Career Services
The School of Policy, Planning, and Development believes that the best way to support our students in their career planning and job search efforts is to familiarize the real estate industry with the value of the MRED program and with the high caliber of our students and alumni. MRED students are provided with several avenues to develop professional contacts with prominent developers and our alumni.
Lusk Real Estate Employment Report
Speaker Series
Mentor Program
Real Estate Industry Night
Resume Books
Professional Organizations
Graduate Real Estate Association
Professional Designations
Lusk Real Estate Employment Report
Vital to the Lusk Center's mission is providing a forum for USC real estate students to learn about the industry and establish a solid professional network as they launch their careers. The Lusk Center's centralized position on campus allows employers to access students from key real estate degree programs including the Master of Real Estate Development as well as the Master of Business Administration real estate concentration, the Bachelors in Business Administration real estate concentration, and the Bachelors in Public Policy, Planning, and Management.
The Lusk Real Estate Employment Report summarizes placement and salaries for graduates.
Speaker Series
The Speaker Series is one way in which students interact with and learn from real estate professionals and alumni. Prominent developers, consultants, and other industry leaders come to campus for an informal seminar and lunch with students weekly throughout most of the academic year.
Mentor Program
The USC Lusk Mentor program provides students with a unique opportunity to broaden their educational experience through one-on-one interfaces with senior-level industry professionals. Students meet with their mentors throughout the school year. Most students spend time at their mentors' offices, learning how real estate professionals manage their businesses, serve clients, work with their peers, and contribute to their communities. Some students have also visited development projects in which their mentors are engaged. These on-site visits have allowed the students to learn first-hand about the issues that developers face in developing a project from groundbreaking to the completion of construction. Other students have joined their mentors in attending professional meetings or conferences and networking with real estate professionals, an experience that students found most valuable.
Real Estate Industry Night
Developing a strong networking base is an integral element for success in the real estate field. There are many opportunities during the MRED program to create and add to a professional network. Each Spring, the Lusk Center sponsors Real Estate Industry Night. Real estate professionals representing a broad spectrum of the industry are invited to attend. The evening begins with a networking reception followed by round-table discussions where small groups of students are able to chat on a personal level with the industry representatives.
Resume Books
To ensure the development industry's awareness of the talent graduating from the program each year, the MRED program produces an annual resume book which includes a full-page resume of our program's graduates. This publication is circulated to a wide audience in the real estate development community.
Professional Organizations
Students are encouraged to strengthen their ties to the development industry through membership in professional organizations. The Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Building Industry Association (BIA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) are among the organizations which offer many useful services, conferences, and publications. Many of the professional organizations offer special rates for student members.
Graduate Real Estate Association
The Graduate Real Estate Association is a university-wide group for graduate students pursuing real estate degrees. Students from the MRED program along with MBA, Master of Planning, Master of Construction Management, and Law students comprise the membership. GREA's goal is to provide students with exposure to different careers and opportunities available in real estate, to link members with professionals in the real estate industry, and to educate students on real estate trends and the impact of real estate on the business world.
Professional Designations
Graduates of the MRED program are eligible for real estate professional designations. Academic coursework from MRED can be used towards the following:
California Brokers License - Under an articulation agreement between the California Department of Real Estate and the USC MRED program RED courses fulfill a portion of the requirements for a real estate broker license.
CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) - MRED graduates receive credit for three of the four CCIM core courses and for all three elective credits normally required. MRED graduates will need to complete the following:
- Submit a CCIM University Fast Track Application and apply for Candidacy
- Complete CCIM core course: CI 103 User Decision Analysis
- Fulfill CCIM Portfolio Requirement
- Pass the CCIM Comprehensive Exam