The Real Estate Finance and Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, was founded in 1999 and was one of the first programs of its type at a major university. The Center brings together exceptional faculty and top industry professionals to create cutting-edge curricula, events and research.
Academic Programs
The Center offers three comprehensive programs, which combine the disciplines of finance, real estate, and law, while also providing access to coursework in architecture, economics, engineering and urban design. The programs are designed to prepare students with an interdisciplinary and practical education in real estate and to place graduates with the nation’s leading real estate firms.
- MBA Real Estate Finance Concentration (full-time program students)
- BBA Real Estate Finance Concentration (undergraduate Finance majors)
- Undergraduate Real Estate Certificate (all undergraduate students, regardless of major – more than a minor, less than a major and transcript-recognized)
Leading Industry Council
A professional Council of top real estate executives supports the Center financially and guides faculty on program strategy and curriculum design. Council members expand the curriculum by sharing real-world experiences with students through lectures, office visits, project tours, career advice and by supplying case studies for coursework. The Center holds two exclusive industry conferences annually for its Council members.
One-of-a-Kind: Public & Private Investment Experience
Each year, approximately 25 students are selected, through an intense application process, to serve as “Analysts” and “Associates” on the student-managed McCombs REIT Fund. Fund students actively manage an investment portfolio across property types and employ a “pairs” strategy to generate returns against the Dow Jones US REIT Index. In 2008, students invested $421,104 of the Center’s money solely in REITs and have yielded a 107% return since inception. The initial investment is now valued at $865,370.
In 2015, with the help of the Center’s Council members, a group of full-time MBA students evaluated the feasibility of adding a private real estate investment element to the existing McCombs REIT Fund. Once launched, McCombs will become the ONLY program in the U.S. to offer a student-managed public and private real estate investment platform.
Fund students will gain pre-internship experience, further developing underwriting skills and market knowledge. Real Estate Fund managers (2nd Year MBAs) will leverage a network of private equity sponsors to make co-investments directly in real estate assets as a passive cosponsor. Students must obtain approvals from an Investment Committee (industry professionals & real estate faculty), and will report to a Board of Directors (Center Council Members). By working alongside industry partners to make these investments, students will also benefit from the built-in professional networking component. A portion of the financial gains realized from these investments will help fund the Center’s student programs, including company visits, global real estate trips, industry conferences, Argus trainings, etc.
National Real Estate Challenge
Since 2002, the Center has hosted teams of graduate students from around the nation to participate in a case-based competition that involves the analysis of a recent real estate transaction consummated by a leading global real estate firm. The contestants represent the most talented graduate real estate students in the country and the panels consist of senior executives from leading U.S. real estate companies, creating outstanding opportunities for learning, networking and recruitment.
Outstanding Co-Curricular Opportunities
In addition to the exceptional curriculum, the Center offers students a robust series of opportunities outside of the classroom, including an Excel real estate modeling series, Argus certification training, visiting real estate executive series, mentor program, case competitions, field trips to companies and projects across Texas and the U.S., real estate career expo and a booming local real estate market full of internship opportunities. Co-curricular events are designed by the Center to build upon the classroom experience and provide deep networking opportunities for students pursuing careers in real estate.
For more information about the Real Estate Finance & Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin, please contact realestate@mccombs.utexas.edu.
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