BS in Real Estate

Did you ever wonder who and how that new, exciting retail center came to be? Or how a whole new town was planned and developed or an old town revived and redeveloped? Or how social media can connect you to your neighbors? Did you know that 30% of the US economy is made up of real estate businesses? If those questions (and answers) interest you, then pursuing a real estate degree at Menlo College may be for you. Menlo College is literally at the heart of one of the most vibrant real estate regions in the US—30 miles from downtown Oakland which is undergoing a resurgence, 30 miles from San Francisco, a global city with highly desired real estate, and 30 miles from San Jose, which is the transportation hub of the Bay Area and undertaking a downtown redevelopment with Google taking a leading role. You will be introduced to Menlo alumni and faculty with many connections to the real estate industry in the Bay Area and around the country.

Students graduating with the real estate concentration go to work as commercial and residential agents and brokers, property and asset managers, facilities managers, financial analysts, public and private finance, community and commercial developers, design and construction management, due diligence and property acquisition, public engagement and entitlements, and public policy as well as corporate real estate officers. Did you know that Facebook and Google (and most large companies here in Silicon Valley and around the country) have their own in-house corporate real estate office to acquire, develop and manage the real estate that houses the company. Just think about the real estate footprint of a company like Target or WalMart or WeWork– even start-ups need real estate! However, if social issues are at the top of your mind – for example, homelessness, green buildings, traffic tie-ups, etc. – the public sector and public policy addresses all of those through real estate transactions, and often in complex public-private financing arrangements. So whether you are interested in the commercial housing, retail, office, or hospitality sectors, and whether you would like to work in the non-profit, for-profit or governmental sectors – they all do real estate.

Real Estate students complete the core curriculum in business that is taken by all business students. The core curriculum insures that all business majors have a solid understanding of the totality of the business enterprise. The Real Estate concentration then consists of upper division specialty courses in real estate principles, real estate law, real estate finance, real estate economics and electives to total 30 units. An internship is required of all Real Estate majors. The program can be completed in four years of study. Students who wish to obtain a California real estate salesperson license for commercial or residential property can access an alumni fund that subsidizes the cost of the online courses and exam preparation as well as the exam fees themselves. One or more of the Menlo courses may be used as preparation as well.

Specific learning outcomes are:

• Students can describe the basic characteristics of the real estate industry including listing of properties, valuation, sales transactions and financing options as a result of taking MGT 233- Introduction to Real Estate.
• Students understand the financial and economic environment of the real estate industry as a result of taking FIN 433 – Intermediate Real Estate Finance and ECO 316 – Urban Real Estate Economics.
• Students understand the elements of real estate law, zoning law, and real property taxation as a result of taking Law 316 – Real Estate Law.
• Students are required to undertake an internship with a local real estate company in management, sales or development.
• Students will be able to apply academic knowledge to the real estate issues of for-profit, non-profit, and governmental entities that all develop, manage and regulate the built environment.

Professors

Dima Leshchinskii, PhD

Margaret McFarland, JD, Director

The Real Estate Center @ Menlo College