Real Estate: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Real Estate programs equip students with the strategic knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate the dynamic world of property development, investment, and management. This interdisciplinary field integrates legal, financial, and market-based principles to prepare professionals for careers in residential, commercial, and industrial real estate sectors.
- Land Use Development Policy: Explores how government regulations and zoning laws shape urban and suburban growth, influencing where and how properties can be developed.
- Real Estate Law: Covers legal frameworks governing property ownership, contracts, leases, disclosures, and compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
- Real Estate Marketing Procedures: Focuses on strategies for promoting properties, targeting buyer or tenant demographics, and leveraging digital platforms to maximize visibility and transaction success.
- Agency Management: Teaches operational and leadership principles for managing real estate brokerage firms, including staff development, compliance, and business growth.
- Brokerage Operations: Provides insight into the structure and function of real estate transactions, including client representation, transaction coordination, and ethical standards.
- Property Inspection and Appraisal: Trains students in evaluating property condition, identifying structural and safety concerns, and determining market value using analytical methods.
- Real Estate Investing: Examines financial modeling, risk assessment, return on investment analysis, and portfolio strategies for residential and commercial property acquisition.
- Leased and Rental Properties: Addresses the management of rental agreements, tenant relations, rent collection, maintenance protocols, and legal obligations for landlords.
- Commercial Real Estate: Focuses on office buildings, retail spaces, industrial facilities, and mixed-use developments, including leasing, valuation, and investment dynamics.
- Property Management: Covers day-to-day operations of real estate assets, including maintenance, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and tenant retention.
Real Estate Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Real Estate Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Real Estate degrees, including Real Estate Brokers, Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers and Real Estate Sales Agents. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 536,830 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Brokers 41-9021 | $72,280 | $36,920 - $166,730 | 49,590 | $34.75 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers 11-9141 | $66,700 | $39,360 - $141,040 | 296,640 | $32.07 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents 41-9022 | $56,320 | $31,940 - $125,140 | 190,600 | $27.08 |
Real Estate Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $45,920 in Louisiana to $95,497 in Massachusetts—a 108% difference. The highest-paying states include Massachusetts, Washington, and New York. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 536,830 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Real Estate by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 99 institutions offering Real Estate programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Real Estate is found at New York University (NYU) (269 graduates), University of Wisconsin-Madison (247 graduates), Sinclair Community College (240 graduates), University of San Diego (USD) (176 graduates), and Georgetown University (GU) (174 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 6,819 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York University (NYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
269 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
247 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| Sinclair Community College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
240 | Dayton, Ohio | Public | sinclair.edu |
| University of San Diego (USD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
176 | San Diego, California | Private | sandiego.edu |
| Georgetown University (GU) |
Master's
|
174 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | georgetown.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Bachelor's
|
172 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| Delgado Community College |
Residency
Other Award
|
172 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Public | dcc.edu |
| Dallas College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
139 | Dallas, Texas | Public | dallascollege.edu |
| San Jacinto Community College |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
133 | Pasadena, Texas | Public | sanjac.edu |
| Florida State University (FSU) |
Bachelor's
|
130 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
| Irvine Valley College (IVC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
128 | Irvine, California | Public | ivc.edu |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) |
Associate's
Residency
Other Award
|
127 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Public | matc.edu |
| Florida International University (FIU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
123 | Miami, Florida | Public | fiu.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
118 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| West Los Angeles College (WLAC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
117 | Culver City, California | Public | wlac.edu |
| Lorain County Community College (LCCC) |
Associate's
Residency
Other Award
|
116 | Elyria, Ohio | Public | lorainccc.edu |
| Columbus State Community College (CSCC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
113 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | cscc.edu |
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Bachelor's
|
110 | Fort Worth, Texas | Private | tcu.edu |
| Ogden-Weber Technical College |
Residency
|
110 | Ogden, Utah | Public | otech.edu |
| Saddleback College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
109 | Mission Viejo, California | Public | saddleback.edu |
| Mt San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
106 | Walnut, California | Public | mtsac.edu |
| Austin Community College District (ACC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
105 | Austin, Texas | Public | austincc.edu |
| Palm Beach State College (PBSC) |
Residency
|
95 | Lake Worth, Florida | Public | palmbeachstate.edu |
| Cerritos College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
89 | Norwalk, California | Public | cerritos.edu |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Bachelor's
|
87 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
| Citrus College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
78 | Glendora, California | Public | citruscollege.edu |
| Harvard University |
Postbac Cert.
|
78 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | harvard.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Bachelor's
|
76 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Master's
|
75 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| Mesa Community College (MCC) |
Residency
|
73 | Mesa, Arizona | Public | mesacc.edu |
| American Public University System (APUS) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
73 | Charles Town, West Virginia | Private | apus.edu |
| Chabot College (CC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
71 | Hayward, California | Public | chabotcollege.edu |
| Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
71 | Lakewood, Colorado | Public | rrcc.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
70 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| Houston Community College (HCC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
70 | Houston, Texas | Public | hccs.edu |
| University of South Carolina (USC) |
Bachelor's
|
66 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
| Glendale Community College (GCC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
65 | Glendale, California | Public | glendale.edu |
| University of Denver (DU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
65 | Denver, Colorado | Private | du.edu |
| Southwestern College (SWC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
63 | Chula Vista, California | Public | swccd.edu |
| University of Central Florida (UCF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
58 | Orlando, Florida | Public | ucf.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Master's
|
58 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| San Joaquin Delta College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
57 | Stockton, California | Public | deltacollege.edu |
| Tarrant County College District (TCCD) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
57 | Fort Worth, Texas | Public | tccd.edu |
| Santiago Canyon College (SCC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
57 | Orange, California | Public | sccollege.edu |
| Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) |
Residency
|
56 | Reno, Nevada | Public | tmcc.edu |
| Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
52 | Valley Glen, California | Public | lavc.edu |
| Colorado Mountain College (CMC) |
Other Award
|
50 | Glenwood Springs, Colorado | Public | coloradomtn.edu |
| Zane State College (ZSC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
50 | Zanesville, Ohio | Public | zanestate.edu |
| Modesto Junior College (MJC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
49 | Modesto, California | Public | mjc.edu |
| Chaffey College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
48 | Rancho Cucamonga, California | Public | chaffey.edu |
| Long Beach City College (LBCC) |
Other Award
|
48 | Long Beach, California | Public | lbcc.edu |
| Riverside City College (RCC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
48 | Riverside, California | Public | rcc.edu |
| University of Cincinnati (UC) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
48 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Public | uc.edu |
| Lakeland Community College (LCC) |
Other Award
|
47 | Kirtland, Ohio | Public | lakelandcc.edu |
| The University of Texas (UTSA) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
45 | San Antonio, Texas | Public | utsa.edu |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College |
Bachelor's
|
43 | New York, New York | Public | baruch.cuny.edu |
| Syracuse University |
Bachelor's
|
43 | Syracuse, New York | Private | syracuse.edu |
| Oklahoma State University (OSU) |
Other Award
|
43 | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Public | okstate.edu |
| Texas Tech University (TTU) |
Other Award
|
42 | Lubbock, Texas | Public | ttu.edu |
| Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
39 | Santa Rosa, California | Public | santarosa.edu |
| Johns Hopkins University (JHU) |
Master's
|
39 | Baltimore, Maryland | Private | jhu.edu |
| Georgia State University |
Bachelor's
|
38 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gsu.edu |
| College of Charleston (CofC) |
Bachelor's
|
38 | Charleston, South Carolina | Public | cofc.edu |
| McLennan Community College (MCC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
38 | Waco, Texas | Public | mclennan.edu |
| City College of San Francisco (CCSF) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
37 | San Francisco, California | Public | ccsf.edu |
| El Camino Community College District (ECC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
37 | Torrance, California | Public | elcamino.edu |
| University of Utah (U of U) |
Master's
|
37 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | utah.edu |
| Marquette University |
Bachelor's
|
37 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Private | marquette.edu |
| Edison State Community College |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Other Award
