MRE Curriculum Details

The following courses are either required or are specially created electives. MRE students are not obligated to take specially created electives except as a substitute for a required course in which they have passed a waiver examination. MRE students will be interested in many other electives at other Harvard schools and MIT.

fall Term (20 units) – required courses

SES-5204
Real Estate Finance, Development, and Management
Avis Devine, David Hamilton, Richard Peiser, Julie Perlman, Charles Wu
Fall 2025
Lecture
4 Units
SES-5249
Fall 2025
Lecture
4 Units
SES-5250
Fall 2025
Lecture
4 Units
SES-5495
Urban Economics and Market Analysis
Rachel Meltzer, Richard Barkham
Fall 2025
Lecture
4 Units
ADV-9850
Master in Real Estate Practicum Prep
Kristen Hunter, Frank Apeseche, Matthew J. Kiefer
Fall 2025
Discussion-based Seminar
0 Units

Fall Term – Specially created MRE Electives

Spring term (24 units) – required courses

SES-5103
Public and Private Development
Jerold S. Kayden, Rachel Weber
Spring 2026
Lecture
4 Units
SES-5251
The Development Project
Avis Devine, David Hamilton, William Fleissig
Spring 2026
Project-based Seminar
4 Units
SES-5252
Real Estate Law
Nestor M. Davidson
Spring 2026
Lecture
4 Units
ADV-9850
Master in Real Estate Practicum Prep
Kristen Hunter, Frank Apeseche, Matthew J. Kiefer
Spring 2026
Discussion-based Seminar
0 Units

spring Term – Specially created MRE Electives

Summer term (16 units) – required courses

Instructors: Frank Apeseche, David Hamilton, Kristen Hunter

The Practicum involves a two-month supervised placement of an MRE student in a United States or international private for-profit, private not-for-profit, or public real estate organization to participate in ongoing real estate projects that advance beneficial spatial, social, and environmental outcomes. Practicum placements are arranged by the MRE program and matched to the interests of each student and each Practicum partner. Students attend a Practicum Prep seminar during fall and spring terms, meet remotely from time to time during the summer with fellow students and faculty, and return to the GSD for a several-day concluding session during which they will engage in discussions and presentations and submit a final paper.

Note: The May required modules are counted as part of the Summer Term

Instructor: Mark Karlan

This course combines evolving academic theory with simulations to teach the concepts and practice of effective multi-party negotiation among developers, owners, governments, community groups, tenants, lenders, and investors.

Note: The May required modules are counted as part of the Summer Term

Instructor: Mark Karlan

This course explores how to conceive, build, and lead successful real estate organizations. Students learn how to create an initial strategy, craft and implement a business plan, manage an organizational culture, and compete in a world in which the only constant is change. The mediating role of ethical standards is emphasized throughout the course, helping students identify specific challenges in real estate settings and strategies to guard against ethical failures.