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University of Southern California

MRED Admission

MRED Prerequisites

Prior to enrolling in the Dollinger Master of Real Estate Development program, students are expected to have satisfied various academic and experiential prerequisites. Applicants are expected to address their preparation in these areas in the personal statement of their admission application.

» Professional Experience
» Academic Prerequisites
» Excel Spreadsheet Software
» Recommended Readings

Professional Experience

MRED applicants are required to have a minimum of two years full-time work experience following completion of the bachelor’s degree. Experience must be in commercial real estate or a closely related field. Students who have worked directly with real estate assets – such as development, acquisitions and asset management, construction, architecture, city planning, commercial real estate finance, commercial real estate brokerage, or real estate law – are best-prepared for the Dollinger MRED program.

Academic Prerequisites

MRED applicants are expected to have preparatory coursework and/or training in general business finance, accounting, and economics prior to enrollment at USC. Some applicants have already completed such classes as part of their bachelor’s or master’s degree. Applicants in need of this training should consider university extension programs, community colleges, or specialized online education as possible sources for this instruction. Applicants are expected to address their preparation in the written statement with the application for admission.

Excel Spreadsheet Software

Students are expected to work comfortably with Excel, knowing how to:

  • Create a basic cash flow statement
  • Format rows, columns, and numbers
  • Calculate PV, NPV, PMT, and IRR
  • Create conditional formulas using “if” statements

As students prepare for the Dollinger MRED our faculty has suggested a short list of readings.

In this section: