Real estate is booming in Los Angeles with forecasts projecting continued growth and demand. Meanwhile, LMU students have become increasingly interested in pursuing careers in real estate. In fact, the LMU Real Estate Society has experienced a 350% growth in membership since its launch in 2020. It made sense then for LMU to introduce a Real Estate Certificate Program to educate students about this growing industry.
The Real Estate Certificate Program was conceived by the LMU Real Estate Advisory Council (REAC), a group of real estate executives (primarily alumni and parents) who provide guidance, advice and feedback on business and employment trends in real estate. The REAC’s primary objective is to make LMU students more employable by expanding their knowledge on real estate topics and trends that are most relevant in the industry.
“With over 80,000 real estate jobs in L.A. County, the REAC felt it was imperative to craft a bridge between this student desire and the demands of the industry,” said Anthony Walker, MBA ’12, CEO of Buckingham Investments and a member of the REAC.
Anthony admits he would have loved to have access to the breadth of knowledge and experience offered by the REAC and the certificate program when he was a student.
“When I was in the MBA program over 10 years ago, I developed a strong desire to learn more about career paths in real estate, but with only one class on the subject I was left to my own devices to expand my network, research companies and identify job opportunities,” he said. “Luckily, the LMU network paid off and I was introduced to a great local company, through which I have grown my career.”
REAC Chair Mark Macedo ’86, MBA ’94, managing director at Geneva Street Partners, says the lack of LMU real estate offerings has made it difficult to hire LMU students in the past.
“As the owner of a real estate company, I grew frustrated that LMU students did not have access to a real estate education and were missing out on a lot of opportunities,” he said. “The certificate program is a first step to growing a real estate education at LMU with a future goal of offering more academic courses and extracurricular programming.”
The certificate program features a series of seminars taught by industry professionals (primarily REAC members) that cover a variety of topics including real estate investment, real estate law, real estate capital markets and real estate sustainability. The program is open to all LMU undergraduate and graduate students, including Loyola Law School students.
Sofia Booth, president of the LMU Real Estate Society, says student response to the certificate program has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Many LMU students want to pursue careers in real estate and this certificate program enables them to gain experience, build their network and become more competitive candidates for internships and jobs in real estate,” she said.
In order to receive the certificate, students must complete six out of eight seminars. The first two seminars were held in the fall with over 150 students registered for each session. The remaining six seminars will be held in the spring. Due to high demand, the first two seminars will be repeated in the spring for those who were unable to participate. Seminars are held both in-person and via Zoom.
In addition to the certificate program, the REAC organizes other signature events throughout the year including an industry panel, a site visit, a networking event and a Real Estate Career Day. REAC scholarships and Argus grants are also awarded to students.
“The Real Estate Advisory Council along with our other Targeted Affinity Councils provide tremendous value to our faculty and students,” said Dayle Smith, dean of LMU College of Business Administration. “These accomplished industry professionals help us assess program objectives and make recommendations on how to improve the curriculum to better serve the needs of our students. Thanks to the REAC, we are well-positioned to continue building a robust real estate offering at LMU.”
Click here to learn more about the LMU Real Estate Certificate Program.
The LMU Real Estate Advisory Council is recruiting new members! If you’re interested in becoming a member or supporting REAC activities and scholarships, contact Roberta Kuhlman, CBA senior director of development, at roberta.kuhlman@lmu.edu.
To learn more about the LMU Real Estate Society, contact Sofia Booth at sbooth1@lion.lmu.edu and be sure to follow the society on Instagram.