Program Description
Clemson University’s Master of Real Estate Development program is a full-time, 56-credit, professional degree program that can be completed in either 18-months for Entry Level Early Career Students or 12-months for Experienced Development Professionals. Experienced Development Professionals have the opportunity to exempt up to 15 credits through an interview, transfer courses, and portfolio documentation, which must be approved prior to admittance. The MRED Program is jointly offered by the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and the College of Business, and is administered by the Department of City Planning and Real Estate Development. Required courses are drawn from six disciplines: MBA/finance, law, architecture, construction science and management, city and regional planning, and real estate development.
A ten-day South Carolina Coastal Real Estate Development Field Tour is required in mid-May for 18-month students. Students study developments in Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Savannah, GA, prior to the required ten-week supervised professional summer internship. Other regional field trips occur in Charlotte, Atlanta and nearby areas. The trip is optional at an additional cost for 12-month students.
The program creates the educational opportunity for future development entrepreneurs to produce exciting, quality projects respecting environmental and economic sustainability, social consciousness, design excellence and financial feasibility within the risk-reward framework. The development industry is complex and requires leaders trained from diverse disciplinary perspectives. The program primarily follows the principles of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), which acknowledges that development is a public private partnership and that quality development requires integrating the perspectives of community, environment and economics.
The program is located in the premier mixed-use office building in award-winning downtown Greenville, SC, the hub of a vibrant 1.4 million population metro area. Some MRED students may work part-time during the academic year at paid internships with local real estate entities. Positions typically require interns to have transportation throughout the metro area (up to a 60-mile radius). The program requires a 10-week summer internship with a real estate business anywhere in the world.
The program seeks an interdisciplinary student body that is entrepreneurial yet team-oriented. No specific bachelor’s degree is required. Work experience is not required, although it is preferred.
Founded in 2004, the program is open to qualified students from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds, with approximately 28% having design and construction related undergraduate degrees, 47% business and finance related, and 25% social science or other related degrees.
Instructors are skilled professionals and academics bringing real world expertise to the classroom. Students are actively engaged with the real estate community, especially through ULI and ICSC including annual trips to Atlanta, Charlotte, the Carolina Coast, and the Fall ULI Conference in Tier One markets.
The program focuses on the “master builder” concept, the methodology promoting an entire vision for a community through sustainable design, creative financing, place-making and healthy communities. Graduates are prepared to be visionaries who serve as craftspersons and designers of neighborhoods and community development, those who recognize the role of the developer in guiding the different aspects of creating the built environment, within political, economic, physical, environmental, legal and sociological parameters.
We want our students to be great Place Makers, not just builders of projects. The Future is Developing!
Admission Requirements and Application Process
The MRED Program welcomes applications from those students who want to further their knowledge in the real estate development industry. Priority for admission is given to applicants who apply by January 15. Applications are reviewed on a rolling admissions basis after the deadline through early June until spaces are full. Students begin the program in the second summer semester in late June with two asynchronous online classes, if not exempt, and begin face-to-face, on-site classes in downtown Greenville for the fall semester.
In addition to the online application for graduate admission to Clemson University, additional application requirements include: a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; official college or university transcripts; official GRE/GMAT scores; official TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores (international students); three letters of recommendation; a personal statement; and an updated resume. Portfolio requirements for those desiring admittance to the Experienced Professional 12-month sequence are identified on the website. All supporting documentation should be uploaded with the official graduate application for admission. An on-campus visit in Greenville is recommended, but not required for admission.
For additional information about the program and the admissions process, please visit www.clemson.edu/mred.
Note:
1 MBA 8360 , RED 8020 , RED 8110 , RED 8130 , and RED 8890 may be exempted by the MRED admissions committee for the 12-month Experienced Development Professional sequence based on prior undergraduate or professional training. The admissions committee will review documentation provided by the candidate for admission. Other courses may be considered, although 41 minimum credits of classes are required to be taken for a total of 56 credits. For details on Criteria for Admittance for Experienced Development Professionals, please view www.clemson.edu/caah/departments/real-estate development/programs/curriculum/criteria.html.
2 Elective courses vary by semester and include RED 8160 - Preservation Feasibility for Real Estate Professionals , and RED 8170 - Mixed-Use Development Seminar .
The Master of Real Estate Development Program, jointly administered by the College of Business and the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, creates the educational opportunity for encouraging future development entrepreneurs to produce exciting, quality projects respecting environmental sustainability, social consciousness, design excellence and financial feasibility within the risk-reward framework.
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