MRED Curriculum
The Dollinger MRED program requires the completion of 40 units, comprised of 10 core courses (30 units) and 10 units of electives. Classes combine lectures, projects, case studies, site visits, and design studios providing students experience across all facets of a real estate professional’s tasks and challenges. In addition, all students complete a comprehensive exam as the capstone requirement.
» Core Courses
» Electives
» Comprehensive Exam
Core Courses
The following core courses comprise 30 units, which must be completed by all Dollinger MRED students.
RED 509 Market Analysis for Real Estate – 4 units
Fundamental economic theories, analytical techniques, as well as practical applications for market analysis of various forms of real estate. Project underwriting skills expanded while emphasizing the role of market research in determining proforma assumptions that inform financial analysis.
RED 542 Finance of Real Estate Development – 4 units
Prepare students to think critically and creatively about the essentials of real estate finance. The tools of analysis are most successfully applied when they are both technically and intuitively understood. That is, the ability to build models as well as understand what to include in them are related but distinct skills.
RED 544 Real Estate Capital Markets – 2 units
The structure, instruments, and institutions of real estate capital markets. Linkages between real estate and general capital markets; major features of both residential and non-residential primary and secondary mortgage markets. Public sources of real estate equity finance, including real estate investment trusts (REITs).
RED 546 Applications of Real Estate Finance to Problems of Development – 4 units
Facilitate mastery of the core skills required of real estate professionals – the ability to think critically about financial valuation. Use of case studies to underwrite acquisition, development, and financing of investment real estate.
RED 547 Project Management and Construction – 2 units
Project management within the context of real estate development from concept through completion. Review of construction technologies within the framework of architectural design and engineering as well as construction means, methods and systems.
RED 551 The Approval Process – 4 units
Project entitlement process, its land use component elements and associated developer fees, exactions and other infrastructure finance sources. Examination of a variety of ethical situations ranging from insider trading to corporate conscience issues and specific negotiation techniques and strategies.
RED 562 Legal Issues in Real Estate Development – 4 units
Legal subjects and issues that the real estate industry addresses on a daily basis. History of law, constitutional principles, real property law, contract law, land use law and taxation, purchase and sale transactions, project documents, title insurance, the leasing transaction, and litigation-related issues.
RED 574 Building Typologies – 2 units
Survey of five principal building types: single and multi-family housing, retail, industrial, mixed use, and office. Examination of the relationship between good design and good business in real estate to determine how architectural quality contributes to the success of a project.
RED 575 Community Design and Site Planning – 4 units
Assessing a site for development potential; understanding factors that define a site’s particular character. Understanding effect of zoning and jurisdictional standards. Preparing site plans for commercial, retail, residential, and mixed-use projects of various densities.
RED 598 Real Estate Product Type Development – 2 units
A series of courses focusing on various real estate product types. Students must complete at least one RED 598 class as part of the core requirements. Students may take additional product type classes as electives for a maximum of 12 units. Specific RED 598 offerings are:
- Affordable Housing – 2 units
- Mixed-Use Development – 2 units
- Multifamily Housing – 2 units
- Office and Industrial – 2 units
- Retail D– 2 units
- Hotel and Resort – 2 units
- Urban Infill – 2 units
Electives
A total of 12 units of elective coursework is available to Dollinger MRED students. Classes may be selected from within the MRED program or from other relevant courses in academic units across USC.
RED Electives
RED 545 Advanced Financial Modeling – 2 units
Provide students with a competitive edge through training in efficient quantitative problem solving. Focus is on computerized modeling as an integral tool in decision making and deal structuring.
RED 563 Introduction to the Asset Management of Real Estate – 2 units
Basics surrounding the structure and function of real estate asset management and how value is created for the owner and operator of real estate assets. Understanding of investment strategy through the ownership cycle, from the acquisition phase, through the leasing and disposition phase.
RED 585 Comparative International Development Workshop – 2 units
Study and analysis of the business environment and opportunities as well as the risks of real estate investment and development in international markets. Course includes a 10-day site visit to an international setting with site visits and meetings with real estate professionals abroad. Previous destinations include China, England, Germany, Japan, and Korea.
RED 598 Real Estate Product Development – 2 units
Evaluation of various real estate development product types. Individual classes include: Affordable Housing; Mixed-Use Development; Multifamily Housing; Office and Industrial; Retail; Hotel and Resort; and Urban Infill.
Comprehensive Exam
The capstone component of the Dollinger MRED is the comprehensive exam. Through this one-week exercise students bring together the wide range of skills developed throughout the program. The exam question is project-oriented and emphasizes the analysis and solution of a real-world development case. Based on information provided about a particular site, students prepare a financial feasibility study, a design site plan, and address strategic scenarios. The student’s end product is comparable to a response for a Request for Proposal (RFP) used in real estate practice.