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Real Estate

1,785 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,106 Master's Degrees Annually
#20 in Popularity
$61,870 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Real Estate Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many real estate graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 2,945
Bachelor’s Degree 1,785
Master’s Degree 1,106
Associate Degree 429
Graduate Certificate 174
Undergraduate Certificate 108

What Real Estate Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to real estate and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Real Estate Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in real estate should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Real Estate Majors

A major in real estate prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Real Estate Majors

As you progress with your real estate degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Real Estate Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with real estate:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Appraisers, Real Estate 14.4% $54,980
Assessors 14.4% $54,980
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers 10.3% $58,340
Real Estate Brokers 4.9% $58,210
Real Estate Sales Agents 5.8% $48,690

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Real Estate?

1,785 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
26% Percent Women
24% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is one of the most frequently chosen business majors. It is the 20th most popular in the country with 1,785 students graduating with a bachelor’s in real estate in 2021. This major attracts more men than women. About 74% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of real estate majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 72
Black or African American 88
Hispanic or Latino 202
White 1,264
International Students 49
Other Races/Ethnicities 110

Geographic Diversity

Real Estate appeals to people across the globe. About 2.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • India
  • South Korea
  • Canada
  • Thailand

How Much Do Real Estate Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of real estate students with a bachelor’s degree is $51,372 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $43,823 (25th percentile) and $58,970 (75th percentile).

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It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in real estate, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Real Estate majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $61,720 to $71,730 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Real Estate Major  ( 61720 to 71730 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with real estate require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for real estate careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 2.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 21.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 8.3%
Some College Courses 15.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 13.9%
Bachelor’s Degree 31.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 2.6%
Master’s Degree 1.8%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 1.7%

Online Real Estate Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 224 schools offered some type of real estate program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 37 3
Certificate (2-4 Years) 1 0
Associate’s Degree 95 8
Bachelor’s Degree 20 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 42 1
Post-Master’s 2 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Real Estate Worth It?

The median salary for a real estate grad is $61,870 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 55% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $439,400 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to real estate.

Major Number of Grads
Business Administration & Management 416,590
Accounting 99,265
Finance & Financial Management 57,778
General Business/Commerce 56,042
Marketing 52,916
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 43,382
Human Resource Management 28,787
Business Support & Assistant Services 19,119
Hospitality Management 17,689
Management Information Systems 13,680
Entrepreneurial Studies 11,319
International Business 9,101
General Sales & Marketing 5,923
Business/Managerial Economics 5,667
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing 5,191
Other Business, Management & Marketing 4,822
Construction Management 3,846
Insurance 1,809
Taxation 1,547
Business/Corporate Communications 1,029
Telecommunications Management 55

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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