Real Estate major
Real Estate: courses, careers, and where to study
Real Estate covers property markets, valuation, finance, development, and law, preparing graduates to broker, manage, finance, develop, and appraise residential and commercial property.
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Real Estate earn a median $84,821 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $55,645 to $120,670 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college
A Real Estate major, usually offered as a bachelor's within a business school, builds on the business core with coursework in real-estate principles, property valuation and appraisal, real-estate finance and mortgage markets, investment analysis, property and asset management, land-use and zoning, and real-estate law. Many programs sit within or alongside a Finance department, and some offer concentrations in commercial real estate, development, or property management. Coursework often includes financial modeling, market analysis, and a development or investment capstone.
Graduates work as brokers and sales agents, property and asset managers, appraisers, mortgage and commercial loan officers, real-estate analysts, and developers. Brokering is one common path and does not require a graduate degree: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the typical entry path for real estate brokers is a high school diploma plus state licensure, though many earn a degree. The BS provides the finance, valuation, and law background that supports analyst and management roles and helps with advancement, while licensure governs who may broker transactions. The BLS projects 3.3% employment growth for real estate brokers from 2024 to 2034.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Real Estate maps to CIP 52.1501, Real Estate, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to develop, buy, sell, appraise, and manage real estate. Includes instruction in land use development policy, real estate law, real estate marketing procedures, agency management, brokerage, property inspection and appraisal, real estate investing, leased and rental properties, commercial real estate, and property management.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Real Estate is awarded as
Of the 8,138 Real Estate credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:
- Certificate: 48%, 3,937 credentials.
- Associate: 8%, 677 credentials.
- Bachelor's: 27%, 2,182 credentials.
- Graduate: 16%, 1,342 credentials.
This is one of the fields where the answer genuinely depends on where you study: across the 21 states reporting it, certificates run from 0% of credentials in the 10th-percentile state to 80% in the 90th. Check the mix in your state before assuming which credential a program leads to. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Real-estate principles, markets, and brokerage practice
- Property valuation and appraisal methods
- Real-estate finance, mortgages, and capital markets
- Real-estate investment analysis and financial modeling
- Property and asset management
- Real-estate development and the construction process
- Land-use planning, zoning, and entitlements
- Real-estate law, contracts, and ethics
Typical careers
- Real estate brokers
- Real Estate Sales Agent
- Property Manager
- Real Estate Appraiser
- Real Estate Analyst
- Mortgage Loan Officer
Typical salary range: Informational, not a starting wage (BLS, 2024 real estate brokers median $72,280)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
How much do Real Estate graduates earn?
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Real Estate earn a median $84,821 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $55,645 to $120,670 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
| Credential | National median | Middle half of programs |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | $84,821 | $55,645 to $120,670 |
| Undergraduate certificate | $46,762 | $25,989 to $72,061 |
| Master's | $135,104 | $85,909 to $185,208 |
Compare Real Estate programs in your state
Highest-earning bachelor's Real Estate programs
- University of Southern California (CA): $143,977, median federal debt $19,500
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI): $120,483, median federal debt $20,138
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA): $95,576, median federal debt $26,529
- Ohio State University-Main Campus (OH): $91,213, median federal debt $17,323
- University of Northern Iowa (IA): $83,592, median federal debt $20,500
- Florida State University (FL): $80,900, median federal debt $19,500
- University of Georgia (GA): $78,372, median federal debt $19,250
- University of San Diego (CA): $78,044, median federal debt $19,699
- University of Central Florida (FL): $72,063, median federal debt $17,750
- The University of Texas at San Antonio (TX): $62,817, median federal debt $19,071
Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Real Estate. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Real Estate, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | $66,700 | 39,000 | +3.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $56,320 | 36,600 | +3.1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Real Estate Brokers | $72,280 | 9,700 | +3.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Appraisers of Personal and Business Property | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 5 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Real Estate does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Real Estate major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Real Estate program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Real Estate department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Real Estate program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Real Estate credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- New York University, NY · 327 credentials
- San Jacinto Community College, TX · 321 credentials
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI · 296 credentials
- Sinclair Community College, OH · 232 credentials
- Georgetown University, DC · 197 credentials
- Dallas College, TX · 191 credentials
- University of Georgia, GA · 176 credentials
- West Los Angeles College, CA · 161 credentials
- University of San Diego, CA · 155 credentials
- Los Angeles Valley College, CA · 150 credentials
- Texas Christian University, TX · 150 credentials
- Florida State University, FL · 145 credentials
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Real Estate credentials were awarded
9 states have a distinct enough set of Real Estate colleges to be worth its own page.
Every Real Estate program with its own CampusPin page
1 program in one state, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.
Real Estate programs in California, 1 program
- Ashford University Bachelor's, $58,733
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Economics
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Construction Management
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Urban Planning
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Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Real Estate degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Business & Finance careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Sales careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Real Estate degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Real Estate path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.