Real Estate Concentration at UT Dallas.
