We continue our proven track record of success by ensuring that you will be successful in launching or accelerating your career. We prepare you for a broad range of career paths and arm you with tools and a network of industry leaders to help meet that end. Whether your real estate interests are grounded in entrepreneurship, finance, or sustainability, our program can be tailored to meet your goals.

Our curriculum is rigorous. Our faculty are accomplished and influential. Our network is distinguished. As an MBA student, you will have access to leading industry guest speakers and adjunct professors, and participate in real-world case studies, class projects, and competitions.

Dan Ivanoff (MBA ’86, MS ’87), Managing Partner of Schnitzer West, made a generous investment to establish the new Dan & Laurie Ivanoff MBA Real Estate Development Management track. This program spans business and engineering in both academic and professional settings. We are excited to enroll our inaugural class of Real Estate Development students. Jump start your real estate career with the MBA Real Estate Development Management track. Our program fosters skill development and knowledge creation in the areas of real estate, finance, and engineering—the combination of which promotes a more robust understanding of construction management. Our curriculum is specially designed and our network of professional mentors is unlike any in the nation. We offer MBA students an experiential learning program that gives them a decided advantage when competing for highly sought-after real estate positions. We’re proud of our 90% placement rate for MBA students affiliated with the real estate program

Info Sheet

The Real Estate track in the MBA program emphasizes a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to the study of real estate. Course offerings take three paths: entrepreneurship, finance, and sustainability. In addition to the core MBA curriculum, students in the Real Estate MBA track prepare for careers in real estate through analyzing real estate opportunities from a development perspective; exploring the link between real estate and the capital markets through examining financial institutions and instruments used to finance real property; and developing of skills in real estate decision-making whereby teams design, complete, and present real estate projects in a competition forum. Our multidisciplinary approach to business and real estate education takes students beyond the walls of the Koelbel building. In addition to core business courses, MBA students are encouraged to take real estate related electives in graduate-level architecture, engineering, and law programs. Students also benefit from speaker series, case studies and class projects, and consulting opportunities.

Course Catalog

The University of Colorado Leeds School of business and the Real Estate Center all offer scholarships to real estate students. Beyond these opportunities, there are scholarships available to students outside of the university offered by various real estate organizations. Please note, the industry scholarships often require a separate application and have different eligibility standards. To learn about other scholarships available to current students, please visit here.

University of Colorado Scholarships

To apply for University of Colorado scholarships, please fill out the scholarship application found in your MYCUInfo student portal available from October 1st to February 15th.

Graduate Scholarships University of Colorado Brindley Fellowship
Award: $2,400
Application: Determined during your admission process Incoming first year MBA, real estate interest, strong academic standing

University of Colorado Harwood Scholarship
Award: $3,000
Application: Determined during your admission process Incoming first year MBA pursuing real estate

University of Colorado Real Estate Center Fellowships
Award: Usually $1,000 - $2,000 per applicant.
Application: The CU Real Estate Center will notify eligible applicants when to apply. Generally, a supplement to the other University of Colorado Fellowships. Usually given to second year MBAs.

Urban Land Institute Bruce Etkin Fellow (CU Boulder graduate real estate students)
Award: Free 2 year national membership, all-expense paid Fall and Spring meeting attendance, an assigned mentor, and sit in on a Product Council.
Application: Eligible students will be contacted by the Real Estate Center Second year MBA student in RE program. Good academic standing, strong involvement in Center and activities.The two years is for second year of grad school and first year in industry.

Industry Sponsored Scholarships

Appraisal Institute Educational Trust Graduate Scholarship
Award: $2,000
Application: See website for application Awarded on the basis of academic excellence, this scholarship helps finance the educational endeavors of graduate students concentrating in real estate appraisal, land economics, real estate or related fields.
Apply Here

International Council of Shopping Centers Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarships
Award: $10,000
Application Deadline: September 1, 2017
The ICSC Foundation offers two graduate level scholarships for students studying retail real estate or a related curriculum. The graduate scholarships were created to encourage extraordinary students to select retail real estate as their career path.

International Council of Shopping Centers Retail Real Estate Diversity Scholarship
Award: $5,000
Application: See website for application An ideal candidate is a U.S. citizen, graduate student and ICSC member who belongs to an underrepresented minority group.S/he will be enrolled in the upcoming August/September academic term at an accredited university. Applicants with 3.0 GPAs, who are full-time students or studying part-time while working, will be considered.Candidates must demonstrate a record of dedication and participation in the industry.
Apply Here

 

The Center provides a multifaceted approach to career development. We work with you from the very beginning to create a strategic plan as you move through your first year in the program, secure a summer internship, choose second-year courses, and launch your post-MBA career. During the past five years, our placement rate within 90 days of graduation has averaged 90%. 

Internships

The Center coordinates the placement of MBA interns in top real estate companies. The program is designed for first-year MBA students who have a genuine interest in a career in real estate. Internships provide students with real world experience that strengthens a student’s resume and understanding of the industry, while contributing to the bottom line of the business. In many cases, an internship is an opportunity for a company and a student to learn about each other, and in many cases leads to an employment offer upon graduation.

Mentoring

We work one-on-one with each student to connect you with a mentor from our Real Estate Council network that best aligns with your interests, expertise, and employment goals.

GREA Club

The GREA is a student-led organization that focuses on providing CU MBA students with educational, networking and service opportunities within the real estate profession. By teaming up with the CU Real Estate Center and other student-run organizations, the GREA organizes various real estate events, trips, tours, and speaker panels to provide insight into various real estate careers and topics. Contact Malcolm Craig (MBA '76) for more information about the GREA.

NAIOP Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge

Each year the Colorado Chapter of NAIOP sponsors a graduate student competition between the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Denver (DU). In the competition, the students are assigned a site in the Denver area to redevelop. Students work in teams with assistance from developers, architecture firms, urban planners, and financial professionals to design the project and conduct the economic and financial feasibility analysis. Teams within the Leeds School of Business compete against each other in the second week of April, and the winning team competes against a team representing DU the first week of May.

Urban Land Institute Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition

The Urban Land Institute's Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition is an annual competition open to graduate students pursuing real estate-related studies in North America. The urban design and development challenge is named in honor of Gerald D. Hines, a Houston developer. This is an optional competition that is not connected with a course at CU. Students typically form multidisciplinary teams; CU Real Estate Center staff and faculty offer support and guidance.

A Leeds MBA team won first prize in 2005, prevailing over 71 teams with a plan focused on minimizing the negative impacts of urban sprawl. First place carries a cash prize of $50,000. In 2012, about 700 students on 139 teams from 64 universities in the United States and Canada submitted proposals to redevelop the US Postal Service distribution facility in downtown Houston. The winning team consisted of two Leeds School of Business MBA students (Alex Atherton and Chad Murphy) and three students from the Harvard School of Design.

ARGUS University Challenge

Each year, ARGUS Software sponsors a graduate student competition that requires teams to analyze a commercial property using ARGUS-DCF® software.

The 2012 Real Estate MBA team consisted of Tyler Field, Mitch Layden, Blake Ottersberg, Jordan Swisher, and Craig Townsend. Teams from 29 universities competed in the competition.