About the Program

The development of urban real estate is one of the most powerful forces shaping our buildings, cities, and metropolitan regions.  From finance to design, the choices we make about what to build, where to build, and how to build influence urban sustainability, equity, and resilience — today and for years to come.

Our rapidly urbanizing world faces major challenges, ranging from climate change to social inequality. We need real estate professionals who have a deep knowledge of how development can bring positive benefits to society and the environment, and who understand the power of design to make cities efficient, livable, distinctive, and valued.

The Nancy and Douglas Abbey Master of Real Estate Development + Design (Abbey MRED+D) is an interdisciplinary degree program that prepares real estate development professionals to build sustainable, equitable, and prosperous cities.

The curriculum covers the fundamentals that real estate developers need to know — real estate finance, real estate economics and market analysis, land use law and approvals, project feasibility analysis, and the details of the urban development process — but we include "design" in the degree’s name for a reason. The Abbey MRED+D program goes beyond tradition, linking real estate to the world of design based on two convictions: One is that successful real estate development requires excellence in urban design, planning, and sustainability. The other is that design thinking — the iterative process of problem finding, prototyping solutions, and iterative critique — is fundamental to producing the most valued and valuable real estate projects. With a strong understanding of how good design adds value to development projects, our graduates emerge with the tools and mindset to use real estate development to solve the grand challenges of our time and positively impact communities in which they build. 

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Master's Degree Requirements

The Abbey MRED+D degree requires students to complete a minimum of 33 units, including a capstone or comprehensive exam. The curriculum includes thirteen (13) required courses and the opportunity to take up to 8 units electives.*

Required Courses 

Sample Electives** 

Students have the opportunity to customize their program by taking electives in areas of interest to them. Some common electives offered in recent years are indicated below. In addition, students may petition to take electives not included on this list. Note that some elective classes may not be offered each year.

Admissions

Required Application Materials

1. Transcripts (unofficial)

2. Two to Three Letters of Recommendation

3. Statement of Purpose

4. Personal History Statement

5. Resume/CV

6. Portfolio (strongly encouraged)

7. TOEFL or IELTS Scores (required for most international applicants)

8. GRE or GMAT Scores (optional)

Transcripts

You must hold or expect to hold prior to the beginning of classes a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. school accredited by one of the AACRAO regional accrediting agencies. International applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution.

Required Records:

Upload unofficial transcripts from all institutions where you obtained credit toward your undergraduate degree to the application for the departmental initial review. Unofficial transcripts must include at a minimum the name of the institution, your full name, and a chronological listing of all classes, grades, and credit hours. If your academic records do not include official evidence of the award of your degree, you must also submit additional documents that verify the degree conferral, such as a diploma or degree certificate. We also like to see transcripts from institutions where you received a graduate degree or completed post-graduate coursework, if applicable.

If your transcript is in a language other than English, then you must provide an official translation issued from your university or by certified members of the American Translators Association. Upload the original transcript and translation as one PDF.

Physical copies of official transcripts for all college-level work will be required if admitted.

Please note that any discrepancy between uploaded transcripts and official transcripts could result in the denial of your application or withdrawal of your offer of admission.

Letters of recommendation

We require two letters of recommendation that provide the admissions committee with third-party, qualitative accounts of your potential for success.  However, you may submit up to three letters of recommendation if you like. The online application will prompt you for three letters of recommendation; if you are only submitting the required two, just enter your own name into the third space.  

We strongly prefer that letters of recommendation come from a current direct supervisor, former direct supervisor, or other individuals with whom you have had significant professional interaction. Please select individuals who know you well and who will take the time to write thorough and thoughtful letters on your behalf. The title of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities. We have found the most helpful letters to be recent, relevant, and written specifically for this application. We discourage letters of recommendation from subordinates, family, friends, or professors. If you are reapplying to the MRED+D program, please ensure at least one recommendation is from a new reference and was written after your previous application was submitted.

When completing the online application, you will enter the email address of your recommender and click "Submit to Recommender," which sends your letter writer instructions for how to upload their letters directly to your application. You are responsible for ensuring that both required recommendations are submitted prior to the application deadline.  

Essays

Applicants are required to complete two essays. Although we do not have a required minimum or maximum word count, the suggested length of each is around 1 to 2 pages single-spaced. 

Statement of Purpose

Our essay question was created to provoke honest, thoughtful responses to help us get to know you. The admissions committee is interested in learning how your professional or other experiences and achievements equip you and motivate you to pursue the Abbey MRED+D degree. 

You should describe what you are passionate about that motivates you to make an impact on the world. What are your short- and long-term career goals, how have your interests shaped these goals, and how will the MRED+D degree enable you to build on your prior professional experience to achieve these goals?

The Statement should demonstrate that you understand the MRED+D program and its goals, and should include discussion of how your interests align with our pillars of equity, sustainability and design.