|
36 | Piqua, Ohio | Public | edisonohio.edu |
| San Antonio College (SAC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
36 | San Antonio, Texas | Public | alamo.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
36 | Arlington, Texas | Public | uta.edu |
| Norco College |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
|
36 | Norco, California | Public | norcocollege.edu |
| University of North Texas (UNT) |
Bachelor's
|
35 | Denton, Texas | Public | unt.edu |
| Victor Valley College (VVC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
34 | Victorville, California | Public | vvc.edu |
| University of Miami (UM) |
Bachelor's
|
34 | Coral Gables, Florida | Private | miami.edu |
| University of Northern Iowa (UNI) |
Bachelor's
|
34 | Cedar Falls, Iowa | Public | uni.edu |
| Coastline Community College (CC) |
Other Award
|
33 | Fountain Valley, California | Public | coastline.edu |
| Community College of Aurora (CCA) |
Other Award
|
33 | Aurora, Colorado | Public | ccaurora.edu |
| Portland State University (PSU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
32 | Portland, Oregon | Public | pdx.edu |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) |
Bachelor's
|
32 | Dallas, Texas | Private | smu.edu |
| Clark State College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
31 | Springfield, Ohio | Public | clarkstate.edu |
| Villanova University |
Bachelor's
|
31 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | Private | villanova.edu |
| Cosumnes River College (CRC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
30 | Sacramento, California | Public | crc.losrios.edu |
| Los Angeles City College (LACC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
30 | Los Angeles, California | Public | lacitycollege.edu |
| Nova Southeastern University (NSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
30 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Private | nova.edu |
| University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) |
Bachelor's
|
30 | University, Mississippi | Public | olemiss.edu |
| Bridgerland Technical College (BTECH) |
Residency
|
30 | Logan, Utah | Public | btech.edu |
| Fordham University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
29 | Bronx, New York | Private | fordham.edu |
| Southern State Community College (SSCC) |
Other Award
|
29 | Hillsboro, Ohio | Public | sscc.edu |
| Collin County Community College District (CCCCD) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
29 | McKinney, Texas | Public | collin.edu |
| East Los Angeles College (ELAC) |
Associate's
Residency
Other Award
|
28 | Monterey Park, California | Public | elac.edu |
| Fullerton College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
28 | Fullerton, California | Public | fullcoll.edu |
| Diablo Valley College (DVC) |
Other Award
|
27 | Pleasant Hill, California | Public | dvc.edu |
| Valencia College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
27 | Orlando, Florida | Public | valenciacollege.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) |
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
27 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Public | uwm.edu |
| University of Colorado Boulder (CU) |
Master's
|
26 | Boulder, Colorado | Public | colorado.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Other Award
|
26 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| University of St Thomas |
Bachelor's
|
26 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Private | stthomas.edu |
| University of Nebraska (UNO) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
25 | Omaha, Nebraska | Public | unomaha.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Real Estate programs
How much can I earn with a Real Estate degree?
Salaries for Real Estate graduates vary by role and location. Real Estate Brokers earn a median of $72,280 annually, while Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers earn around $66,700. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in Massachusetts average $95,497 compared to $45,920 in Louisiana. Approximately 536,830 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Real Estate programs?
Currently 209 accredited institutions offer Real Estate degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include New York University (NYU) (269 graduates), University of Wisconsin-Madison (247 graduates), and Sinclair Community College (240 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Real Estate growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 3,539 in 2010 to 7,906 in 2023-24. This represents a 123% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Real Estate degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Real Estate Brokers, Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers, and Real Estate Sales Agents. Related occupations employ approximately 536,830 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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