Why Study Real Estate at UF?
1. Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies
UF's Real Estate degree programs and activities are supported by the Bergstrom Center for Real State Studies. Although housed in the Warrington College of Business Administration, the Bergstrom Center promotes interaction with related programs such as building construction, urban planning, and architecture. This multidisciplinary approach, coupled with the active investment of industry professionals, provides a premiere educational experience for UF students.
2. Participation in the Ring Distinguished Speaker Series
The Alfred A. Ring Distinguished Speaker Series, funded via an endowment in honor of Dr. Alfred A. Ring, brings 10-12 prominent industry professionals to speak to and interact with UF faculty and students. Industry leaders from across the country have come to Gainesville to share their insights on the trends and transactions that are shaping the real estate industry.
Alfred A. Ring Distinguished Speaker Series3. Mentoring from the Bergstrom Center Board Members
Each of our graduate real estate students is paired with several professional mentors, who are current members of the Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies' Real Estate Advisory Board. Mentors provide students with career counseling and advice throughout their stay at UF and beyond.
4. Peer Mentoring
In addition to mentoring by the industry leaders who populate CRES' Real Estate Advisory Board, students also have the opportunity to select mentors from the "Peer Mentors" list, which is comprised of recent Alumni working in real estate who have volunteered to be responsive to students' questions about the real estate industry and job search strategies.
5. Year-long Case Studies
Nathan S. Collier MSRE students register for REE 6935: Real Estate Case Studies, each semester. This course is assigned as a practicum in which the concepts, analytic methods, and tools used for making real estate valuation and investment decisions are developed and sharpened through applied cases, projects and seminars. Some cases, supplied by industry professionals, are carried forward throughout the year.
6. Membership in UF - FARE
All students become members of UF's Friends and Alumni of Real Estate (UF-FARE) association, which provides them access to more than 1200 working professionals and program supporters with whom they can network both during the program and after graduation.
Friends & Alumni of Real Estate7. Assistance in Career Placement
The real estate faculty, Bergstrom Center staff, and Graduate Business Career Services work hard to help place our students in highly desirable positions upon graduation. Members of our elite Real Estate Advisory Board and the 1200-plus members of our Friends and Alumni of Real Estate (UF-FARE) association also provide numerous job leads and opportunities.
Graduate Business Career Services8. Software Training
An integral part of the training we give our Graduate students is "hands on" experience with state-of-the-art software packages including the use of geographic information systems (GIS) software, advanced real estate applications of spreadsheets, including Monte Carlo simulation, and discounted cash flow software such as ARGUS©. This training significantly enhances the ability of our graduates to make immediate contributions to their employers upon graduation.
9. ARGUS Training
ARGUS is the real estate industry standard in software packages for performing discounted cash flow analyses and valuations of multi-tenanted properties. Proficiency in ARGUS is a skilled highly valued by many employers. We have recently teamed up with ACG Professionals, Inc., a leading provider of ARGUS training to the real estate industry, to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with advanced training in ARGUS. The total number of instruction hours in the training and certification program is approximately 50. At the conclusion of this 50-hour curriculum, students are given the option of taking a five-part certification test administered by ACG. Students who successfully pass the certification exam will be awarded the designation of Level I Certified Argus Analyst by ACG.
10. Access to CoStar© Data
The Bergstrom Center has received a grant from CoStar Group, Inc., the leading provider of commercial real estate data and information in the US. The grant from CoStar provides our Real Estate students with full access to CoStar's comprehensive property information, sales data and analytic tools. The use of CoStar Data is integrated into the Case Studies class as well as several other classes.
11. Scholarship Assistance
The Bergstrom Center has several scholarship programs that are available to our incoming students.
More About Scholarship Programs12. Significant Progress toward the CCIM Designation
Because of our reciprocity relations aid with CCIM Institute, Graduates of the Nathan S. Collier MSRE program are only required to take one of the four core courses required for the prestigious CCIM designation offered by the CCIM Institute. MSRE students can obtain membership (prior to acquiring the CCIM designation) for only $50. Members have access to online databases, industry publications, and networking opportunities through the organization's nationwide network.
To complete the CCIM designation, MSRE students must:
1. Complete the CCIM University of Florida Fast Track Application
2. Take CI103 User Decision Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate
3. Pay annual fees ($450)
4. Prepare portfolio of qualifying experience
5. Take Comprehensive Exam
More information on the CCIM Institute and designation can be found on the CCIM website.
13. Satisfaction of Florida Licensing Requirements
The Nathan S. Collier MSRE degree satisfies the prelicense and postlicense educational requirements for both the Florida salesperson and Florida broker license.
If you are interested in applying for the Florida Real Estate Sales License you should send your official transcript along with a letter of intent (after graduation, and be sure to include your contact information) to the address below.
Div. of Real Estate - State of FL Dept. of Bus. and Prof. Regulation
Ms. Jo Ellen Peacock, Education Coordinator
400 West Robinson Street, Suite N801
Orlando, FL 32801
Fax: 407-317-7245
Tel: 407-317-7139
Additional license information can be found at www.myfloridalicense.com
14. Significant Progress toward the Appraisal Institute MAI designation
The Nathan S. Collier MSRE degree satisfies all but one course toward the MAI designation (the remaining course is Report Writing and Valuation Analysis, which is required for everyone). You just need to petition the Appraisal Institute and send a copy of your graduate transcript and course syllabi, saving thousands of dollars in tuition/books and hundreds of classroom hours that would be needed to earn the MAI designation without the MSRE. Find our more information about the Appraisal Institute and their Appraiser Education opportunities at their website.
