• Development
• Brokerage and Leasing
• Construction Management
• Architecture
• Corporate Real Estate
• Institutional Real Estate Investment
• Property Management
• Mortgage and Construction Lending
• Acquisitions
• Asset Management
• Loan Servicing
• Portfolio Management
• Real Estate Law
• Urban Planning

Review these resources for general information on what you can do with a Real Estate and Development major.

• Pages 3-7 of the Crossman Guide (Overview)
• Careers in Commercial Real Estate from ACRE (Deeper dive)
• Commercial Real Estate Career Advice (Q&A with Industry Professionals)
• How to Get Started on the Real Estate Developer Path
• A Day in the Life of a Commercial Real Estate Professional from ACRE

Highly recommended websites for ongoing learning and resources:

• Break Into CRE offers training through their website andUdemy. Subscribe to the Break Into CRE YouTube Channel to get weekly videos about Real Estate Finance and Careers.
• Adventures in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) offers training, resources, and a job board.

Looking to expand your Excel skills? Excel skills are important to have for many entry level real estate analyst roles.  

• Trump Excel offers free general Excel training.  
• Break Into CRE and Adventures in Commercial Real Estate both offer paid training courses in real estate financial modeling. See links above.

Have a suggestion for a resource to add here? Please email it to usp@ucsd.edu.

Below is a list of titles RED majors alumni secured upon graduation or in their second position after graduating.  Data gathered via LinkedIn.  

• Real Estate Analyst
• Acquisitions Analyst
• Asset Management Analyst
• Leasing Marketing Manager
• Banking Analyst
• Commercial Loan Administrator
• Financial Analyst
• Junior Bank Analyst
• Market Intelligence & Strategy Analyst
• Investment Analyst
• Junior Credit Analyst
• Valuation Analyst
• Associate
• Development Analyst
• Property Manager
• Associate Development Manager
• Planner
• Analyst
• Realtor
• Assistant Project Manager
• Loan Officer
• Market & Investments Analyst
• Development Associate
• Project Coordinator
• Administrator
• Credit Analyst
• Business Owner
• Field Engineer
• Housing and Real Estate Development Coordinator
• Transportation Planner
• Transaction Brokerage Coordinator
• Senior Development Associate

• Master’s in Business Administration
• Master's in Marketing
• Master’s in Finance and Analytics
• Master’s in Real Estate Development
• Master’s in Real Estate
• Master's in Communications and Media Technologies
• Master’s in Regional Planning
• Juris Doctor (Law School)
• Master’s in Applied Finance
• Doctorate of Architecture

Below is a sample of potential employers related to Real Estate and Development. This list is not exhaustive; students and alumni are encouraged to conduct additional research.

• Commercial Real Estate Brokerages 
  • Roles in brokerage, market research, investment sales, finance, and leasing
  • CBRE, Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage (JLL), Cushman & Wakefield, Colliers International, Marcus & Millichap, Voit Real Estate Services

• Commercial Real Estate Development Firms
  • Opportunities in site selection, entitlement, project management, finance, and acquisitions
  • MG Properties, Sunroad Enterprises, OliverBuchanan, H.G. Fenton Company, CONAM, Kilroy Realty, Fairfield, Lennar, Cisterra Development, Ryan Companies, Hines, Shea, Greystar, Ventus Group, Sea Breeze Properties

• Investment & Private Equity Real Estate Firms
  • Roles in acquisitions, underwriting, asset management, and portfolio analysis
  • Westcore Properties, Fairfield Residential, Capstone Advisors, Brixton Capital, CIRE Equity, La Jolla MJ Management

• REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)
  • Corporate finance, asset management, investor relations, and property operations
  • Realty Income Corporation, American Assets Trust, HG Fenton, Westcore 

• Property & Asset Management Firms
  • For roles in operations, leasing, facility management, tenant relations
  • Irvine Company, Blackstone, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, CONAM 

• Affordable Housing
  • Plan, finance, develop, and manage affordable housing communities while collaborating with public agencies and community partners to improve residents’ quality of life
  • Affirmed Houseing, Wakeland, Community HousingWorks, National CORE, BRIDGE Housing, Chelsea Investment Corporation 

• Construction & Development Management Firms
  • Pre-development, feasibility, or integrated real estate
  • Clark Construction, McCarthy Construction, Swinerton, BNBuilders, Hensel Phelps, Turner Construction

• Architecture Firms
  • Design functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing buildings and spaces, integrating creativity, technical knowledge, and sustainability to meet client and community needs
  • Safdie Rabines Architects, Joseph Wong Design Associates (JWDA), WareMalcomb, M.W. Steele Group, Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, Gensler, HDR Architecture

• Government & Public Sector Real Estate Roles
  • In planning, land use, redevelopment, and public-private partnerships:
  • City of San Diego Real Estate Assets Department, San Diego County, SANDAG, Port of San Diego, UCSD, more generally Cities, Counties, Ports, Universities

• Real Estate Law
  • Advise clients on property transactions, contracts, and disputes, ensuring compliance with real estate laws and protecting clients’ legal and financial interests in buying, selling, leasing, or developing property
  • Allen Matkins, Best Best & Krieger, Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, Miltner & Menck, White and Bright, 

• Commercial Real Estate Technology & Services & Banking
  • Adjacent opportunities in tech, data, analytics, banking, lending, within large companies, etc
  • GAFCON, CoStar Group (Research), PropTech, Xpera Group, London Moeder Advisors, AXOS Bank, Apple, Qualcomm

One of the key ways the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) regulates California's real estate industry is through examinations for salesperson and broker applicants.  Additional information about this process can be found on the California Dept. of Real Estate website.

Before applying for a real estate license, applicants must meet education and experience requirements.

Completion of the following courses will articulate as credit toward the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) Salesperson Exam.  

• USP 25 Real Estate and Development Principles and Analysis counts towards the Real Estate Principles course requirement.
• USP 5 Introduction to the Real Estate and Development Process counts towards the Real Estate Practice course requirement if completed in Fall 2023 or later.
• Students can take USP 15 Applied Urban Economics for Planning and Development OR USP 153 Real Estate and Development Market Analysis for the third course requirement.  They are approved to count under the subcategory of Real Estate Economics.

Students are encouraged to utilize separate preparation prior to taking the licensing exam.

Note: Not all real estate related career paths require a Real Estate Salesperson or Broker license.  Students are encouraged to do additional research to determine if pursuing this license is right for their career path. The USP Department does not offer salesperson or broker exam prep and cannot advise on the CA DRE licensing process.  Please contact the California Dept. of Real Estate if you have questions about these licenses.  UCSD's courses were formally articulated in Summer 2023.