Georgia Tech Now Offering Master Degree in Real Estate Development

Real Estate Development Program Director Rick Porter, left, and School of Building Construction Chair Daniel Castro, right.

Update: The deadline  to apply for the Georgia Tech Master of Real Estate Development program has been extended until July 1st.

The College of Design announces its newest multidisciplinary degree, the Master of Real Estate Development.

This program will bring together construction, city planning, architecture, finance, law, and engineering — the cornerstones of real estate development — into one forward-looking graduate degree.

This graduate degree is offered by the School of Building Construction, integrating classes from the schools of Architecture, Building Construction, and City & Regional Planning, to reflect the real-world process that produces built environments.

Classes will begin the Fall semester of 2017, and the deadline for applications is July 1, 2017.

Creating the next big city requires even bigger ideas

As more and more people move to and stay in cities around the world, metropolitan areas are increasingly concentrated, said Rick Porter, Real Estate Development program director and School of Building Construction professor of practice.

Availability of land and development financing in newly dense cities has transformed and expanded the entrepreneurial industry of real estate development. Addressing these needs at Georgia Tech is the next logical step, Porter said.

Georgia Tech plays a major role in the Southeast’s innovation ecosystem. Our top-ranked incubation and accelerator programstransfer knowledge and new technologies from labs to the marketplace. Our students learn to blend business acumen with entrepreneurial confidence.

Real Estate Development students will also benefit from the living example of our urban Atlanta campus, which is thriving after decades of innovative design, construction, and industry collaboration. Being located in the center of one of the most dynamic real estate development centers in the country is a major strength of the program.

Setting a new standard

“The Master of Real Estate Development is the first degree on campus that recognizes that developers, planners, architects, engineers, construction managers, and owners must collaborate to produce high-quality projects that bring tangible and lasting benefits to the community,” said School of Building Construction Chair, Daniel Castro.

As part of the College of Design, the School of Building Construction is naturally situated in an environment that fosters interdisciplinary education, advanced technologies, cutting-edge research, and a commitment to sustainability. The Real Estate Development program will ensure that graduates understand the entire development process, from design, to innovative construction, to land-use regulations, finance, and management.

By offering this comprehensive approach, Georgia Tech joins a selective group of universities (including MIT, Columbia, the University of Southern California, and Arizona State) to offer a graduate degree in real estate development.

“Here at Georgia Tech, we have the capacity to build a program that will not only produce future industry leaders but will set the standard of an integrated approach that addresses all aspects of the development process,” said Steven P. French, the Dean and John Portman Chair of the College of Design.

“Industry leaders tell us that graduates with a comprehensive understanding of the development process are exactly what is needed in the real estate industry today.”

The Council commends Council Board Member Rick Porter, President of Richport Properties, and the faculty of Georgia Tech for their tireless efforts on this accomplishment, and looks forward to helping ensure the program is a success.