Students aspiring to enter the commercial property sector will soon have a dedicated undergraduate pathway. The Rutgers Board of Governors has officially voted to approve a new Bachelor of Science in Real Estate degree program, which will be offered through Rutgers Business School across its Newark and New Brunswick campuses.
Designed to address surging student interest and strong market demand, the curriculum builds upon existing real estate courses, minors, and concentrations offered via the Rutgers Center for Real Estate. Eligible students currently enrolled in realework classes could graduate with the newly minted B.S. degree as early as May 2028.
The new major will train students in the core pillars of the property sector, including project development, investment, financing, and asset management.
“Because of New Jersey’s high density of corporate headquarters, massive industrial logistics hubs, and booming transit-oriented residential developments, offering a major in real estate at Rutgers will provide a strong talent pipeline to meet the needs of the state’s economy,” said Lei Lei, dean of Rutgers Business School.
Faculty leaders emphasize that the degree will prepare undergraduates to immediately step into competitive roles.
“The real estate major signals to the very competitive marketplace that Rutgers students are trained, knowledgeable, and ready to work at the top real estate and real estate-adjacent firms in the state, the area, nationwide, and globally,” said Morris A. Davis, the Paul V. Profeta Chair of Real Estate and professor of finance and economics.
The program benefits from an active advisory board and strong corporate backing from industry sponsors such as Dynamic Engineering Consultants, EisnerAmper, Sills Cummis & Gross, and Walker & Dunlop. Through these donor networks, the Rutgers Center for Real Estate has historically provided substantial financial backing, awarding more than $2.3 million in scholarships to 373 students.
In addition to the new undergraduate major, Rutgers Business School continues to support advanced studies through real estate concentrations in its Full-Time and Part-Time MBA programs, which feature specialized funding opportunities like full-tuition scholarships for qualifying New Jersey residents.
