Graduate Degrees, page 3
School of Urban and Regional Planning
Master of Real Estate Development
The Master of Real Estate Development program is a carefully integrated program that brings together the three main elements of real estate development: design, finance and public policy. It is a full-time, one year program of study designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills they require to compete successfully in the development industry. The curriculum encompasses eight areas of study with which developers must be conversant, including real estate law, economics, finance, marketing, negotiation, planning, architecture and engineering. Courses are taught by full-time faculty members from the School of Urban and Regional Planning. In addition, practicing developers, lawyers, planners and other professionals make regular contributions to the course of study, helping students link learning to practice.
Curriculum Requirements
The program of graduate study for the professional degree requires successful completion of the core curriculum (36 units), one elective course (4 units) and a comprehensive examination. Students must complete a total of 40 units.
Core Curriculum
The core comprises nine lecture-seminar courses that combine lectures, projects, case analyses, and exercises which allow students to experience all facets of the developer's tasks and problems. The integrative project, RED 675L, provides problem solving exercises and the evaluation of actual development situations. Courses emphasize various design, regulatory and fiscal problems associated with urban development and the developer's role in improving development standards in the industry.
| Core courses | Units |
| RED 500 | Real Estate Development and the Economy | 2 |
| RED 509 | Market Analysis for Real Estate Development | 4 |
| RED 542 | Finance of Real Estate Development | 4 |
| RED 546 | Development Processes | 4 |
| RED 547 | Project Management and Construction Technology | 2 |
| RED 551 | The Approval Process | 4 |
| RED 662 | Legal Issues in Real Estate Development | 4 |
| RED 673 | Design History and Criticism | 2 |
| RED 674 | Building Typologies | 2 |
| RED 675L | Community Design and Site Planning, or |
| RED 585L | International Development Workshop | 4 |
Eight units of elective course work are required for the Master of Real Estate Development. These courses may be taken in the Schools of Planning, Architecture, and Business Administration, the Law Center, and the Department of Civil Engineering. Admission to some classes requires advanced prerequisites and is subject to availability and approval of the instructor.
Comprehensive Examination
Successful completion of a comprehensive written and oral examination is required of all students seeking the Master of Real Estate Development degree. The examination explicitly covers the core courses. It is normally administered late in the spring semester and is administered by faculty committees appointed by the dean. Students who fail the examination once may take it again within one year. The examination may not be repeated more than once.
General Requirements
Residence and Course Load
The Master of Real Estate Development may be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis. Both options begin in the summer semester in July. The full-time program requires 10 months of study. Students will enroll in eight units in the summer semester and 16 units in the fall and spring. The part-time option is completed over a two-year period. Students will enroll in four units in the summer semester and eight units in the fall and spring semesters. Students are also expected to participate fully in all extracurricular activities associated with the Master of Real Estate Development program, including the weekly speaker series and site visits.
Students who wish a leave of absence for a semester or longer must request it from the dean in writing; such leaves may be granted for up to one year.
Time Limits
The time limit within which students in the program must complete the requirements for the Master of Real Estate Development is governed by the following regulations:
All requirements for the Master of Real Estate Development must be completed within five calendar years from the first course at USC applied toward the degree. University regulations prohibit the acceptance of credits for courses taken toward a Master of Real Estate Development degree more than seven years after the date they were successfully completed.
Grade Point Average Requirement
While enrolled in the program, a student must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 for all courses taken toward the degree.
Probation and Disqualification
Any student with a cumulative grade point average of below 3.0 for all courses taken in the program will be placed on academic probation. A student may be disqualified to continue toward a graduate degree if the student has been on academic probation for two consecutive semesters. Whether or not on academic probation or warning, a student may be disqualified at any time from continuing in the program if the dean of the school, after consultation with the faculty, determines that the student is deficient in academic achievement or in another qualification required for the attainment of the Master of Real Estate Development degree.
Course Exemptions and Transfer of Credits
Courses taken toward other degree programs, if determined by the dean to be equivalent to courses in the curriculum, may be accepted for subject credit only. All students are required to complete 40 units while enrolled in the Master of Real Estate Development program. Course work taken prior to admission will not be retroactively applied toward the degree; students will be granted subject credit. The acceptance of previous course work for subject credit will enable the student to take additional elective courses.
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
David Henriquez
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu