Build Your Success in Real Estate at NSU

Real estate trends are ever-changing. Growing populations demand new locations, new experiences, and new work styles. Tackling these complex demands requires knowledge of all facets of real estate development. If you want to be an industry leader, you need to understand the physical (design, development and construction), the financial, and the legal tenets of the industry.

Under the guiding philosophy of the Advisory Board, Nova Southeastern University’s Master of Science in Real Estate Development (M.S.R.E.D.) will prepare you to meet the challenges of the real estate market so you can grow your career or quickly start a new one. 

As an NSU student, you’ll receive hands-on experience in what it's like within the real estate development industry through personalized, real-world knowledge, such as:

  • A dedicated mentor to help you get the most from your investment
  • On-site tours of actual development projects
  • A full-immersion curriculum taught by industry professionals with in-depth knowledge gained from years of actual real estate experience
  • Exposure to current industry-standard software such as ARGUS and ArcGIS
  • Classes, in-field case studies and personal interaction with noted professionals

Upon graduating, you’ll have a portfolio to demonstrate your first-hand knowledge of the real estate industry. Through NSU's M.S.R.E.D. program, you will be prepared for mid- and senior-level responsibilities in commercial and residential development, including urban and suburban real estate development, economical and environmentally sustainable real estate development, management, investment, sales and marketing, finance, investment, banking and asset management.

Additionally, you’ll build an extensive network of professional contacts in the industry, among other students and alumni and professional networks. These contacts have proven to be of real value to NSU students and graduates in achieving their career goals.

Be prepared to succeed with an M.S.R.E.D. degree from NSU. 

"The hands-on projects and case studies provided throughout the program increased my use of real estate terminology, as well as my comfort to interact on a professional level with highly skilled industry executives."

Ben Boies, M.S.R.E.D. Alumnus

It's a very, very rewarding career. There's many different levels, all the way from being an asset manager, all the way up to being the owner or the entrepreneur. And I think NSU allows the students to come out with the ability to be productive in that career.

Terry Stiles, CEO, Stiles Corporation

Quick Facts

Curriculum

NSU’s M.S.R.E.D. program is 30 total credits to complete.

Start Dates

The M.S. in Real Estate Development program is available to start in August/Fall semester.

Delivery Options

Classes for the Master of Science in Real Estate Development program offered Saturdays, 8:00am-12:30pm and 12:30pm-4:30pm at NSU's Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus and online (synchronously). The course curriculum is available in a lock-step, executive format, designed to accommodate full-time working professionals. **Select software courses are offered asynchronously online.

Tuition

Visit the Tuition and Fees page for more information. Discounted rates are available through our employer tuition program.

Application Deadline

Fall: August 10

Scholarships

You may be eligible for a grant, scholarship or award based on any number of things that are special about you. Find out what scholarships may be available to you.

Tuition Assistance for NSU Business Programs

professionals talking around conference table

Employer Tuition Assistance Program

NSU Business partners with more than 135 local and national organizations to offer discounted employee tuition of up to 20% through our employer tuition program.
Huizenga Business Center

NSU Alumni Tuition Discount

NSU alumni are eligible for a tuition award of 20% off any graduate degree or business certificate program. Alumni also receive an application fee waiver and access to a dedicated adviser to assist throughout the admission process.

Earning Potential

Real Estate Development Manager

$87,284 Average Salary Per Year

Property Acquisitions Manager

$107,693 Average Salary Per Year

Real Estate Analyst

$57,936 Average Salary Per Year

Source: Salary.com, Payscale.com

Why Study the M.S.R.E.D. at NSU?

NSU graduates find rewarding careers in a variety of industry segments including finance, development, sales and marketing, consulting, investment and banking. Graduates find placement in firms ranging from small entrepreneurial development companies to national portfolio managers. The program strives to provide graduates with a strong combination of skills in finance and development to give them a competitive advantage. As the industry grows more complex NSU's graduates are highly valued because they can understand, analyze, value and manage existing assets as well as create opportunities for new investment.

