ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Academic Requirements (111 units)

• CORE COURSES 60 Units

• MSRED ELECTIVES 24 Units

• OPEN ELECTIVES 15 Units

• THESIS 12 Units

All MSRED students are required to register for three full terms and complete all requirements, plus a final thesis project (Summer or Fall).  

• Students choosing to complete the thesis in the fall must have completed all other requirements, including elective requirements, by the end of their spring semester.  

• In addition, students must maintain a B average (4.0) across all coursework in order to be recommended for a degree.  

• Failure to perform at the above level may result in an academic warning or probation, and the denial of further registration by the Graduate School.

MSRED Program Time-Line 

• Students enter in fall, and complete all required coursework during the fall and spring semesters. 

  • Students then must register for the summer term while they are writing their thesis papers.

  • Students who complete thesis in the summer will be on the Septemebr degree list.

• They make take courses in the summer but most students use the time to focus on thesis. 

• Students may also choose the Fall Thesis Option (See below)

Fall Thesis Option

• Many students join the MSRED Program seeking to shift their career trajectory and focus.  These students may find the fall thesis option particularly appealing, as it allows the possibility of an optional summer internship, as well as the possibility to do a more extensive thesis  as well as the opportunity to take additional elective courses and/or TA during the second fall semester.  

• Students who pursue the the fall thesis option do not register or pay for the summer semester. They do register and have related financial obligations for the second fall semester. 

• The MSRED program extends from 11 to 16 months (finishing in January of the second year). 

• International students have the opportunity to participate in a summer internship in the US via an internship course, which can be counted towards their degree requirements and as such, falls under what is considered Curricular Practical Training (CPT) by visa regulations. * 

• Thesis is considered full-time registration and restricts international students to 20 hours/week of work, so international students who wish to pursue a summer internship in the US under CPT typically complete the 16-month option.  

*Please note that students registering only for the internship course (11. 962) during the summer semester are required to pay only the tuition fees associated with registering for the course (per unit; the MSRED internship course is a 1 unit course).  Thesis is considered full-time registration and will incur full tuition.  

Concentrations

While MIT does not officially designate minors/majors within graduate programs, nor on diplomas, students can unofficially concentrate their studies within their respective programs. The MSRED program allows students to concentrate their studies in either Development or Finance.  Students may also choose not to concentrate in one area or the other.  Students who choose to pursue a concentration most often denote this on their resume, as MIT does not offer a designation on one's diploma at the graduate level.

Students taking either the Development or Finance “concentration” must complete: the common MSRED core courses, 3-5 elective courses focused in their chosen concentration (minimum 33 units total), and finally, must complete a Master’s thesis related to their concentration.  The thesis is normally undertaken during the summer semester following course work, but may be completed during the subsequent fall semester if students opt to extend their program to 16 months.  Students also have the option to design a custom, tailored focus involving the core curriculum together with a unique set of MIT elective courses.  

Suggested Electives

• In the MSRED Program, a full course load in the fall is a minimum of 39 units, and 57 units in the spring (each unit corresponds to approximately 1 hour per week of work, in theory).  Many students elect to carry a heavier course load, with extra courses either being taken for credit or as a "Listener" (what you may be more familiar with as "auditing").  

• Any one course among the required MSRED electives that you do not choose to count as your required elective can be taken as an open elective.  In addition, while any MIT or Harvard course may be taken as an extra elective, the CRE sponsors and administers several electives in the fall and spring that are particularly oriented to the MSRED program.  

• Taking classes above and beyond what is required in each semester does not incur extra tuition charges, even if the class is at Harvard. 
  
  

Special Seminars

Real estate is an ever-evolving field and, as such, new and exciting innovations are a constant. In order to allow a more in-depth study of some topics covered by other courses, as well as to provide insight into many of these innovations, the MSRED Program hosts a revolving list of half-semester seminars each fall and spring.
See current offerings here.

Past and current seminars include:

• Corporate Real Estate– taught by Visiting Lecturer Sarah Abrams, MSRED ’85

• Mediating Private Development with Public Planning– taught by Professor Kairos Shen

• Innovative Products, Spaces, and Technology in Commercial Development– taught by Dr. Andrea Chegut

• Real Estate Investment & Financial Analysis – taught by Chip Weintraub

• International Real Estate Transactions – taught by Visiting Professor Manish Srivastava

• China Future City Seminar – taught by Professor Siqi Zheng

• Urban Informality – taught by Visiting Lecturer Kate Mytty

• Protech for Real Estate-Taught by Researcher James Scott And Steve Weikal

• Real Estate Privater Equity-Taught By Nori Geraldo Leitz

• Real Estate Portfolio Management-Taught by Jacques Gordon

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