University

The Pennsylvania State University

Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate

Program overview

The Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate major offers students a robust grounding in concepts related to real estate finance, investment, and development analysis, along with essential quantitative research methods necessary for addressing intricate challenges within the real estate industry.

Last updated: April 16, 2024

Academic Information

Degree offered

Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate

Length of program

4 years

Number of Credits Required

120 credits

Mode of learning

On Campus

Unique real estate academic features

The Business Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate major offers students a strong grounding in concepts related to real estate finance, investment, and development analysis, alongside essential quantitative research methods crucial for addressing complex challenges within the real estate industry. This program equips students with the necessary analytical tools to analyze real estate markets and effectively tackle the problems or issues they may encounter in this expanding field.

Courses and disciplines/concentrations offered

Prescribed Courses:

Socially Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Business Practice
Analyzing Business and Industry
Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy
Keystone/General Education Course
Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to Problem Solving with Spreadsheet Analysis and Information Systems Management
Supply Chain Management

Prescribed Courses:

Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
Effective Writing: Business Writing Keystone/General Education Course
Corporation Finance
Basic Management Concepts
Principles of Marketing
Real Estate Risk Analysis
Contemporary Issues in Real Estate Markets
Real Estate Financial Analysis
Real Estate and Capital Markets
Quantitative Analysis for Business

Additional Courses:

Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
Real Estate Law
Techniques of Calculus I Keystone/General Education Course
or Calculus With Analytic Geometry I Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to Statistics for Business Keystone/General Education Course
or Elementary Statistics Keystone/General Education Course

Selection:

Rhetoric and Composition Keystone/General Education Course
Honors Rhetoric and Composition Keystone/General Education Course
ESL Composition for American Academic Communication II Keystone/General Education Course
Rhetoric and Civic Life I Keystone/General Education Course

Recruiting

General info on roles students fill after graduation

Commercial Brokerage
Consulting
Office Leasing
Complex Valuation and Counseling
Mortgage and Construction Lending
Property Management
Acquisitions and Real Estate Analyst
Development and Construction Management

Average salary post graduation

$57,875

The Port Authority of NY & NJ
Tishman Speyer

Common employers

Bloomberg
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
PNC Real Estate

Faculty and Research

Faculty & Staff for the Program

See full list here.

Distinguished real estate faculty members or research areas

Mallory Meehan

Associate Clinical Professor of Real Estate, Assistant Director of Institute for Real Estate Studies

Brent W. Ambrose

Professor of Real Estate, Program Director, Director of Ph.D. Program, Director of Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies

Eva Maria Steiner

Professor of Real Estate, Associate Director of Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies

Mention any recent real estate research achievements or ongoing projects

Ambrose, B. W., Chen, Y., & Simin, T. T. (2021). Firm location and the Value-Growth premium. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3861819
Fisher, G. S., Steiner, E., Titman, S., & Viswanathan, A. (2021). Location Density, Systematic Risk, and Cap Rates: Evidence from REITs. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3864236
Ambrose, B. W., An, X., & Lopez, L. A. (2021). Eviction risk of rental housing: Does it matter how your landlord finances the property? In Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.21799/frbp.wp.2021.05

Alumni Support

Successful real estate alumni

Justin Pelsinger

Partner & Chief Operating Officer-Charney Companies

Larry Colorito

Senior Managing Director, Valbridge Property Advisors | Axial Advisory Group, LLC

Real estate alumni networks and associations

Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies (IRES)
Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board

Accreditations and Rankings

Awards or recognition

Penn State Smeal Team Won 2nd Place in Villanova Real Estate Challenge. Four Penn State Smeal College of Business undergraduate students won second place after competing with 16 teams earlier this month at the seventh annual Villanova Real Estate Challenge.

Financial Information

Tuition fees

Res. 20,806
Non Res. 40,016

Financial aid

Available.

Scholarships

Available.

General information

Where is the program housed on campus?

355 Business Building, University Park PA 16802 USA

State of the art Facilities

The Business Building has been recognized as one of the most beautiful business school facilities in the world. Dedicated in 2005, this 210,000-square-foot building was designed by renowned Robert A.M. Stern Architects.