Rice Business

Real Estate Investment and Development

Identify and analyze the commercial viability of real estate investments and developments.

Start date

26 February 2025

Price

$3,080 USD

Installment Plan

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Course duration

8 weeks

Excluding orientation

Language

English

Access resources from start date

Effort

7–10 hours per week

Self-paced learning online

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Course overview

$500 billion

The amount that U.S. commercial real estate transaction volumes are estimated to reach in 2021.

Urban Land Institute (May, 2021).

5.8%

The share of GDP accounted for by commercial and residential construction in the U.S., equal to $1.11 trillion.

The Balance (Jun, 2020).

Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)

Despite the economic turbulence of the past decade, the real estate industry in the U.S. has only gone from strength to strength in recent years. In this online short course from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, gain an introduction to the current commercial real estate and property development market. By examining the real estate ecosystem from a holistic perspective, you’ll unpack the fundamental skills necessary to facilitate informed commercial real estate investment and development decisions.

Over the course of eight short weeks online, you’ll learn to assess the feasibility of property investments, explore the concepts and techniques used to analyze commercial real estate assets and discover the instruments commonly used to finance these assets. You’ll also learn to personally analyze and identify commercially viable real estate for development.

Is this course for you?

This online short course is designed for both property developers and entrepreneurs who want to identify and analyze the viability of real estate investments and developments. It is beneficial for real estate agents, brokers and property managers who want to deepen their knowledge of the commercial real estate ecosystem. Finance professionals will gain a holistic understanding of the specific financial tools and techniques required to assess the feasibility of an investment.

Course overview

Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)

What will set you apart

On completion of this course, you’ll walk away with:

The ability to identify and analyze the commercial viability of real estate investments and developments.

An understanding of the commercial real estate ecosystem as a whole.

Knowledge of the financial tools and techniques required to assess the feasibility of an investment.

Unlimited access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.

Course curriculum

Unpack the concepts that inform commercial real estate investment and development decisions as you work through the weekly modules of this online short course.

Orientation module

Welcome to your Online Campus

Module 1

The logic behind real estate investment decisions

Module 2

The factors affecting real estate value

Module 3

The real estate system and the developer

Module 4

Property level evaluation

Module 5

Leverage and the impact on risk and return

Module 6

Economic feasibility of a development project

Module 7

Equity partners

Module 8

Making investment decisions

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Academic Director

The design of this online short course is guided by faculty from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, as well as industry experts, who will share their experience and in-depth knowledge with you throughout the course.

Jefferson Duarte

Gerald D. Hines Associate Professor of Real Estate Finance, Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business

About the certificate

Learn about real estate investment and development and earn an official executive education digital certificate from Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.

Your digital certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the course, as per the stipulated requirements.

Rice Real Estate Investment and Development online short course certificate

YOUR INFORMATION

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FAQ

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The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.

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