This 15-credit minor equips students with the basic understanding of sustainable real estate development principles, history, finance, and how development intersects and impacts the arts, sciences, and social areas. Students will gain the necessary skills and experience to incorporate real estate and market fundamentals in addressing issues in the built environment related to housing, retail, office, commercial, and industrial uses.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
Explain the ways in which policy, finance and economics shape the built environment and produce a varied set of outcomes that are dependent on geography, access to information and capital, demand, and available resources.
Evaluate and understand our existing mechanisms for constructing, financing, and managing property developed for a myriad of use types, populations and specific conditions.
Demonstrate an ability to understand the basic principles of development, finance and management of a variety of assets.
Engage with a range of professions seeking a basic knowledge and understanding of the development process.
Interact with fellow students interested in the field, and with alumni, local practitioners, and thought leaders working in areas that touch various aspects of sustainable real estate and development.
Participate in co-curricular activities such as the Michigan Real Estate Club and its annual RE:Con conference, real estate-related public programs, and industry internships.
Career Outcomes
A grounding in sustainable real estate development can create a range of career pathways that augment knowledge gained in a student’s chosen major. These include but are not limited to:
- Community Development
- Management and Operations
- Advocacy
- Law and Policy
- Finance
- Asset Management
- Public Sector Employment
- Urban Planning / Urban Design
- Sustainable Development

Student Criteria
The Real Estate Development minor currently is open to undergraduate students enrolled at Taubman College, Michigan Ross, the Schools of Kinesiology, Public Health, Information, The Stamps School, SMTD, The Ford School of Public Policy and the College of Engineering.
- Sophomore standing and above
- Declared major
- In good academic standing
* Students who have elected the Urban Studies minor are not eligible for the minor in Real Estate due to the substantial overlap in coursework.
Academic Advising
Students wishing to pursue the minor need to complete a declaration of the minor, which is submitted to their home unit/school for adding/processing on their student record.
Students are responsible for completing a final audit of the minor with Taubman College Advising and a minor release form would then be submitted to their home unit/school.
For questions or to schedule an advising appointment, contact taubmancollegeadvising@umich.edu.
Program Coordinator:
Marc Norman, marcdn@umich.edu
Associate Professor of Practice, Taubman College
Requirements
This minor requires a minimum of 15 credits in addition to prerequisites, with 10 out of the 15 credits being upper-level courses.
Prerequisites: See course listing below
Students must complete at least one course in economics at the University of Michigan or obtain a waiver from their home unit due to previous courses or mastery of the subject.
Course # |
Program |
Title |
Credit Hours |
Department/School |
101 |
ECON |
Principles of Economics |
4 |
LSA |
102 |
ECON |
Principles of Economics |
4 |
LSA |
401 |
ECON |
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory |
4 |
LSA |
251 |
ECON |
Introduction to Statistics and Economics |
4 |
LSA |
Foundational Courses: 6 credits
Foundational courses introduce students to the field of real estate and cities to ground future work with an understanding of market mechanisms.
A financial management course provides a foundational understanding of rational decision-making using financial analysis and the ability to apply that framework to make investment decisions, allocate capital within an organization or firm, and assess risk.
The core course in Real Estate Development and Design provides the knowledge to understand real estate finance, underwriting, operations and management and the tools to be effective in shaping the built environment.
Course # |
Program |
Title |
Credit Hours |
Department/School |
300 |
FIN |
Financial Management (BBA majors only) |
3 |
ROSS |
302 |
FIN |
Making Financial Decisions (non-Ross students only) |
3 |
ROSS |
390 |
URP |
Real Estate Design and Development Fundamentals |
3 |
TAUBMAN |
Electives: A minimum of 9 credits (no more than one course below 300 level)
Electives to complete the minor cover a range of disciplines to allow you to craft a course of study that fits your interests. From kinesiology to business to anthropology, courses can be selected that assist in preparing you to be effective in a range of fields.
Course # |
Program |
Title |
Credit Hours |
Department/School |
357 |
ARCH/URP |
Sustainability and the City: Ideas, Forces and People Shaping the Built Environment |
3 |
TAUBMAN |
523/529 |
ARCH/URP |
History of Urban Form |
3 |
TAUBMAN |
590 |
URP |
Integrative Real Estate Seminar |
2 |
TAUBMAN |
423 |
ARCH/URP (Environ 370) |
Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning |
3 |
TAUBMAN |
431 |
CEE |
Construction Contracting |
4 |
ENGINEERING |
475/750 |
PubPol |
Community Development Finance |
1-4 |
FORD |
313 |
SM |
Monetizing Sport |
1-4 |
KIN |
341 |
SM |
Sport Finance |
3 |
KIN |
440 |
SM |
Sport, Economic Development, and Urban Revitalization |
3 |
KIN |
238 |
SM |
Introduction to Accounting and Finance |
1.5 |
KIN |
408 |
AAS |
African Economies: Social and Political Settings |
2-4 |
LSA |
426 |
AAS |
Cities in Contemporary Africa |
3 |
LSA |
223 |
ALA |
Entrepreneurial Creativity |
|
LSA |
408 |
Environ |
Land Use Policy, Law, and the Environment |
3 |
LSA |
327 |
Polisci |
The Politics of the Metropolis |
3 |
LSA |
350 |
WOMENSTD |
Nonprofit management and community engagement |
3-4 |
LSA |
364 |
HISTORY |
History of American Suburbia |
4 |
LSA |
250 |
STATS |
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis |
4 |
LSA |
100 |
STATS |
Introduction to Statistics |
3-4 |
LSA |
330 |
RCSSCI |
Urban and Community Studies |
4 |
LSA |
425 |
FIN |
Entrepreneurial Finance |
3 |
ROSS |
428 |
FIN |
FinTech: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Other Technology Innovations In and Out of Finance |
3 |
ROSS |
320
321 |
FIN
FIN |
Real Estate Finance
Introduction to Commercial Real Estate Finance |
1.5
1.5 |
ROSS
ROSS
|
466 |
FIN |
Real Estate Finance and Investments |
3 |
ROSS |
444 |
ES |
Finance for Societal Good |
3 |
ROSS |
482 |
BL |
Real Estate Law |
3 |
ROSS |
