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Real Estate Development

Types of Degrees Real Estate Development Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Real Estate Development have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	208
Master’s Degree	346

What Real Estate Development Majors Need to Know

Programs in Real Estate Development emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Real Estate Development graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Real Estate Development emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Real Estate Development program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Negotiation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Real Estate Development careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Real Estate Development graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Real Estate Development professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Yardi software	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Showing Suite real estate software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
RealData Comparative Lease Analysis	Financial analysis software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Real Estate Development graduates include:

• Real Estate Representative (Real Estate Rep)
• Realtor
• Leasing Professional
• Real Estate Closer
• Leasing Specialist
• Real Estate Sales Associate
• Real Estate Associate
• Real Estate Salesperson
• Real Estate Specialist
• Closing Agent
• Urban Planning Professor
• Urban Planning Teacher
• Social Science Professor
• Military Science Teacher
• Weight Control Lecturer

What Can You Do With a Real Estate Development Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Real Estate Development commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Real Estate Brokers	5.1%	$36,148	$29,844–$42,452
Real Estate Sales Agents	-3.0%	$44,773	$36,622–$52,924

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Real Estate Development graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	30.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	21.4%
Some college courses	13.9%
Postsecondary certificate	10.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.3%
Less than a high school diploma	4.4%
First professional degree	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.1%
Master’s degree	2.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Real Estate Development?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 70.8% of Real Estate Development degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	162	29.2%
Men	393	70.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Real Estate Development graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	265	47.7%
Asian	54	9.7%
Hispanic or Latino	70	12.6%
Black or African American	25	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	26	4.7%
Race Unknown	13	2.3%
International Students	97	17.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Real Estate Development Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Real Estate Development graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$85,591
4 years	$127,352
5 years	$144,388

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $144,388 — roughly 69% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Real Estate Development Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Real Estate Development. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Real Estate Development Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Real Estate Development graduates earn a median of $127,352 four years after completion — roughly 235% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning	2,362
Real Estate Development	555

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.