Students and graduates are expected to seek and pursue firms with whom they wish to work. A student's career planning begins at enrollment when each entering class is placed into NSU's active alumni network and South Florida's dynamic industry organizations. Faculty members expect to assist students with making contacts, career counseling and interview preparation. Year-long professional mentorships with members of the program's Advisory Board help students by pairing them with a seasoned industry leader who will work one-on-one with them to help establish their career goals while advising and mentoring on leadership qualities.

A selected list of companies NSU M.S.R.E.D. graduates work includes: Stiles Corporation, Flagler Development, Apple, GE Capital, Sovereign Bank, Starwood Capital

Internships provide students with valuable professional experiences that prepare them to enter or advance in the industry. The program works with a diverse array of development, financial, marketing and consulting firms as well as agencies to provide paid and unpaid internship opportunities within key segments of the industry.

Representative internship sponsors include: Flagler Development Company, Continental Real Estate Company, Silver Companies, Stiles Corporation, Lauderdale Lakes CRA, South Florida Regional Planning Council, Town of Davie

NSU's Real Estate Program offers employers easy and effective recruiting tailored to suit the needs of recruiters and companies. We are able to accommodate whatever schedule meets your individual recruitment needs.

Jobs E-blast

Send us your job and we will email it to all of our students and alumni for your company. NSU encourages employers to advertise job opportunities on through the M.S.R.E.D. jobs e-blast at no cost. The Jobs E-blast provides a resource to facilitate the search process with a free job posting source that generates a talent pool of enthusiastic, knowledgeable and skilled applicants

Résumé Collection and Interviews

Provide your requirements and we will arrange to collect résumés and organize interviews of your candidates. The program offers employers the use of interview rooms with multiple cameras and recording features. Interviews may be broadcast live or recorded and uploaded for remote access and viewing. NSU's M.S.R.E.D. students are encouraged to cultivate a portfolio of their work to provide employers with an immediate understanding of their capabilities, communication skills and analytical understanding of the industry.

On Campus Recruiting

We will assist with all aspects of on-campus recruiting, from arranging interview rooms, food service for receptions, guest speaker engagements or a showcase of your company.

Internships

While many NSU students are already in a career, internships are a value added experience for many to gain additional insight into specific aspects of the industry. We will post openings and solicit students to fill professional internship requests.

"While the program addresses and exposes students to leading and emerging industry topics, it is the classmates, faculty and advisory board members involved with the M.S.R.E.D. program that truly makes it rewarding both personally and professionally. The fostering of friendships and business relationships will carry on far beyond graduation."
Kelli Nelson, M.S.R.E.D. Alumna , Centerline Homes

A significant part of NSU's program uses South Florida's dynamic market as a living urban laboratory. As a world-gateway city and international and global business center for banking, trade and investment operations from Europe, Asia and South America, the program teaches best practices and lessons learned from significant developed projects in its Field Studies component. Students view first-hand innovative projects and hear what it took their developers to accomplish the project and why - or why not - it was successful.

The Field Studies program puts students with industry leaders from finance, banking, construction, design and development, management and marketing on-site to talk about, see and understand the issues and challenges of their specializations with specific projects - from sustainable development to new products. Learning from professionals on-site enables students to clearly understand the critical aspects of making successful real estate developments. It also highlights the diversity of career opportunities and specializations as well as puts students in front of company leaders for job opportunities.

Students enter the mentorship program after completing several classes and maintaining a 3.0 average. Often after graduation mentors and mentees frequently maintain long-standing personal friendships throughout a student's professional career and serve as superior references during job searches.

Students enter the mentorship program each October and conclude the following September, often after graduation mentors and mentees frequently maintain long-standing personal friendships throughout a student's professional career and serve as superior references during job searches.

The Executive Mentorship program wields student experiences from inside and outside the classroom to professional ethical understanding of the role of real estate leaders in business and the community in which they work.

Most program mentors are drawn from NSU's Real Estate Advisory Board which comprises a diverse background in the leading segments of the industry - from residential, commercial, retail and industrial development to finance and investment, law, design and construction, to sales and marketing - for students to be mentored.

"One of the most rewarding parts of being a member of the Advisory Board has been the opportunity to meet with the students and better understand their interests and challenges as aspiring real estate professionals. Whether at a reception, field study or lecturing in the classroom, the personal involvement of local professionals in the program distinguishes the M.S.R.E.D. at Nova from many others."
Debbie Orshefsky, Advisory Board Member

Real world application of the skills and knowledge learned in class and in the field is a powerful tool. Program students are offered the opportunity to compete in the South Florida NAIOP Collegiate Challenge, a development competition that provides unique and valuable industry exposure to students in a competitive and realistic environment. The Challenge fosters team building and leadership skills in addition to providing exceptional exposure and real-world experience. The Challenge presents an actual problem facing a developer. NAIOP supplements faculty with architectural and other technical support to help the teams operate as they would in professional circumstances to arrive at solutions. Teams from other graduate real estate programs compete against each other, presenting their proposals in both professional report form and in-person to a Who's Who in South Florida panel of distinguished industry leaders. The winning school team receives the traveling NAIOP Challenge trophy. Judging is based upon problem definition, clarity of communication, analytical methods, creativity and thoroughness, as well as the Team's ability to defend their proposal with in-depth questioning.

NSU's Master of Science in Real Estate Development program immerses students into the profession using South Florida's dynamic market as a living urban laboratory. The program provides in-field studies of developed projects with their developers detailing lessons learned about what worked, what did not, and why. Throughout the degree program, industry leaders in finance, banking, construction, design and development, management and marketing meet with students in class and on-site to talk about the issues and challenges of their specializations - from sustainable "green" development to investment trends and new product opportunities. Learning from leading professionals enables students to clearly understand an industry that is at once local, but essentially the same no matter the location. It also highlights the diversity of career opportunities, specializations and companies available for possible career paths.

M.S. in Real Estate Development Curriculum

Real Estate Development (30 credits)
Credits
GIS 5867
Geographic Information Systems (GIS 5867 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5862
Real Estate Market Analysis (REE 5862 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5864
Real Estate Development Software (REE 5864 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5865
Real Estate Construction Principles (REE 5865 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5878
Real Estate Development Process: Part I (REE 5878 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5879
Real Estate Development Process: Part II (REE 5879 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5880
Real Estate Finance (REE 5880 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5881
Real Estate Law and Ethics (REE 5881 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5887
Real Estate Investments (REE 5887 / Credits: 3 )
3
REE 5895
Real Estate Financial Modeling (REE 5895 / Credits: 3 )
3

For a full list of all course descriptions, visit coursewizard.nova.edu.

Current students: Please consult your Academic Advisor for program requirements or access SharkLink for your Degree Works audit. Program requirements are subject to change, and your Academic Advisor or Degree works audit can provide you with the courses required for your catalog term.

Master This Changing World and Fulfill Your Purpose

The world is changing more rapidly than ever and it’s not kind to those who settle for ordinary. Instead of chasing the paycheck, we say do it for the payoff. People, planet, then profit. That’s the triple bottom line. Do your best. Be your best. Because that’s how to be Best for Our World.

Be an earth shaker. A risk taker. A barrier breaker. Be anything you want to be. As long as you become a Difference Maker.

About the NSU Edge

Scholarships & Awards

Success Story

Classes that we took impact the things I do today on a daily basis.

Jessica Abramson, M.S.R.E.D. Graduate, Senior Development Manager at Stiles Corporation

Each M.S. in Real Estate Development student is encouraged to be an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Parks) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Being an active member of these organizations is a powerful learning method that strengthens knowledge and skills by providing professional forums and events for student participation and networking with industry leaders locally and nationally.

The large and very active local chapters of these professional organizations provide an immediate connection to grow professionally. As members, students receive substantially discounted dues and admission to events and conferences across the state and the nation.

Industry Partners

The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship graduate enrollment office is located in the Carl DeSantis Building in Suite 1115 on NSU's Fort Lauderdale-Davie campus in Davie, Florida. Click here for a map.

Phone: (954) 262-5067 or Toll-Free: (800) 672-7223 x25067

Email: hcbeinfo@nova.edu

Schedule an Appointment

Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

 

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