University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy will now be offering a degree program in Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Development.
The launching of the new degree program comes 30 years after the school launched the Dollinger master of real estate development, one of the first real estate graduate degrees.
"This undergraduate program re-affirms our commitment to educating the next generation of leaders in the real estate industry," said USC Price Dean Jack H. Knott in a statement provided by USC Price. "With this degree, our goal is to produce students who understand the changing landscape of real estate and who are prepared to make an immediate contribution on their first day in the workforce."
In a report from the Biz Journal, director of real estate programs at USC Price, Christian Redfearn, helped in the development of the new degree program that will have a unique focus on urban context.
"One of the big trends on the planet right now is a rush to urbanization," Redfearn said. "After 100 years of spreading out into suburbia, people are moving into cities all over the world. Professionals are needed to navigate that urbanization. With the policy and planning elements added to real estate, this degree will help students understand all the moving parts of an in-fill project, not just the finance."
"While professional training in a specialized field, such as real estate, is important, there is a growing body of evidence that shows the value of an inter-disciplinary education at the undergraduate level - education that also incorporates an understanding of people and their behavior, institutions and policies, and how society functions," Knott added. "This broader approach to education, combined with solid training in the technical core, helps to foster critical thinking and creativity, essential ingredients in entrepreneurship and innovation."
The Los Angeles Business Journal reported that there are over 80 students that are enrolled in this degree program.
