Real Estate Schools and Programs in The United States
29 schools in The United States teach Real Estate.
Alamance Community College
Vocational school Graham, The United States In an official register
Alamance Community College (ACC) is a community college in North Carolina that serves students across Alamance County. It focuses on community engagement, accessible education and workforce development, and offers associate's degrees, diplomas and certificates as well as…
American River College
Vocational school Sacramento, The United States In an official register
American River College (ARC) is a community college in the Los Rios group of four colleges, with a 153-acre main campus in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. Its history goes back to the American River Junior College District, created in the fall of 1955. ARC enrols…
Bellevue College
University Bellevue, The United States In an official register
Bellevue College is a public US university, based in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. The school welcomes 35,000 students yearly, which means it is the second largest institution of higher education in Washington state. Bellevue College has made available two…
Bergen Community College
Vocational school Paramus, The United States In an official register
Bergen Community College is a two-year community college in Paramus, New Jersey, a few minutes from New York City. It was established by Bergen County in 1963 and opened in 1968, and describes itself as the largest community college in the State of New Jersey. Classes take…
Broward College
Vocational school Fort Lauderdale, The United States In an official register
Broward College, formerly Broward Community College, is a public college serving Broward County and South Florida in the United States. It opened on 6 September 1960 as the Junior College of Broward County and became Broward College when it added bachelor's programmes; its…
College of Southern Idaho
Vocational school Twin Falls, The United States In an official register
The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is a college in Twin Falls, Idaho, that serves the Magic Valley region. It has followed an open-door philosophy since its founding about 60 years ago, welcoming students at any stage of life. CSI offers programmes in many areas, from…
Colorado Mesa University
University Grand Junction, The United States In an official register
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) is a public university in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States, founded in 1925 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It has more than 10,000 students, 15.4% of them from outside Colorado. Besides the 141-acre main campus in Grand…
Colorado State University
University Fort Collins, The United States In an official register
Colorado State University (CSU) is a public research university in Fort Collins, in Northern Colorado, about an hour north of Denver. It is the flagship institution of the Colorado State University System and the state's land-grant university. Total enrolment in the 2025-26…
Community College of Aurora
Vocational school Aurora, CO, The United States In an official register
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) is a two-year public, open-access institution in Aurora, Colorado, and one of 13 community colleges in the Colorado Community College System. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). CCA serves Arapahoe, Adams and Denver…
East Central College
Higher education centre Union, MO, The United States In an official register
East Central College (ECC) is a community college in Union, Missouri, in the United States. It was created and is locally supported by the residents of its college district. The main campus in Union lies west of St. Louis County and draws students from across east-central…
Ferris State University
University Big Rapids, The United States In an official register
Ferris State University is a mid-sized, four-year public university whose main campus is in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 by Woodbridge and Helen Ferris as the privately owned Big Rapids Industrial School, became a state institution in 1950 and a state…
Florida Atlantic University
University Boca Raton, The United States In an official register
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is a public university in southeast Florida. It was established in 1961 and opened in 1964 as the fifth public university in the state. More than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students study on six campuses along the coast: Boca Raton…
Florida State University
University Tallahassee, The United States In an official register
Florida State University is located in Florida, USA. The school offers top undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programs in the fields of physics, chemistry, psychology, sociology, political science, criminology and many more. They also have professional schools such…
Lansing Community College
Vocational school Lansing, The United States In an official register
Lansing Community College (LCC) is a community college in Lansing, Michigan, founded in 1957. From its main campus in downtown Lansing it has grown to six locations in the mid-Michigan area, including sites in Delta Township, East Lansing and Mason, and the college states…
McLennan Community College
Vocational school Waco, The United States In an official register
McLennan Community College (MCC) is a community college at 1400 College Drive in Waco, Texas. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The college reports more than 8,200 enrolled students and more than 140 degrees…
New York University
University New York, The United States In an official register
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, United States, founded in 1831. It has 20 schools and colleges and, besides its New York campus, degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Shanghai (China). The university…
Northeast Community College
Vocational school Norfolk, NE, The United States In an official register
Northeast Community College is a community college in Norfolk, Nebraska, in the United States. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognised by the U.S. Department of Education, and awards two-year associate degrees…
Old Dominion University
University Norfolk, The United States In an official register
Old Dominion University was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of The College of William and Mary, and became independent in 1962. It is a public research university, located in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. The institution is known to be one of the largest US providers of…
San Diego State University
University San Diego, The United States In an official register
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, and one of 23 universities in the California State University (CSU) system. SDSU describes itself as an R1 institution and states that it has been rooted in the San Diego region for…
Temple University
University Philadelphia, The United States In an official register
Temple University is a public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was founded as a night school by Russell Conwell in 1884 and today has more than 33,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Temple is classified as an R1…
University of North Texas
University Denton, The United States In an official register
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas, a town of about 150,000 people 36 miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth. Founded in 1890, it is classified as an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification and, with nearly 44,000…
University of Pennsylvania
University Philadelphia, The United States In an official register
