The Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate (IGCRE) provides an academic structure for interdisciplinary training in real estate, including real estate investment, real estate law, and the role of real estate development in the built environment.

The IGCRE offers graduate students in the College of Environmental Design, the Haas School of Business, and Berkeley Law the opportunity to supplement their major areas of study with courses that specifically focus on real estate. As part of the IGCRE, students may (1) undertake specialized, multi-disciplinary courses in urban and architectural design, (2) learn about the development and entitlements process, (3) become trained in financial and asset market analysis, (4) learn the legal foundations of real estate transactions, and/or (5) explore housing and land use policy. The IGCRE will give students explicit recognition of a specialization in real estate, which in complement to their graduate program will position them to compete for jobs in law firms, public and private corporations with real estate investments, planning positions, local government, real estate development, and companies involved in real estate capital markets. The IGCRE will indicate to potential employers that, in addition to having mastered the material in their major field, the student has successfully completed coursework on topics outside their core program. The IGCRE is not meant to signal expertise within a single field, such as real estate finance or real estate law.

As a cross–disciplinary certificate between Berkeley Law, CED, and Haas, the IGCRE will also give students the chance to see how the disciplines interact in the context of real estate. Real estate is inherently an interdisciplinary field and one in which successful professionals will have to understand both the larger context in which real estate management and development is situated and how the various disciplines (business, law, architecture, urban design) interact. In addition, as part of IGCRE, students will participate in at least one design, real estate investment or other approved competition or learning opportunity that will require them to work as part of a team to solve a real estate challenge or case.

A full description of the IGCRE, including the required forms, can be found on the CED website. For more information, contact Thomas Chappelear at [email protected].

If interested in non-degree program real estate education, please visit our Conferences or Real Estate Resources pages.