The major in real estate prepares students for the graduate-level study of real estate, economics and finance, as well as careers in land development, brokerage, valuation and investment counseling, site analysis and selection, real property management, mortgage lending, and bank trust and corporate real estate departments, in addition to other real estate-related careers in the public and private sectors.

Learning goals

  • To support career advancement over time by giving students the academic foundation in information systems needed for continued professional development
  • To help students develop the professional skills that will be needed by the businesses and organizations that hire graduates
  • To help students develop ethical awareness so that they are able to deal with an ethical dilemma in the workplace.
  • To ensure that students understand and can apply appropriate analytical methodologies and technology to the discipline of real estate.
  • To prepare students for professional licensing, certification and/or professional designations

Student learning outcomes

Upon completing this program:

  • Graduates will understand the legal foundations of real estate including contracts, options, title transfer, easements, conveyances, liens and recording statutes. Students will also understand  ethical decision-making in the context of identifying ethical standards and establishing a framework for making ethical decisions.
  • Graduates will be able to apply mathematical techniques to real estate financial analysis, including the financing process, mortgage risk analysis and loan underwriting.
  • Graduates will be able to apply the highest and best use analysis (cost, market and income approaches) in valuing real estate property and will be able to understand/calculate the mathematics of yield capitalization.
  • Graduates will be able to apply appropriate skills in evaluating real estate investments. This is includes a multidisciplinary approach to financial, spatial and social economics. 

Special requirements

The admission requirements for the School of Business detail the deadlines and other requirements for students to be admitted to one of these major programs of study. The following courses must be completed before the student may declare a specific business major: ACCT 203ACCT 204, BUSN 201 or BUSN 205, BUSN 212 or MATH 200, BUSN 225, ECON 210, ECON 211, UNIV 111, UNIV 112 and UNIV 200.

The School of Business has special academic policies, including policies on transfer credits, that apply to all undergraduate degrees. 

All baccalaureate degree programs in the School of Business require successful completion of the business knowledge exam as administered in BUSN 499

Students may need to take additional mathematics courses as prerequisites to BUSN 212 or MATH 200. These credits will count as open electives in the degree program. 

No more than six credits from the BUSN 16X Digital Literacy courses may be applied to the degree.

INTL 493 may not be counted toward a business degree.

Credit for SPCH 121 or SPCH 321 will substitute for BUSN 225, and no more than three credits of these courses may be applied toward a business degree. Students who earned a minimum grade of B in either ECON 203 or ECON 205 at VCU may substitute that credit for ECON 210.

The pass/fail grading policy may not be used for many course requirements. Students should check with their academic adviser before taking the pass/fail grading option.

Students must receive a minimum grade of C in FIRE 305, FIRE 325, FIRE 425, FIRE 435 and FIRE 445, and must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the remainder of the real estate major electives.

Degree requirements for Real Estate, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Course Title Hours
General education
Select 30 credits of general education courses in consultation with an adviser.30
Major requirements
• Major core requirements
FIRE 305Principles of Real Estate3
FIRE 312Financial Modeling3
FIRE 325Real Estate Law3
FIRE 425Real Estate Appraisal3
FIRE 435Real Estate Finance and Capital Markets3
FIRE 445Real Estate Investment Analysis3
• Major electives
Real estate electives (select from list below)15
Ancillary requirements
• Ancillary core requirements
ACCT 203
ACCT 204
Introduction to Accounting I
and Introduction to Accounting II
6
BUSN 225Winning Presentations3
BUSN 301Career and Professional Development 1
BUSN 499Business Knowledge Exam0
ECON 210Principles of Microeconomics (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and/or AOI for global perspectives)3
ECON 211Principles of Macroeconomics3
FIRE 311Financial Management3
INFO 360Business Information Systems3
MGMT 303Creativity and Ideation3
MGMT 310Managing People in Organizations3
MGMT 434Strategic Management3
MKTG 301Marketing Principles3
SCMA 301Business Statistics I3
SCMA 320Production/Operations Management3
• Additional ancillary requirements
BUSN 201Foundations of Business 13
or BUSN 205 Introduction to the World of Business
BUSN 212Business Problem Solving and Analysis (either satisfies general education quantitative foundations)4
or MATH 200 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
Open electives
Select any course. 216
Total Hours120
1

BUSN 205 satisfies general education AOI for global perspectives.

2

Students may choose electives to reach the minimum total of 120 credits.

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Real estate electives

Course Title Hours
BUSN 400Principles of Consulting3
BUSN 401International Consulting Practicum3
ECON 305Public Finance3
ECON 307Money and Banking3
FIRE 309Risk Management and Insurance3
FIRE 315Real Property Management3
FIRE 317Investments3
FIRE 321Intermediate Financial Management3
FIRE 429Property and Liability Insurance3
FIRE 441Funds Management in Financial Institutions3
FIRE 451Options, Futures and Swaps3
FIRE 492Independent Study in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate1-3
FIRE 493Internship in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate3
MGMT 491Topics in Management1-3
MKTG 315Buyer Behavior3
MKTG 325Business-to-business Marketing3
MKTG 335Introduction to Personal Selling3
MKTG 340Retail Management3
MKTG 430Experiential Marketing3
MKTG 435Selling in the Business Marketplace3
MKTG 442Services Marketing3
MKTG 445Nonprofit Marketing3
MKTG 448Digital Marketing3
URSP 304Urban Social Systems3
URSP 306Economic Geography3
URSP 310Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning3

What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.

Freshman year
Fall semesterHours
UNIV 111 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry I Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
General education course 3
General education course 3
General education course 3
Open elective (prerequisite to BUSN 212 suggested) 3
 Term Hours: 15
Spring semester
BUSN 212 Business Problem Solving and Analysis (satisfies general education quantitative foundations) 4
BUSN 225 Winning Presentations 3
UNIV 112 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry II Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
General education course 3
Open elective 3
 Term Hours: 16
Sophomore year
Fall semester
ACCT 203 Introduction to Accounting I 3
BUSN 201
Foundations of Business
or Introduction to the World of Business
3
ECON 210 Principles of Microeconomics (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and/or AOI for global perspectives) 3
UNIV 200 Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
General education course 3
 Term Hours: 15
Spring semester
ACCT 204 Introduction to Accounting II 3
BUSN 301 Career and Professional Development 1
ECON 211 Principles of Macroeconomics 3
FIRE 305 Principles of Real Estate 3
MKTG 301 Marketing Principles 3
SCMA 301 Business Statistics I 3
 Term Hours: 16
Junior year
Fall semester
FIRE 311 Financial Management 3
MGMT 303 Creativity and Ideation 3
MGMT 310 Managing People in Organizations 3
Open electives 4
 Term Hours: 13
Spring semester
FIRE 312 Financial Modeling 3
FIRE 325 Real Estate Law 3
INFO 360 Business Information Systems 3
SCMA 320 Production/Operations Management 3
Real estate elective 3
 Term Hours: 15
Senior year
Fall semester
BUSN 499 Business Knowledge Exam 0
FIRE 425 Real Estate Appraisal 3
FIRE 435 Real Estate Finance and Capital Markets 3
Open elective 3
Real estate electives 6
 Term Hours: 15
Spring semester
FIRE 445 Real Estate Investment Analysis 3
MGMT 434 Strategic Management 3
Open elective 3
Real estate electives 6
 Term Hours: 15
 Total Hours: 120

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.