Master of Real Estate Development & Urbanism

Overview

The Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism is an interdisciplinary one-year graduate program that combines the strengths of the University of Miami’s Schools of Architecture, Business Administration, and Law to create a world-class program that blends the fundamentals of real estate development with livable community planning and design. The MRED+U program is 36 credits.

The MRED+U Program is designed to provide students with the skills and experience to compete in the evolving world of urban real estate development. The curriculum is enriched by the University’s location in one of the world’s most dynamic real estate markets and by the School of Architecture faculty’s experience in community building. Course offerings include real estate finance, market analysis, real estate law, land use policies and codes, construction and project management, public-private partnerships, the development process, sustainable development, and entrepreneurship. The curriculum incorporates case studies and materials on mixed-use development, urban infill, the redevelopment and repositioning of urban properties, historic preservation, and the integration of design, policy, management and real estate development decision making in shaping the built environment of communities.

Faculty

The outstanding MRED+U faculty include seasoned professionals, CEOs and distinguished scholars with decades of experience and multi-disciplinary skill sets that they bring into the classroom on a daily basis.

The MRED+U Program puts knowledge into action through real-world scenarios involving current challenges and opportunities. Our students collaborate with architecture studios and developers on projects exploring topics such as affordable and micro-housing, adaptive reuse of business and community districts, disruptive technologies, preservation development and adaption to sea-level rise. Our curriculum includes courses in architecture, construction management, development, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and law, all lead by outstanding industry professionals with renowned expertise and experience in their fields.

Mentorship Program

The MRED+U Mentorship Program is considered an extremely valuable and important part of the student experience. The Program provides students with direct access to knowledgeable industry professionals and allows mentors an opportunity to play an instrumental role in the development of an emerging real estate professional. The Mentorship Program is not an internship program; rather, it is an advisory relationship and dialog between an established and an emerging professional.

Internship Program

Provides our students with a hands-on opportunity to apply real estate fundamentals learned through their coursework; explore different areas of the real estate industry and gain valuable and practical experience. Internships also provide Advisory Board members and other potential employers with access to bright and talented students in the MRED+U program to assist with projects and research. Our formal Internship program enables the students to foster relationships with firms while offering potential employers a chance to evaluate students’ potential through on-the-job performance.

https://mredu.arc.miami.edu/index.html

Download our graduate booklet

About us

An intrinsic philosophy of U-SoA’s faculty is to build a better world. This is expressed in a design program that is ideal and pragmatic, academic and practical, theoretical and actual. U-SoA trains visionary practitioners who pursue architecture as a combination of civic art and building science.

The Mission of the School of Architecture is:

• To prepare students for professional leadership and lifelong learning in architecture, urbanism, and related fields.
• To advance knowledge and technology through research, and creative practice.
• To deploy knowledge and technology through professional engagement, real-world applications, and community service.
• To promote the goals of environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic sustainability.

The Strategic Orientation of the School of Architecture is:

To become a hemispheric leader in problem-based learning and project-based research while contributing solutions to the challenges facing urban environments locally and globally.

Recent History

The School has gone through a dynamic transition, transformation and expansion in the past 5 years. Regular faculty were increased by 20 percent with international high- profile appointments while upgrades to facilities included the B.E. & W.R. BuildLab and the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building.

The recent investments in faculty and infrastructure intensified efforts in experiential collaborative learning and in the use of emerging digital technology for design, fabrication and construction. Together they enhance and sharpen the relevance and efficacy of the school in tackling the challenges facing the city in the 21st century, particularly in South Florida—ground zero for climate change impacts. These challenges have galvanized the school community around a common purpose: to build expertise and interdisciplinary resources while also mobilizing hemispheric partnerships in contributing to urban resilience.

Research Platforms/Labs and Centers include:

• The Center for Urban and Community Design (C.U.C.D.)
• Lu_Lab: engaging collaborative and diverse teams to explore future design scenarios embedded in cultural, economic, social, and ecological urbanisms.
• RAD Lab: offering hands on interaction with emerging technology, leading students in studio-like environment to build and test working prototypes that integrate information technology with the built environment
• Fabrication Lab
• AR/VR Lab
• Zenciti Research Unit (focused on smart city research)
• Design/Build Program (housed in the B.E. & W.R. BuildLab)

Community Outreach

Community outreach is a cornerstone of U-SoA's curriculum.

In 2015, Dean el-Khoury initiated U-Serve, a day of service, dedicated to the community.

In its first year, 200+ participated in a Little Havana project, enabling the City of Miami to establish a comprehensive inventory of their building stock.

In year two, U-Serve partnered with the Friends of the Underline to "green" 10 miles of space under the Metrorail.

In April 2015, the school received a substantial grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to help bring “third places” to Miami neighborhoods.

Accreditation

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Master of Architecture degree programs may require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The University of Miami School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

• B.Arch. (171 undergraduate credits)
• M.Arch I (3-year Track – 105 graduate credits)
• M.Arch II (2-year Track – 60 graduate credits)

The next accreditation visit for all programs: 2025-2026.