The University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1750. It welcomes about 10,000 students, who come from USA and other countries of the world. It has a great reputation and is considered one of the best in the world.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University Madison, The United States In an official register
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) is a public land-grant university and major research institution founded in 1848. Its lakeside campus is in Madison, the state capital of Wisconsin, and it belongs to the Universities of Wisconsin, a system of 13 universities…
Western Nevada College
Vocational school Carson City, The United States In an official register
Western Nevada College (WNC) is a college in Carson City, Nevada, with campuses in Carson City, Fallon and Douglas. Its main address is 2201 West College Parkway, Carson City, and the Carson City campus opened in 1971. WNC has an open-door admissions policy, and any adult may…
NYU School of Professional Studies
University New York, The United States
The New York University (NYU) School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers its students a high-class professional education. Some of the common undergraduate degrees in professional fields include Digital Media, Real Estate, Business, Health Management, and Hotel and…
Shelton State in Tuscaloosa
Vocational school Tuscaloosa, The United States
Shelton State Community College (SSCC) is a two-year community college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the United States. It belongs to Alabama's state system of public colleges and is one of six HBCU (historically Black) community colleges in the state. It has two campuses in…
Belmont Technical College
Vocational school St. Clairsville, The United States
Belmont Technical College is a two-year public college, headquartered in Ohio, USA. Established in 1971, the college has been serving the local communities for more than 30 years. The institution has made available the following degrees: Transfer Degrees; Associate of Arts…
SUNY, The State University of New York
University Albany, The United States
SUNY is a system of public universities in New York, USA. It was established in 1948, and represents the largest system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world. Overall, it has 64 campuses around the state, including four University Centers…
The Ohio State University
University Columbus, The United States
Ohio State University is a public research university, and currently has the third largest university campus in the United States. Located in Columbus, Ohio, it was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university. Now the university has also established regional campuses in Lewis…
Real Estate Studies in The United States
Real estate as a field of study covers how property is bought, sold, financed, developed, valued and managed. In the United States it is taught at two quite different levels. Community colleges offer short, practical courses that prepare students for a state sales agent or broker licence. Universities and business schools teach real estate as a branch of finance, economics and urban development, usually within a bachelor's degree in business or a specialised master's.
Qualifications and levels
- Licensing courses and certificates at community colleges, covering the courses a state requires before the licence exam
- Associate degrees (two years) in real estate
- Bachelor's degrees (four years), either a real estate major or a business degree with a real estate concentration
- Master's degrees, such as an MS in Real Estate or in Real Estate Development, or an MBA with a real estate focus
- Non-credit certificates and continuing education for professionals
Examples from the schools' own pages: American River College in Sacramento offers an associate degree and certificates in real estate, with courses in real estate principles, practice, finance, legal aspects and appraisal, and states that the programme prepares students for the California salesperson and broker licence exams. McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, has a Real Estate Licensure Certificate of six courses approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). At university level, the NYU School of Professional Studies' Schack Institute of Real Estate in New York offers a BS in Real Estate, an MS in Real Estate and an MS in Real Estate Development, as well as non-credit certificates; some of its programmes are STEM-designated. At the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School's Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center has supported real estate teaching and research since 1983.
Licensing
A degree is not the same as a licence. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), every state requires real estate brokers and sales agents to be licensed. Requirements vary by state but typically include being at least 18, having a high school diploma or equivalent, completing prelicensing courses and passing an exam. College degrees and certificates in real estate are typically not required, although many agents and brokers hold a bachelor's degree. Some property managers also need a state licence.
Licences are issued by each state, so a course designed for one state's exam may not count in another. Some states also set residency or immigration conditions: in Texas, for example, applicants must be a US citizen or a lawfully admitted alien.
Admission and visa
Community college certificates and associate degrees usually have open or flexible admission. Bachelor's programmes ask for secondary school records, English test scores, essays and recommendations, and master's programmes require a first degree; many expect some background in economics, finance or business. EducationUSA describes a "2+2" route in which two years at a community college are followed by two years at a university to complete a bachelor's degree.
Degree programmes at accredited colleges and universities use the F-1 student visa. Short vocational or non-credit courses may fall under the M visa or may not qualify for a student visa at all, so international students should check with the school before applying.
Where to study real estate in the United States
The schools on this page are spread across the country. Universities include New York University and the NYU School of Professional Studies in New York, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Ohio State University, San Diego State University and the University of North Texas. Community colleges include American River College, McLennan Community College, Bergen Community College in New Jersey, Broward College in Florida and Lansing Community College in Michigan.
Careers
Graduates work as sales agents and brokers, property and asset managers, appraisers, analysts in real estate investment and finance, and in development and construction. The BLS reports median annual wages in May 2025 of $73,220 for real estate brokers, $52,830 for sales agents and $69,990 for property, real estate and community association managers. Employment of brokers and sales agents is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,400 openings a year. For management roles, the BLS lists business, accounting, finance, real estate and public administration as useful fields of study.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a degree to work in real estate in the United States?
Not to become a sales agent: states require prelicensing courses and an exam. Degrees are more useful for finance, investment, development and management roles.
Can an international student get a US real estate licence?
It depends on the state. Each state sets its own rules, and some, such as Texas, require applicants to be US citizens or lawfully admitted aliens.
How long does a real estate degree take?
An associate degree takes about two years, a bachelor's degree four years and a master's up to two years. Licensing certificates can be much shorter; McLennan's requires six courses.