Master of Real Estate Development and Design

The development of urban real estate is one of the most powerful forces shaping our buildings, cities, and metropolitan regions. From finance to design, the choices we make about what to build, where to build, and how to build influence urban sustainability, equity, and resilience today and for years to come.

Our rapidly urbanizing world faces major challenges, ranging from climate change to social inequality. We need real estate professionals who have a deep knowledge of how development can bring positive benefits to society and the environment, and who understand the power of design to make cities efficient, livable, distinctive, and valued.

The Nancy and Douglas Abbey Master of Real Estate Development Design (Abbey MREDD) is an interdisciplinary degree program that prepares real estate development professionals to build sustainable, equitable, and prosperous cities.

The curriculum covers the fundamentals that real estate developers need to know real estate finance, real estate economics and market analysis, land use law and approvals, project feasibility analysis, and the details of the urban development process but we include design in the degree's name for a reason. The Abbey MREDD program goes beyond tradition, linking real estate to the world of design based on two convictions: One is that successful real estate development requires excellence in urban design, planning, and sustainability. The other is that design thinking the iterative process of problem finding, prototyping solutions, and iterative critique is fundamental to producing the most valued and valuable real estate projects. With a strong understanding of how good design adds value to development projects, our graduates emerge with the tools and mindset to use real estate development to solve the grand challenges of our time and positively impact communities in which they build.

The following minimum requirements apply to all graduate programs and will be verified by the Graduate Division:

A bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution,
A grade point average of B or better (3.0),
If the applicant comes from a country or political entity (e.g., Quebec) where English is not the official language, adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the iBT test, 570 on the paper-and-pencil test, or an IELTS Band score of at least 7 on a 9-point scale (note that individual programs may set higher levels for any of these), and
Sufficient undergraduate training to do graduate work in the given field. Transcripts: Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts with your application for the departmental initial review. If the applicant is admitted, then official transcripts of all college-level work will be required, Letters of recommendation: Applicants may request online letters of recommendation through the online application system. Hard copies of recommendation letters must be sent directly to the program, not the Graduate Division.