Abbey MRED+D Courses
The Abbey MRED+D’s interdisciplinary curriculum goes beyond tradition to foreground design + urbanism, sustainability + resilience, and equity + inclusion, alongside the hard skills–finance, construction, law, market analysis–every developer needs to learn. Graduates emerge uniquely prepared to tackle the grand challenges facing contemporary cities, with plenty of hands-on experience to complement classroom instruction. Both the full-time program and part-time program share the same curriculum.
Required Courses
- RDEV 200: Construction + Development Project Management (3)
- RDEV 209: Integrated Development, Architecture + Urbanism (4)
- RDEV 210: Real Estate Economics + Market Analysis (2)
- RDEV 220: Foundation Principles of Real Estate Finance (4)
- RDEV 225: Applications in Real Estate Finance (3)
- RDEV 235: Real Estate Capital Markets (3)
- RDEV 240: Professional Practice of Real Estate Development (3)
- RDEV 250: Land Development Law + Regulations (3)
- RDEV 260: Sustainable Real Estate Development (3)
- RDEV 270: Development + Design Studio (5)
- RDEV 277: Equitable + Resilient Development (2)
- RDEV 280: Capstone Project (1)
Electives
Students are able to take up to 6 (full-time) or 3 (part-time) optional elective units in the Fall and Spring terms, in any class with seats available, at no additional cost.
Popular Electives
- ARCH 242: Sustainability Colloquium
- CYPLAN 230: U.S. Housing, Planning, and Policy
- CYPLAN 235: Affordable Housing Finance and Development
- CYPLAN 290B: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Land Development and Investment
- LAW 257: Real Estate Transactions and Litigation
- MBA 280: Real Estate Investment Analysis and Sustainability
- MBA 282: Real Estate Development
- MBA 283: Real Estate Finance and Securitization
- MBA 295A: Entrepreneurship
- RDEV 265: Global Real Estate Intensive
- RDEV 290: Small-Scale Development
- RDEV 297: Real Estate Internship
Sample Student Program — Full Time
Summer
- RDEV 209: Integrated Development, Architecture + Urbanism (4)
- RDEV 210: Real Estate Economics + Market Analysis (2)
- RDEV 220: Foundation Principles of Real Estate Finance (4)
- RDEV 277: Equitable + Resilient Development (2)
Fall
- RDEV 200: Construction + Development Project Management (3)
- RDEV 225: Applications in Real Estate Finance (3)
- RDEV 250: Land Development Law + Regulations (3)
- RDEV 260: Sustainable Real Estate Development (3)
- Elective(s) (0–6)
Spring
- RDEV 235: Real Estate Capital Markets (3)
- RDEV 240: Professional Practice of Real Estate Development (3)
- RDEV 270: Development + Design Studio (5)
- RDEV 280: Capstone Project (1)
- Elective(s) (0–6)
All students participate in the national Urban Land Institute Annual Fall Meeting, and complete a capstone project. Capstone projects synthesize knowledge from the full Abbey MRED+D curriculum to propose a program for a predetermined site.
Sample Student Program — Part Time
Summer, Year 1
- RDEV 220: Foundation Principles of Real Estate Finance (4)
- RDEV 277: Equitable + Resilient Development (2)
Fall, Year 1
- RDEV 225: Applications in Real Estate Finance (3)
- RDEV 250: Land Development Law + Regulations (3)
- Elective(s) (0–3)
Spring, Year 1
- RDEV 235: Real Estate Capital Markets (3)
- RDEV 240: Professional Practice of Real Estate Development (3)
- Elective(s) (0–3)
Summer, Year 2
- RDEV 209: Integrated Development, Architecture + Urbanism (4)
- RDEV 210: Real Estate Economics + Market Analysis (2)
Fall, Year 2
- RDEV 200: Construction + Development Project Management (3)
- RDEV 260: Sustainable Real Estate Development (3)
- Elective(s) (0–3)
Spring, Year 2
- RDEV 270: Development + Design Studio (5)
- RDEV 280: Capstone Project (1)
- Elective(s) (0–3)
Course Descriptions
- RDEV 200: CONSTRUCTION + DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT (3)
- RDEV 209: INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT, ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM (4)
- RDEV 210: REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS + MARKET ANALYSIS (2)
- RDEV 220: FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF REAL ESTATE FINANCE (4)
- RDEV 225: APPLICATIONS IN REAL ESTATE FINANCE (3)
- RDEV 235: REAL ESTATE CAPITAL MARKETS (3)
- RDEV 240: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT (3)
- RDEV 250: LAND DEVELOPMENT LAW + REGULATIONS (3)
- RDEV 260: SUSTAINABLE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT (3)
- RDEV 270: DEVELOPMENT + DESIGN STUDIO (5)
- RDEV 277: EQUITABLE + RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT (2)
- RDEV 280: CAPSTONE PROJECT (1)
- OPTIONAL ELECTIVES
Construction + Development Project Management is designed as a deep dive into construction through the lens of the developer. The course will give real estate development students a stronger knowledge of the concepts, materiality and methodologies surrounding the construction of buildings. The material reviews each of the major approaches of construction as classified by construction type. Subjects will include a review of building typology, structure, systems, rough and finish material, construction drawings, details, sequencing, code and the vocabulary that surrounds these topics. The course challenges students to analyze construction, design, and sustainability with regard to the complex relationships between budget, best practices, functionality, community benefit, aesthetics, and risk to ultimately determine project feasibility. The course will be the first step in developing the skills necessary to facilitate the decision–making process. Balancing these competing objectives during design and through construction will be emphasized throughout the course. An understanding of the various roles of project stakeholders ranging from developers to contractors to architects and engineers is addressed. Job site tours and interactions with stakeholders are used to give students real world applications with the goal of deepening their understanding of the construction process
This course investigates the interrelationship between city–building, development, architecture, and urbanism. It introduces students to design ideas and challenges them to critically evaluate conventional development, illustrating the value of innovative design + urbanism in helping us create more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities. Students will develop a sensibility about the characteristics and qualities that successful urban places possess and why. They will also learn a process for conducting a feasibility analysis and proposal for a multifamily housing project. The goal is not to train you as designers but rather as developers who understand the value of design and who can advance a vision for innovative projects.
