Degree Requirements and Curriculum
Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) students complete a set of required core courses, required and open electives as well as write a thesis in order to meet their degree requirements. They must maintain a 4.0 of 5.0 GPA to remain in good academic standing and receive a grade go B or better in the MSRED Core Courses.
| MSRED Degree Requirements | |
| Core Courses | 54 Units |
| Required Electives | 24 Units |
| Open Electives | 21 Units |
| Thesis | 12 Units |
| Total | 111 Units |
Students must successfully complete the specified MSRED core courses:
- 11.303: Real Estate Development Studio (18 units)
- 11.350: Sustainable Real Estate (6 units)
- 11.431: Real Estate Finance and Investment (12 units)
- 11.433: Real Estate Economics (12 units)
- 11.450: Real Estate Building Systems (3 units)
- 11.499: Thesis Prep (3 units)
The above courses are letter graded. They cannot be taken Pass/Fail
The below courses fill the 24 MSRED Required Electives (must take at least 6 units in the fall term)
- 11.246/2.246: DesignX Accelerator (12 units) *
- 11.301: Introduction to Urban Design and Development (12 units) *
- 11.305: Doing Good by Doing Well: Planning and Development Case Studies that Promote both the Public Good and Real Estate Value (3 units)
- 11.323: International Real Estate Transactions (6 units)
- 11.325: Technological Change & Innovation for Real Estate + Cities (6 units)
- 11.344/1.472: Innovative Project Delivery n the Public and Private Sectors (6 units)
- 11.345/1.462: Entrepreneurship in in the Built Environment (6 units)*
- 11.351: Real Estate Ventures I: Negotiating Development-Phase Agreements (12 units)
- 11.352: Real Estate Ventures II: Negotiating Leases, Financings, and Restructurings (12 units)
- 11.355: International Housing Finance & Economics (9 units)
- 11.425: Real Estate Private Equity
- 11.428: Proptech Ventures
- 11.429/15.022: Real Estate Markets: Macroeconomics (6 units)
- 15.401: Managerial Finance (9 units)**
*(DUSP/ARCH COURSE) / **(SLOAN COURSE)
International students may be required to take an English course during the first semester at MIT. If mandated to do so, those course units can be applied to the required electives.
(See the Center for Real Estate’s MSRED EET POLICY)
In addition to the core courses and MSRED electives, there are open electives and special topics courses that focus on a wide variety of subjects. Suggested Courses to satisfy Open Electives
11.268: Laws of the Land: Land Use and Environmental Law and Policy (6 units)
11.353: Securitization of Mortgages and Other Assets (6 units)
11.360: Community Growth and Land Use Planning (12 units)
11.333: Urban Design Seminar: Perspectives on Contemporary Practice (9 units)
11.401: Introduction to Housing, Community, and Economic Development (12 units)
15.402: Corporate Finance (9 units)
15.433: Financial Markets (9 units)
15.434: Advanced Corporate Finance (9 units)
New courses may be introduced as Special Topics to leverage faculty expertise and respond to emerging trends in the field. Special Topics courses that are offered repeatedly are often formally incorporated into the MSRED curriculum.
RED.THG: Thesis (12 units)
Thesis provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply the knowledge acquired in course work in a substantial written report, equivalent in academic load to a full course.
Students may choose to collaborate with ongoing faculty or industry-proposed research projects or to identify a topic of their own. Students must be registered when they are working on their thesis.
Thesis seminar (course 11.499) is a core course offered each spring term. Thesis seminar describes faculty research interests and explains quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to help students explore possible thesis topics. Student thesis topics and work plans are finalized by the end of the spring term.
Thesis research — which may include interviews, statistical analysis, project evaluations, and literature reviews — and the writing of the thesis is accomplished over the summer term or following fall term.
Theses are letter graded and cannot be taken Pass/Fail.
MSRED students may choose to apply their knowledge and skills with an industry internship. Internships count the experience towards their degree requirements (Fieldwork 11.929). Internships are undertaken during the summer semester, typically by those students pursuing the 16-month program option. Students are required to submit a written summary and assessment of their internship in order to receive credit for this Fieldwork course.
Dual Degree
A student who wants to complement the MSRED with another MIT graduate degree may apply to pursue a dual degree, provided they are accepted for admission and complete degree requirements in each department or School. Learn More About the Dual Degree Application Process
Common Dual Degrees for MSRED Students
- MSRED/Master of City Planning, Department of Urban Studies + Planning, SA+P
- MSRED/M.ARCH, Department of Architecture, SA+P
- MSRED/SMArchS, Department of Architecture, SA+P
Doctor of Philosophy with Real Estate Focus
The CRE offers mentorship and support for DUSP doctoral students focused on real estate studies. The DUSP program is tailored to the needs of individual students, each of whom works closely with a custom ecosystem of scholars. Learn more about PhD programs
There are no official concentration tracks in the MSRED program but students may take a suite of specific finance courses and complete a thesis that addresses a financial topic. This will be considered to complete a finance concentration within the MSRED program.
Students should plan to take 4 of the following courses:
11.353 Mortgage Securitization
11.351 Real Estate Ventures I
11.352 Real Estate ventures 2
11.355 International Housing, Finance, + Economics
15.401 Managerial Finance
15.402 Coporate Finance
15.433 Investments
15.343 Advanced Corporate Finance
