Guest Blog by Scott Rahe studying at the Leeds School of Business
Scott Rahe, a University of Colorado senior, is currently studying at the CU real estate center at the Leeds School of Business. He is completing a Finance degree while also working on his CU real estate certificate. Here he shares his guest post on the process of obtaining the CU Real Estate Certificate at the Leeds School of Business.
CU Boulder has been a mainstay of education since 1877. Of the thousands enrolled this academic year, there are only about seventy students in the certificate program. The last couple of years has seen constant growth in the program.
CU Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business Requirements
Those interested in completing the real estate certificate must enroll in 18 credits of real estate related courses. This includes 9 credits of real estate courses and 6 credits of pre-approved real estate related electives. Once these criteria are met, a 3 credit, 140 hour academic internship must be completed with a real estate firm in the front range area.
Students will work with Lisa Chambers, the Director of the real estate certificate program, to make sure all the proper classes has been taken. Those students who complete these requirements will be awarded the real estate certificate. The required classes for the CU real estate certificate are as followed:
- Real 3000: Real Estate Principles
- Real 4100: Real Estate Finance
- Real 4000: Real Estate Law
- 6 credits of approved real estate electives
- Real 4810 Academic Internship class
15% Harder Class Load
For general graduation from CU Boulder, a student is required to successfully complete 120 credits of coursework. This means that if one were to sign up for the real estate program on top of their normal graduation requirements, it would add another 18 credits of coursework.
This means the real estate certificate requires an additional 15% class load in order to graduate.
Academic Internship for CU Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business
In order to obtain the real estate certificate through CU Boulder, an academic internship of 140 hours is required for completion. This internship must be completed with a real estate company. The goal: students gain valuable experience in the industry. This internship can be in any form of real estate, whether it be commercial, residential, agricultural, or industrial. In order to fulfill the time requirement, students must work a minimum of 10 hours a week with their company. Most instructors within the program suggest scheduling classes so that blocks of time will be available to work. My schedule for my final semester looks something like:
M: Internship Class 6:30pm-9:15pm
Tu: Classes from 9:30am-6:15pm
W: Academic Internship from 10:00am-3:00pm
Th: Classes from 9:30am-6:15pm
F: Academic Internship from 10:00am-3:00pm
Throughout the first month of my internship, I have learned a lot of different things regarding the residential real estate market. Most importantly, I have learned the importance of staying in constant contact with your client “database” in order to generate more business. The Boulder Berkshire Hathaway office has also been generous enough in letting me attend their complete training program for new agents. This 90 day program is designed to help new Realtors become more familiar with the resources available to them through BHHS as well as create two home sales!
CU Boulder Real Estate Club
There are additional opportunities and resources available to Leeds School of Business students in order to gain valuable knowledge within the real estate industry. The CU Real Estate Club is an undergraduate student organization at the CU Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business. Membership consists of students across all four years. All majors of study throughout CU who have an interest in real estate are welcome. The club’s goal is to express and share their passion for real estate with young students. Lisa Chambers, the faculty member in charge of the club, provides networking opportunities, educational events, and career development activities. All of the regular club meetings take place every other Tuesday at 6:30 pm. This semester we have had two amazing presentations. The regional department heads for Smash Burger and King Soopers presented discussions on real estate issues within the area and nationally.
We have already met with the head of real estate for SmashBurger and King Soopers to discuss real estate issues within the area.
The real estate coordinator from SmashBurger spent a lot of time talking about their growth within the last 8 years. Smashburger has become one of the fastest growing fast casual brands in the entire nation. In the last 8 years, the popular Burger bistro has expanded to 300 different store locations. This means their real estate directors have been in constant communication with retail realtors regarding retail space. The executive from King Soopers spent his time educating the group on how King Soopers goes about developing new store locations.
Why Complete the Certificate at the CU Real Estate Center at the Leeds School of Business?
The real estate classes offered will apply to the educational component necessary to sit for the broker’s license exam in the state of Colorado. With real estate booming and the economy on the rebound, graduates can immediately sit for the Colorado’s Brokers exam without any further education. The program also does a terrific job of networking and putting students in contact with real estate professionals.