Personal History Statement

Anything that can give the admissions committee a sense of you as a person belongs here. This may include personal histories that have shaped your interest in Real Estate Development + Design. Any information relating to the context of your achievement or challenges you have overcome would also be appropriate here. We also encourage you to highlight any experiences that show your understanding of historically underrepresented groups, and your commitment to serving them with your Abbey MRED+D degree.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume

We are interested in learning about your work and experience. Please upload your most current resume or curriculum vitae in chronological format. If applicable, please also include honors, awards, publications, presentations, languages spoken, and associations you belong to.

Evidence of English Proficiency

All applicants who have completed a basic degree in a country/region in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to institutions from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, most European countries, and countries in Africa in which English is not the official language.

If you have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better in residence at a recognized U.S. institution, you do not need to take a test of English proficiency. Instead, you must upload an unofficial transcript from the recognized U.S. institution. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement: 1) courses in English as a Second Language, 2) courses conducted in a language other than English, 3) courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and 4) courses of a non-academic nature.

If you have questions about whether you must provide evidence of English proficiency, please email us at mredd@berkeley.edu with a summary of your academic history.

Portfolio

While a portfolio is not required, we encourage applicants to submit images of work, brief writing samples, and/or past projects with your application. It is helpful for us to see work that is representative of your professional experience to date. Please keep these materials to no more than 10-12 pages in length.

GRE or GMAT Scores

Professional Development Activities

Career Services:

The Abbey MRED+D program offers an array of workshops, networking and speaking events, and employer presentations to best prepare our students to obtain real estate development positions after graduation. Students' career journeys are divided into three parts, one per academic term: self-discovery, career discovery, and career placement.

Internships:

Students may obtain part-time internships while completing their degree. They may receive course credit if not being otherwise compensated.

Real Estate Competitions:

Students compete in myriad case competitions, primarily in the Spring, that allow them to hone their skills, connect with industry practitioners, and produce tangible work product that they can provide during their job searches. Examples of competitions in which our students have participated include, among others:

*Bank of America Low-Income Housing Challenge
*HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition
*Kellogg Real Estate Venture Competition
*NAIOP SF Bay Area Real Estate Challenge, also known as "Golden Shovel" (direct competition between Berkeley and Stanford)
*ULI Gerald Hines Student Competition
*UT Austin National Real Estate Challenge

Clubs and Professional Organizations:

Students take part in the Berkeley Real Estate Club (BREC), which allows real estate graduate students from across campus to come together for speaking events, networking opportunities and case competitions. Membership is drawn primarily from the College of Environmental Design (the Abbey MRED+D's home school, which also includes architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, and urban design graduate students), Berkeley Law School, the Haas School of Business, and the Goldman School of Public Policy.

The Abbey MRED+D provides students with membership in several professional organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and NAIOP (the Commercial Real Estate Development Association); the cohort attends the ULI Fall Meeting (in Chicago for Fall 2021) all together each year. We also offer optional ARGUS training.

Alumni Association:

Berkeley has an extensive network of alumni working in real estate in the Bay Area, nationally, and abroad. Students are encouraged to participate in Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association (BREAA) activities while enrolled and to join BREAA upon graduation. BREAA includes graduates from the College of Environmental Design (including MRED+D), the Haas School of Business, Berkeley Law School, and other Berkeley schools and colleges.

Related Courses

Faculty and Instructors

Faculty

Matt Baran, Lecturer.

Reid Bitzer, Lecturer.

Chris Calott, Capstone Director.

Mary Corley, Lecturer.

Stephen Engblom, Lecturer.

Lisa Fisher, Lecturer.

Carol Galante, Practice Director.

Kristen Hall, Lecturer.

Eric Harrison, Lecturer.

Kristina Hill, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and Urban Design.

Caleb Inman, Lecturer.

Paula Kirlin, Lecturer.

Amy Leedham, Lecturer.

Amanda Monchamp, Lecturer.

Greg Morrow, Director, Abbey MRED+D.

Paul Peninger, Lecturer.

Kyle Rawlins, Lecturer.

Carolina Reid, Education Committee Chair.

Elizabeth Libby Seifel, Lecturer.

Lydia Tan, Lecturer.

Dennis Williams, Lecturer.

Affiliated Faculty

Allison Arieff, Affiliated Faculty.

Gail Brager, Affiliated Faculty.

Dana Buntrock, Affiliated Faculty.

Claudia Cappio, Affiliated Faculty.

Karen Chapple, Affiliated Faculty.

Dan Chatman, Affiliated Faculty.

Renee Chow, Affiliated Faculty.

Bill Falik, Affiliated Faculty.

Harrison Fraker, Affiliated Faculty.

Keith Orlesky, Affiliated Faculty.

Jonathan Segal, Affiliated Faculty.

Paul Waddell, Affiliated Faculty.