This course will provide students with a thorough grounding in the theories and methods of urban economics, as well as a complete introduction to professional methods in real estate market analysis. We will cover the full range of land uses and real estate product types, including mixed-use, lab space, TOD, affordable housing, and other specialized development types. Students will learn to prepare professional-level real estate market analyses for real-world projects in complex urban environments.
This course is designed to facilitate a mastery of core finance and valuation skills required of real estate developers through a practical approach using real world examples / case studies. It is designed to develop students’ ability to think critically about how real estate value is created and develop analytical tools used to derive it. The primary emphasis in the course is on the acquisition, development, financing, and repositioning of real estate projects. The class will have a heavy emphasis on Public-Private Partnerships, and we will study a series of PPPs. Mission Rock will be used as a primary example, but we will study other sites and discuss in detail financing structures available to PPPs.
This course is designed to facilitate a mastery of core Real Estate Capital Markets for real estate developers through a practical approach using real world examples / case studies and extensive guest lectures. It is designed to develop students’ ability to think critically about how real estate is capitalized. The primary emphasis in the course is on the equity and debt markets that are active in real estate.
guest lecturers in the field including developers, project managers, architects, equity investors, bankers, lawyers, contractors, and property managers representing companies from around the Bay Area. Course topics will follow the life cycle/sequence of a real estate project’s development including project conceptualization, financing, partnerships, site acquisition, zoning and permits, design, construction, marketing, sales or lease-up and financial reporting. The class will rely on active professional work products, reports, contracts, schedules and documents handled or produced by practitioners on a daily
basis as course materials. Hands on assignments will focus on work products expected from real estate project managers to synthesize information, inform decisions, present a real estate development project to others and manage the development process.
Upon completion of the course students will have an understanding of the timing and sequence of events and decisions in the real estate development process, the roles and responsibilities of third parties involved in the process, and a familiarity with reports and work products associated with development management.
This course offers a hands–on approach to understanding how land use and environmental laws and regulations affect development patterns and applying land development laws in real–life scenarios. Students will explore how real estate projects are modified by local government and land development laws and regulations through the planning stages, the design process, and the entitlement process, and how these laws and processes ultimately shape the look and feel of the built environment. At the completion of the course, students will understand the legal framework and entitlement process for developing real estate projects. Students will be able to identify, analyze, and apply the land use regulations affecting a given piece of property, including how environmental laws and regulations governing the physical environment — such as contamination and wetlands — affect the development process and potential of the site.
This course explores the principles, practices, challenges and opportunities of sustainable real estate development. Emphasizing innovative approaches, students will examine case studies, learn about green building technologies, and develop strategies for creating economically viable, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive developments. The course combines theoretical frameworks with practical applications to prepare students for leadership roles in sustainable real estate. The course is organized around innovative strategies in six areas: site, carbon, water, energy, materials, and healthy buildings. Students will also learn how these approaches impact execution and operations and assess the financial feasibility of different strategies.
Studios use real development projects–both local and nonlocal, domestic or international–to provide students with the experience and skills necessary to synthesize real estate development + design projects. The course operates on the premise that development + design are both creative and analytical acts. As developers and designers, students need to understand: the development process, program determination, how development teams work, what makes good design and how it adds value, and how to craft a feasible, innovative project proposal which integrates ideals of equity, sustainability and community benefit into its core. The studio will integrate interdisciplinary projects teams of MRED+D and other CED graduate students (City Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design). While the course is not intended to teach MRED+D candidates to be design experts nor teach design and planning students to be finance experts, by engaging in a studio process which incorporates both development and design considerations, students will become more sophisticated and critical participants in the act of shaping urban environments. Students will gather and evaluate market, construction and environmental data to inform design and program choices; evaluate the physical, market, and public policy constraints of a given site; apply best practices of redevelopment; advance innovative design solutions; and communicate their development proposals to a professional audience.
This course explores the interconnectivity of real estate, resilience and equity at a wide range of scales and technical areas. At a time of great natural and societal change, cities and their inhabitants face unprecedented challenges, and the real estate industry, in particular, is at the nexus of driving this change. This course explores the impact of natural threats such as sea level rise, flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, drought, and earthquakes, as well as human-influenced challenges such as land-use policy, racial and environmental injustice, income inequality, urban sprawl, inadequate infrastructure, building energy and technology innovations and the need for financial mechanisms like underwriting and insurance to address unprecedented challenges.
The course will include discussions of various approaches to resilience and engage
multidisciplinary experts who bring resilience into their research or professional work at multiple scales: region, city, district, and building. Major infrastructure system investments and equitable community co-benefits are also key topics, as they impact the physical and financial requirements for building and site design and development. We will examine resilient approaches to design, systems engineering, equity, insurance, and policy, and formulate an approach to resilience that will improve the quality of a real estate investment and its equity and environmental impact, while remaining profitable.
This course provides MRED+D students with an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they have learned throughout the MRED+D program and create an individual development proposal for a given site/challenge. Student will select one site from several options that best aligns with their interests. Students formulate a comprehensive development proposal, including a pitch presentation and written investment memo.
Please see the following course catalogs for descriptions of elective courses of interest: