Master of Real Estate Development Program Ranked 62 Internationally

Auburn University’s Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program turns developers into savvy business professionals. It’s no wonder Auburn was ranked No. 62 internationally among peer real estate management schools—and third nationally among MRED-specific programs—by the web site Eduniversal when its Top 100 rankings were released on Dec. 24, 2014.

Eduniversal based its rankings on such factors as name recognition, graduates’ salaries, and student satisfaction.

In its fourth year, Auburn’s MRED program is a collaborative effort between the College of Architecture, Design and Construction and the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. It is offered to real estate developers and executives with a minimum of three years of professional experience and an undergraduate degree in a related field.

“I have consistently been impressed by the praise that we hear from MRED students and grads concerning several aspects of the program, says Karen Rogers, CADC Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. “They tell us that the program is unique in the way that it combines design and business know-how to provide them with the tools that they need to be successful and effective practitioners in real estate development. The MRED students are also very positive about field studies and innovative projects in cities throughout the U.S. and the world. They enjoy the feeling of community that develops between the student groups and the faculty, and many of them have formed connections and bonds during the program that have been a crucial element in the progress they make in their careers after graduation. It’s a great program, one of a kind.”

Michael Robinson, MRED Chair and Hugh Daniel Professor of Real Estate Development, noted the program is the only executive degree-granting program of its kind in the nation.

“There are pure distance education programs in real estate development and there are evening courses for real estate professionals in a few major, urban areas, but we are unique in our educational delivery model,” he said. “The program allows the student to work full-time while they enrolled in the curriculum. Many of the things they learn in residencies and on field trips can be applied in real-time—during the next day or next weeks in their current practices.”

The two-year, six-semester program involves 10 courses: Principles of Real Estate Development, Real Property Analysis, Real Estate Market Analysis, Building Design, and Construction Principles, Site Planning and Infrastructure Development, Real Estate Investment Analysis, Real Estate Project Management, Contract Negotiations, Real Estate Securitization, Real Estate Development Law.

“It completely changed my perspective of real estate development,” said Hobie Orton, a 2013 Auburn MRED graduate who is Project Manager for Commercial and Residential Development for Biltmore Farms, LLC, in Asheville, N.C. “Even with having a diverse background and experience in real estate development, I found I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in areas I do and do not practice every day. This knowledge resulted in immediate positive impacts on my current projects and will certainly affect every deal in the future.”