Real Estate

The Real Estate Masters Programme is a Master of Studies (MSt) course offered by The Department of Land Economy drawing on the multi-disciplinary strength of the Department and the University. It is aimed at experienced professionals and those identified as future leaders in the real estate industry and combines academic rigour with significant industry input.

This is a two-year part-time Master's course designed for those who have several years of professional experience in real estate or associated business, have attained a leadership role, are identified as a potential leader or are seeking to take up a leadership role. The format permits students to continue with their professional career whilst studying. The course will enhance students’ technical skills and develop a range of other skills to enable them to be agents of change in the real estate industry and beyond.

Aims of the programme

• To enable students to build their knowledge across a range of disciplines around real estate including finance, investment, economics, environmental policy, planning and law.
• To enable students to build on previous study and work experience across real estate and related disciplines.
• To equip students to take leadership positions in the industry and develop their understanding of key skills in management, innovation, strategy, negotiation, partnering and risk management.
• To provide opportunities to learn from colleagues from different cultures, work backgrounds and with experience from different countries with different social, economic and legal systems.
• To provide students with the skills to manage information and resources effectively and to be able to manage their own research.
• To build a passion for research and strategic thinking.

The programme aims to ensure that students have a solid understanding of the end-to-end processes in real estate investment and finance whilst promoting innovation in real estate through highlighting some of the trends influencing the industry and the opportunities that this will bring. The course breadth is reflected in the topics it addresses, from looking at the high-level drivers of capital flows in real estate and changes in the urban environment, through to asset management of individual buildings and optimising their performance

The course has a number of themes running through it that reflect some of the key trends shaping the industry:

• The interaction between the economy and real estate markets
• Globalisation and its influence on the market
• Risk management and mitigation
• The impact of technological change on real estate
• Sustainable buildings and cities

The programme is of a modular design and delivered through a combination of distance learning, with course materials, in various mediums, released through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and attendance at five intensive residential blocks in Cambridge (3 x 2 weeks and 2 x 1 week), over the two years.

The course is taught through a combination of:

• Taught sessions by academics and practitioners
• Individual work including: working through course materials on the VLE, course reading, preparation of written work (primarily between the residential sessions).
• Group work including: working through case studies, dialogue, debate and presentations throughout the taught modules.
• Supervisions and support from the Land Economy faculty, tutors and supervisors from within the university.

Residential sessions focus on taught sessions, practical applications, case studies and collaborative working, including presentation of project work and case studies, as well as individual supervisions. The residential sessions enable students to learn from one another as well as from the academic faculty staff and external speakers.

Support and facilitation for students is provided by team of faculty, tutors and supervisors from within the University.

Contact time

• Lectures: c.160 hours of lectures over the two-year course*
• Seminars and classes: 20 hours of managed discussions, debates and group exercises/workshops (in addition to those included in the lecture hours) over the two-year course
• Practicals: 8 site and property visits over the two-year course, equating to c.40 hrs
• Supervision: up to 7 hours per year

* The number of hours may vary slightly as the course is constantly evolving in order to meet developments in the sector and in response to student and industry feedback. The lectures are intended to be interactive discussions with the lecturer.

Assessment

Thesis

• Dissertation: 12,000 words maximum (including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography), to be completed during the second year of the course.

Essays, projects and written papers

• Three short case study assessment exercises, each of 2,500 words maximum.
• Three essays, each of 3,000 words maximum.

Practical

• There is no formal summative assessment of students practical work throughout the course but students will receive formative feedback on presentation of projects and case studies.

Other

• Full and active participation in all elements of the course is compulsory.

Feedback

Students receive regular feedback throughout the course, formal and informal, individual and group, during face to face supervisions and through written exchanges with their supervisors and the Director of Studies.

First year tutors/supervisors complete an annual progress report at the end of Year 1. Dissertation supervisors provide termly reports in Year 2. Students are also given feedback on presentation of their projects and case studies during the residential sessions.

Expected academic standard

Applicants should normally have a relevant UK first or good upper second class honours degree or overseas equivalent. In addition, students joining the MSt course will typically have experience* expected to be of a minimum of three years and, in some cases, a professional qualification in the discipline. They are therefore deemed to have achieved an acceptable level of knowledge and skills in order to meet entry requirements for the course.

Those applicants who do not meet the standard entry criteria, but have alternative qualifications or experience and have the potential to bring valuable assets to the programme, will be evaluated on an individual basis and may be required to provide further materials in support of their application. As applicants are expected to have experience and successful track records in industry, consideration may be given to candidates on the strength of their vocational experience, in lieu of the normal standard entry requirements.

* At least three years of professional experience in a relevant industry: in finance, investment, real estate and the more general built environment professions.

Language requirement

• IELTS Academic: Overall score of 7.5 (a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
• TOEFL Internet: Overall score of 110 (a minimum of 25 in each individual component)

Supporting documents

• References
• Transcripts 
• Research Section 
• Curriculum Vitae. You will be required to submit your CV on application. This should demonstrate at least three years’ experience in a relevant industry: in finance, investment, real estate and the more general built environment professions.
• Professional Qualifications. You should include details of any relevant professional qualifications or memberships in support of your application under the ‘Professional Qualifications’ section of the application form. You will also need to provide documentary evidence, stating the date the qualification or membership was obtained.
• Personal Statement. An separate personal statement is not required but you should ensure that you have included all information in support of your application under the ‘Other Information’ section of the application form. 
• Letter of Support from your Employer. If a student will be in employment during his/her studies, a letter from the student's employer is required stating that they support the application and understand/accept that in undertaking the course some time away from work to attend the residential sessions will be required.

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