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Finance and Real Estate

Real estate is the largest asset class in the world, with financial analysis at the heart of successful decision-making. Decisions on whether to proceed with a project, when to buy or lease a property, how to cost-effectively expand or renovate a building–and even the identification of optimal prices at which to buy or sell–are all informed by an understanding of financial principals at work in the realm of real estate.

Because of this, employers in the real estate industry highly value students who have applied knowledge of both finance and real estate. Opportunities for finance graduates in real estate are numerous, including property valuation, financial analysis of real estate prospects, real estate investment financing, and real estate purchase and leasing, to name just a few.

Virginia Tech’s Finance and Real Estate Major is especially tailored for students who want to pursue a career in real estate finance and commercial development. Our program provides students with in-depth coursework in both commercial real estate and finance, equipping graduates for success in a variety of careers. Students finish this program with a Double Major–a first major in Finance and Real Estate (FREL) and a second major in Real Estate for Commercial Properties (RELC).

Requirements for Major: Please note that students need to declare a first major in Finance and Real Estate (FREL) and manually apply for the second major in Real Estate for Commercial Properties (RELC) to qualify for enrollment in all major-restricted courses. Real Estate for Commercial Properties (RELC) must be declared as the second major in order for students to fulfill Blackwood Department of Real Estate program requirements for this Double Major. Students in this Double Major must meet with an advisor from each major throughout matriculation to verify on-time completion of graduation requirements.

Student Competencies:

  • Understand and apply the concepts of financial analysis and valuation to real estate assets
  • Understand the various phases of the real estate development process
  • Understand the various methods of financing real estate
  • Understand be able to value investment products based on real estate assets

Experiential Learning:

Students can apply their knowledge of finance and real estate as members of BASIS and SEED, Virginia Tech’s student-managed investment funds, as well as Credit Corps, Virginia Tech’s student-managed loan fund.

Targeted Skill-sets:

  • Interest in real estate assets and markets
  • Willingness to learn about a diverse set of subject areas (project design and management, financial analysis, laws and regulations, financing, and investments)
  • Ability to organize and analyze data using Excel, make data-based decisions and apply them to tangible projects and assets
  • Ability to analyze projects from both a qualitative and quantitative standpoint

Example Careers:

  • Financial analyst for a real estate developer, real estate investment firm, or corporation that owns significant amounts of real estate
  • Real estate appraisal (valuation)
  • Bank credit officer or loan officer specializing in real estate financing
  • Mortgage broker
  • Investment banker or trader specializing in real estate
  • Project or property Management
  • Entrepreneur or investor in real estate assets