Columbia University
Columbia University is one of the world’s most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty, staff, and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the University to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.
The Columbia MSRED Program is a one-year, three- semester program that combines the fundamental skills of professional real estate with a holistic approach to urban development as a creative act.
The program is cross-disciplinary, drawing on its proximity to other modes of practice at the school, and is grounded in the three core tenets of global urban real estate development—the financial, the physical, and the social—arming students with the full range of professional and intellectual skills needed to tackle the complex demands of global urban real estate development. Many students are drawn to learning from professors who work full time in the real estate industry in New York City, creating a club around affordable housing or design-driven development, networking within their full-time cohort, setting up building tours, and mentorship by engaged and experienced alumni.
The Columbia MSRED Program was started in 1985, and you will find Columbia MSRED alumni in every area of real estate development and real estate finance.
Degree Requirements
Three consecutive semesters of full-time study (summer, fall, and spring) are required, as well as a minimum of 45 credits, though many students choose to take more. Required classes include but are not limited to: Real Estate Finance I, II, and II; Underwriting; Construction Management and Technology; Real Estate Law; Market Analysis; Development Process; Site Planning; the Architecture of Development; and a culminating project in the Capstone class.
Recent electives have included: New York Rising: How Real Estate Shapes A City, The Art Of The Development Proposal, Financing Community Change, Underwriting, Fund Management And Capital Raising, Lease Analysis And Financial Metrics, Proptech: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained, Architect And Development Dialogues, Hotel Development And Investment Analysis, Public-Private Partnerships In RED, Design By Development: Possibilities Of Form, Real Estate Valuation & Investment Analysis, Design By Development: Underwriting And Analysis, Securitized Commercial Real Estate Debt, Distressed Real Estate Investment And Asset Management, Site Designs: Deep Dives Into The Capstone Sites, Real Estate Fixed Income/Debt Products, Affordable Housing, Development And Policy, Capital Partnership Structuring With Advanced Excel Modeling, Asset Management, Transit Oriented Development, Project Management, International Real Estate Regions: Asia, International Real Estate Regions: Brazil, Tax Issues In Acquisitions And Developments, Capital Markets: Debt, Risk And Investment Management, Building Adaptation & Reuse, Real Estate Private Equity – Acquisitions Analysis, Advanced Case Studies In Real Estate Analysis, Entrepreneurship In Buying Real Estate Assets, Advanced Affordable Housing Financial Analysis, International Design And Development, Equitable Development , Getting Projects Done: The Role Of The Developer In Public Private Partnerships, Managing Family Real Estate Businesses, Condo/Single-Family Investment Analysis, and Navigating The Investment Committee
Admissions Requirements
Applications are accepted September 15–January 15 for every class, as well as dual-degree candidates. The Columbia MSRED Program has a summer start for all incoming students, and it is a cohort program.
In order to apply, please submit the online application form, the application fee, all college and university transcripts, three reference letters, a résumé or CV, a personal statement, and TOEFL scores (for some international applicants).
Annual Tuition & Fees
Information may be found at https://www.arch.columbia.edu/admissions/tuition-aid
Student Demographics
The most common backgrounds are architecture, finance, and real estate, but we’ve also had students with planning, construction management, legal, consulting, and engineering backgrounds do well in the program. We have domestic students from Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Puerto Rico and international students from Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.