FAQ
Why choose the MRE degree?
The MRE degree program teaches traditional skills and knowledge required of every real estate professional while simultaneously exploring how well-designed real estate can advance beneficial spatial, social, and environmental outcomes in cities and metropolitan areas worldwide. Through a multidisciplinary curriculum of required and elective courses concluding with a two-month off-campus practicum in a private or public real estate organization to participate in an ongoing real state students learn about finance, development, design, law, economics. project and construction management, politics, leadership, ethics, negotiation, entrepreneurship, new technologies, culture, and other subjects essential to the practice of tomorrow’s real estate.
What is the length of the MRE degree?
The MRE is a 12-month degree that includes a Fall term, a Spring term including January, and a Summer term including May that concludes with a several-day return to the GSD in August.
How many courses are students required to take to receive the MRE degree?
Students are required to take 60 units of courses to graduate. A typical course in the MRE program is four units. Fall term is 20 units, Spring term is 24 units, and Summer term is 16 units.
What are the required courses for the MRE degree?
The following courses constitute the approved MRE degree curriculum. Curriculum requirements are subject to change based on ongoing assessments by the faculty.
- Real Estate Finance, Development, and Management (4 units)
- Urban Economics and Market Analysis (4 units)
- Design for Real Estate (4 units)
- Real Estate, Society, Environment (4 units)
- Project Management, Construction Management, New Technologies (4 units)
- Advanced Real Estate Finance, Development, and Management (4 units)
- Public and Private Development (4 units)
- The Development Project (4 units)
- Real Estate Law (4 units)
- Negotiation (2 units)
- Leadership, Entrepreneurship (2 units)
- Practicum (12 units) including Practicum Prep seminar in Fall and Spring terms
What is the Practicum?
The two-month off-campus summer Practicum places students in a private or public real estate organization to participate in an ongoing project that produces socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes. A tuition discount covering travel and living expenses is provided.
Is it possible to place out of a required course?
Yes. Students who demonstrate through successful completion of required course waiver examinations that they already know the course material may substitute a specially created MRE elective for the required course.
May MRE students take courses outside the GSD?
Yes. Students may cross-register in eligible courses at other Harvard schools, including the Harvard Business School, the Kennedy School, the Law School, the T. H. Chan School of Public Health, the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the College. Students may also cross-register in eligible courses offered by MIT. The ability to cross-register in a given term is dependent on the rule of the school offering the course.
May the MRE degree be part of a joint or concurrent degree program?
No. If students want to obtain another degree offered by the GSD or another Harvard school, they must do so before or after completing the MRE degree and must be accepted by that degree program.
Is the MRE program offered online?
No.
Do MRE students have an assigned faculty advisor?
Yes. All MRE students have a faculty advisor to guide them on curricular and extracurricular matters.
What extracurricular opportunities exist for MRE students?
The MRE program invites distinguished real estate practitioners from around the world to give talks and meet privately with the MRE students. The “Guest Speakers” tab lists past visitors. A student-run real estate club cosponsors with its Harvard Business and Law School counterparts an annual spring real estate conference and organizes a variety of other activities. The group Harvard Women in MRE arranges its own activities. Students may also attend public events held by the Joint Center for Housing, the Center for Green Buildings and Cities, the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability (which houses the Center for the Environment), and a host of other Harvard centers and institutes focused on different parts of the world.
Does the MRE program assist students with career guidance and information about job opportunities during their time at the GSD?
Yes. An important measure of a professional degree program’s success is a record of significant and enhanced employment for all students following graduation. The MRE program greatly benefits from Harvard’s vast network of alumni engaged in real estate practice worldwide. The GSD’s Office of Career Services provides career counseling, the Connect GSD (mentorship platform), access to the CREATE platform. The Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board organizes job talk treks to various cities and, along with the Harvard Real Estate Alumni Organization, offers direct connections to Harvard real estate alumni. Many MRE faculty members are practitioners who enjoy strong relationships with many real estate organizations.
What type of jobs can students expect after graduating?
MRE graduates are prepared to assume substantial, meaningful positions in a wide variety of real estate organizations, including the following:
- private developers
- equity investors
- asset managers
- affordable housing developers
- community development corporations
- public and quasi-public agencies
- advisory and consulting firms
- anchor institutions such as universities and medical institutions (“eds and meds”)
Some MRE graduates may choose to set off on their own entrepreneurial path. Others may decide to return to the organization prior attending the MRE program, but with opportunities for promotion and new directions based on their MRE degree.
Is the MRE a STEM-designated program?
Yes. The Master in Real Estate degree has been designated a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) degree. Thus, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation. For further information, go to the Harvard International Office’s information page.
How many students are enrolled in the MRE program?
The 2024-2025 class has 38 students, with roughly half from the United States and the rest from countries around the world. Average age is 29 and all have real estate experience.
Are there any prerequisites for admission?
Yes. Applicants must possess a bachelor’s or equivalent degree. At least two years of professional experience in real estate or related fields (urban planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, etc.) are preferred.
What is the admissions schedule for the MRE program?
Applications to the MRE program may be submitted through the GSD’s Admissions portal which normally opens in mid-September. Decisions are usually communicated to applicants in March. For additional information on admissions, please visit the Admissions webpage.
Are there “Open Houses” for the MRE program?
Yes. The MRE program hosts a virtual “Open House” in mid-Fall which faculty and students discuss the program and answer questions. Please go to the Connect to the GSD page to register for the MRE Open House.
What is the tuition for the MRE program?
MRE Program tuition for the 2024-2025 12-month academic year is $89,232, representing three terms at $29,744. For additional information on GSD tuition and fees, please visit the GSD Tuition webpage.
Does the MRE program provide financial aid?
Yes. Admission to the MRE program is “need-blind,” meaning that an applicant’s ability to pay tuition is not considered in the admissions process. If admitted, students may apply for need-based financial aid from the GSD. For additional information, please visit the Financial Aid webpage.
Is the GRE or other standardized test required as part of the application process?
No. Applicants are not required to take the GRE and other standardized test with the exception of TOEFL scores, required for international students from countries where English is not the native language. If submitted, GRE or other standardized test scores will not be considered when applications are reviewed.
Is a portfolio required or expected as part of the application?
No.
Are letters of recommendation from employers and other professionals familiar with the applicant’s abilities equally valuable as recommendations from instructors familiar with the applicant?
Yes. Applicants who have been out of school for several years may request letters from employers or other persons in a position to evaluate their professional abilities and academic potential.
Can an admitted applicant request a deferral to another year?
No. If an applicant is admitted to the program but is unable to attend, they will need to reapply in the future.