Why Study Real Estate at UF?
1. Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies
UF's Real Estate degree programs and activities are supported by the Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies. Although housed in the Warrington College of Business Administration, the Bergstrom Center promotes interaction with related UF programs such as building construction, urban planning, and architecture. This multidisciplinary approach, coupled with the active involvement of industry professionals, provides a premiere educational experience for UF students.
2. Participation in the Ring Distinguished Speaker Series
The Alfred A. Ring Distinguished Speaker Series, funded via an endowment in honor of Dr. Alfred A. Ring, brings 10-12 prominent industry professionals to campus each year to speak to and interact with UF faculty and MSRE students. Industry leaders from across the country have come to Gainesville to share their insights on the trends and transactions that are shaping the real estate industry.
Alfred A. Ring Distinguished Speaker Series3. Mentoring from the Univ. of Florida (UF) Real Estate Advisory Board Members
Each of our MSRE students is paired with several professional mentors, who are current members of the UF Real Estate Advisory Board. Mentors provide students with career counseling and advice throughout their stay at UF and beyond.
4. Peer Mentoring
In addition to mentoring by the high level real estate industry leaders who populate the UF Real Estate Advisory Board, students also have the opportunity to select mentors from the "Peer Mentors" list, which is comprised of recent Alumni working in real estate who have volunteered to be responsive to students' questions about the real estate industry and job search strategies.
5. Year-long Case Studies
Nathan S. Collier MSRE students register for REE 6935: Real Estate Case Studies, each semester. This course is designed as a practicum in which the concepts, analytic methods, and tools used for making real estate valuation and investment decisions are developed and sharpened through applied cases, projects and seminars. Some cases, supplied by industry professionals, are carried forward throughout the year.
6. Membership in the UF Friends and Alumni of Real Estate (UF-FARE)
All students become members of UF-FARE association, which provides them access to more than 1,400 working professionals and program supporters with whom they can network both during the program and after graduation.
UF Friends & Alumni of Real Estate (UF-FARE)7. Assistance in Career Placement
The UF real estate faculty, Bergstrom Center staff, and UF Graduate Business Career Services work hard to help place our students in highly desirable positions upon graduation. Members of our elite UF Real Estate Advisory Board and the 1400-plus members of our Friends and Alumni of Real Estate (UF-FARE) association also provide numerous job leads and opportunities.
UF Graduate Business Career Services8. Software Training
An integral part of the training we give our MSRE students is "hands on" experience with state-of-the-art software packages including advanced real estate applications of spreadsheets, CCIM's Site to do Business (STDB) and discounted cash flow software such as ARGUS©. This training significantly enhances the ability of our graduates to make immediate contributions to their employers upon graduation.
9. Access to CoStar© Data
The Bergstrom Center has received a grant from CoStar Group, Inc., the leading provider of commercial real estate transaction data and information in the US. The grant from CoStar© provides our MSRE students with full access to CoStar's comprehensive property information, sales data and analytic tools. The use of CoStar© Data is integrated into the Real Estate Case Studies class as well as several other classes.
10. Scholarship Assistance
The Bergstrom Center has several scholarship programs that are available to our incoming MSRE students.
MSRE Scholarships11. Significant Progress toward the CCIM Designation
Because of our reciprocity relationship with the CCIM Institute, Graduates of the Nathan S. Collier MSRE program are only required to take one of the four core courses required for the prestigious CCIM Professional designation offered by the CCIM Institute. MSRE students can obtain membership (prior to acquiring the CCIM designation) for only $50. Members have access to online databases, industry publications, and networking opportunities through the organization's nationwide network.
CCIM Website12. Significant Progress toward the Appraisal Institute MAI designation
The Nathan S. Collier MSRE degree satisfies all but one course toward the MAI designation (the remaining course is Report Writing and Valuation Analysis, which is required for everyone). Students simply need to petition the Appraisal Institute and send a copy of their graduate transcript and course syllabi. The ability of the MSRE to satisfy the majority of the educational requirements for the MAI designation saves MSRE students thousands of dollars in tuition/books and hundreds of classroom hours that would be needed to earn the MAI designation without the MSRE.
Appraisal Institute Website