Real Estate Development

Build a Better Future

Real estate is being remade by climate change, the housing crisis, emerging technologies, and new ways of living and working. UCLA MRED prepares the next generation of real estate leaders to navigate, and help shape, that changing landscape. UCLA MRED is designated as a STEM degree, allowing graduates up to three years of post-graduation U.S. work eligibility.

Located in one of the world’s most dynamic real estate markets, the program combines UCLA’s academic strengths with deep industry engagement and a practical, career-focused approach. Students build the knowledge, perspective and professional experience to address today’s most pressing real estate challenges while preparing for the opportunities ahead.

Build what’s next – in the market where next is already happening.

Industry-centric: 30-member industry advisory board and 85% industry faculty
Hands-on and practical: Integrated 10-week summer practicum providing real-world experience
Customizable: Stackable certificates and specialized mini-courses allow students to tailor their learning
Forward-looking: Designed for what’s next in real estate and to help address the field’s biggest challenges

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Academic Programs

Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)

A STEM-designated, accelerated master’s program training students in real estate finance, development, design, and policy through an industry-connected curriculum culminating in an investment pitch capstone.

Duration:

1-Year

Format:

Full-time

Our Industry Partners

UCLA MRED was designed in close partnership with the real estate industry – and that partnership continues throughout the student experience. Leading professionals help shape what we teach, bring current market knowledge directly into the classroom, and provide students with mentorship and connections that extend beyond it.

Our 30-member Industry Advisory Board helps ensure the program evolves alongside the field, informing curriculum and identifying the skills and emerging issues tomorrow’s real estate leaders need to understand. In the classroom, practitioners teach 85% of MRED courses, grounding academic learning in real-world projects, decisions and challenges.

That connection becomes personal through our Senior Fellows program, which pairs students with accomplished real estate professionals for one-on-one mentorship, career perspective and access to a powerful professional network.

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Explore Our Program

Career and Mentoring

With tailored coursework and hands-on mentoring experiences, our graduates enter the real estate field with state-of-the-art knowledge, skills and connections to make an immediate, lasting impact.

Our People

In addition to our distinguished UCLA faculty, real estate and urban development industry partners will join in administering, teaching and delivering the MRED curriculum.

Requirements and Curriculum

The MRED program offers individualized, practice-oriented training to guide a generation of real estate professionals who can respond to the urban challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Admissions

We welcome students from various specialties, including business, management, architecture and more. As a STEM-designated program, we also offer unique opportunities for international students to work in the U.S. following graduation.

By the Numbers

# 1

Nation’s No. 1 Public University

Earn your MRED at one of the nation’s leading public universities, with access to UCLA’s global reputation, resources and extensive real estate network.

1:1

A Mentor for Every Student

Every MRED student is paired one-to-one with an influential real estate leader for individualized guidance, industry insight and professional connections.

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Of Courses Taught by Industry Professionals

Leading practitioners teach the majority of MRED courses, bringing current market knowledge, real-world cases, and firsthand experience into the classroom.

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Students Receiving Entry Fellowships

UCLA MRED provides entry fellowships to half of its students, with an average award of approximately $17,000.

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Months to Earn the Degree

Students can complete the intensive, STEM-designated MRED in as little as 9.5 months—or extend the experience to 12 months with an optional full-time summer internship.

Why UCLA?

A Pan-UCLA Program in a Dynamic Market

Students draw on expertise across UCLA—including Luskin, Anderson, the Ziman Center and UCLA Law—while learning in one of the world’s most dynamic real estate markets. As Los Angeles prepares for 2028 and rebuilds after wildfires, students engage with urgent challenges in sustainable, resilient and equitable development.

Innovative, practical curriculum

Students build essential skills and professional practice through case-driven coursework grounded in real-world development. They can also pursue a specialization certificate and complete an optional summer internship, tailoring the program to their interests while gaining practical industry experience.

Where the industry is going, not where it’s been

Students learn both real estate fundamentals and emerging practices, from AI and construction technology to sustainability and innovative finance, preparing them to contribute immediately across development, investment, asset management, advisory services, and entrepreneurship.

Meet MRED Alums

Sevan Krikorian

Caruso

"The UCLA MRED core curriculum and certificate programs that allow students to concentrate in a specialized area - like the Jaegar Alter Standard Communities (JASC) Affordable Housing Certificate - positioned me to excel in real estate development after graduation."

Ariela Osuna

Greystar

"What makes the UCLA MRED special is that it’s really connected to the industry in LA, so you’re not just learning in class but also meeting people who are doing the work every day. Equal parts education, networking, and career accelerator, it is designed for people who want to have a real impact on how cities are built."

Jake Simenhoff

Standard Communities

"I chose UCLA's MRED program for the flexibility to design my own curriculum around my goals in affordable housing development. The program also offered access to a wide range of industry professionals, both in the classroom and through networking, which deepened my learning and expanded my professional relationships."

Diana Liu

Panda Restaurant Group

"The UCLA MRED experience pushed us beyond the classroom and challenged us to think like developers and investors, looking beyond what a property is today to identify what it could be by learning current market practices, involving real projects and engaging with the leaders in the industry."