Real Estate is Growing at USD; Announcing the New Real Estate Department

The University of San Diego has announced the establishment of the new Real Estate Department within the School of Business, effective July 1, 2020. Charles Tu, PhD, the Daniel F. Mulvihill Professor of Commercial Real Estate and academic director of the Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) program, will serve as chair of the department. The real estate program was previously part of the finance department and will now be an independent department within the University of San Diego School of Business.

“Good business schools innovate new academic programs in anticipation of where the market is going,” says Tim Keane, PhD, dean of the USD School of Business. “Great business schools integrate leading edge academic programs with real world projects and enrich our students’ career aspirations through connecting them with industry thought leaders as part of their experience. That integrated approach to student engagement is what makes our Real Estate program the best in the country. Formalizing a Real Estate Department showcases our program as the model for student success.”

The Real Estate Department includes four full-time faculty: Tu, Norm Miller, PhD, the Ernest W. Hahn Chair of Real Estate Finance, Jeremy Gabe, PhD, assistant professor, and John Demas, Esq., clinical professor, and more than 10 affiliated faculty members. The department offers a portfolio of academic programs. The Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) program was launched in 2004, and now provides the opportunity for students to pursue dual MBA/MSRE or JD/MSRE degrees. The MSRE program also has an international dual degree partnership with the University of Regensburg in Germany.

At the undergraduate level, the real estate minor started in 2007 and the major was added in 2009. In the last five years, the real estate major and minor at the USD School of Business has more than tripled. Real estate is currently the fourth largest major in the school. This significant growth, coupled with the unparalleled support for real estate students offered through the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate (BMC), has contributed to the #1 ranking by College Factual as “Best Real Estate College in the U.S. in 2018, 2019 and 2020.   

The BMC serves as a central support hub for USD School of Business undergraduate and graduate real estate students. The BMC’s mission to help recruit, educate and mentor real estate students with the goal of facilitating their career pursuits in a socially-responsible manner, with a global perspective and in collaboration with the real estate industry, supplemented by the rigorous academic curriculum, provides students with a 360 experience from the time they express interest in RE and declare RE as a major or minor. The BMC offers students direct connections with top real estate executives (through its policy advisory board and BMC real estate committee), personalized career coaching, one-on-one behavioral testing through McQuaig, more than $400,000 in available internal and external real estate scholarships, access to a large network of USD real estate alumni and access to trending topics at the BMC’s annual real estate events. These opportunities result in promising future careers for students graduating from the USD School of Business real estate program.

“The establishment of the Real Estate Department is a recognition of what we collectively have accomplished,” says Tu. “Since Mark Riedy started the real estate program 27 years ago, countless people—faculty, staff, students, alumni and industry supporters—have contributed to this tremendous growth. Without all of their support, this would not have happened, so we thank you.”

History of the USD School of Business Real Estate Program

In 1993, a real estate industry committee chaired by the late Daniel (Dan) F. Mulvihill raised $1.5 million to endow and name the Ernest W. Hahn Chair in Real Estate Finance at the University of San Diego School of Business. This was the birth of the USD School of Business real estate program.  Funding was provided by more than 100 donors—friends and colleagues of Ernie Hahn—and industry leaders dedicated to creating a world-class real estate program at USD.

In 2004, a $5 million endowment gift was made to support the operations of a new real estate center. Funding was provided by John Moores, the Burnham Foundation, Burnham Real Estate Services and senior management and brokers of Burnham Real Estate Services. A dedication ceremony to name the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate took place Sept. 2, 2004.

The MSRE program currently has more than 300 alumni. USD’s MSRE students have been successful in international competitions, including the ARGUS University Challenge, as well as in the REALizing Returns University Challenge.  USD is one of a few schools to be selected to have MSRE students as official bloggers and tweeters at MIPIM, the world’s leading annual real estate market event. 

In 2004, the Real Estate Finance, Investments and Development Certificate program was also launched, providing education to real estate professionals in the early- to mid-stages of their careers. 

About the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, University of San Diego School of Business
As a Center of Excellence within the University of San Diego School of Business, the mission of the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate is to help recruit, educate and mentor real estate students with the goal of facilitating their career pursuits in a socially responsible manner and with a global perspective and in collaboration with the real estate industry. We accomplish this mission through support of outstanding faculty and professional staff, dedicated career services, active industry involvement and outreach, and relevant and applied research. Visit our website for more information. Follow us on Twitter @USDBMC.