The Real Estate co-major offers you a hands-on opportunity to interact one-on-one with industry professionals in Indianapolis while gaining the analytical skills to add to your resume. Apply the lessons from your co-major in two semesters of workshop courses in which you solve actual real estate challenges for local professionals in the field.
Additional educational activities are provided by the Center for Real Estate Studies. Real Estate is only offered as a second major and must be combined with another major offered by the Kelley School of Business at IU Indianapolis.
Gain unparalleled, hands-on experience with the capstone workshop
The capstone experience in the Real Estate co-major is a workshop that’s taken twice for eight weeks each semester. In this workshop, you work directly with real estate professionals to solve their business challenges. The Commercial Real Estate Workshop goes beyond academic case studies—you will work in groups to create real-world solutions for actual real estate deals using what you learn in the co-major courses.
This capstone experience enhances your cross-functional skill set in:
- Research
- Financial modeling
- Problem-solving
- Presentation skills
- Plus you walk away with a portfolio of 10 case presentations that you can discuss in future job interviews
Example workshop projects:
- Proposal for an industrial development for 216 acres in Hancock County, Indiana
- A broker opinion of value and marketing strategy for a retail center in Champaign, Illinois
- Valuation analysis of a multi-tenant downtown Indianapolis office building
- Retail space site selection pitch for a pizza restaurant entering the Indianapolis market
- Highest and best use analysis to determine if an Indianapolis hotel should remain a hotel, rebrand as another hotel, or be converted to apartments
The Commercial Real Estate Workshop, BUS-R428 (1.5 credits), must be taken twice: once in the fall, and once in the spring, in whichever order best fits your schedule.
Fast-track your resume to industry recruiters
The Commercial Real Estate Workshop also provides an opportunity for you to network closely with industry professionals and gain greater exposure among potential employers. Faculty submit workshop students’ resumes to recruiters and IU Center for Real Estate Studies Advisory Board members in the real estate field.
How to make Real Estate a second major
The co-major can be paired with any of the six Kelley Indianapolis business majors. Once you’ve been admitted to the Kelley School of Business at IU Indianapolis, choose your major, and follow the degree path for your Bachelor of Science in Business. Next, inform your advisor that you want to add the Real Estate co-major, which consists of 15 credit hours. Your advisor will help you with the details and course requirements.
“The Commercial Real Estate Workshop was hands down the most beneficial class I took in terms of preparing me for a career in commercial real estate. The weekly cases are great examples of what it is like to work on a project within your career. It’s the closest thing you can get to real-world experience in a class. It’s also an excellent way to network with some of Indiana’s top commercial real estate companies.”
Cameron Beckner, BS’22Real estate and finance co-major
“The Commercial Real Estate Workshop gave me the confidence to get into a new career that I have an absolute love and passion for. This program is so much more than just a class; it’s truly a first step into a new future.”
Heather White, BS’22Real estate and finance co-major
How you get there
There are many directions you can take a Kelley Indianapolis real estate co-major. We’ve created a degree maps so you can choose to take your real estate education in a direction that suits your interests and skill set.
Learn more about the requirements and available classes for earning the real estate co-major:
Co-Major Faculty
Sara Heidtmann Coers
Associate Director, IU Center for Real Estate Studies and Lecturer in Real Estate
Co-major or workshop questions?
If you have questions about enrolling in the real estate co-major or workshop, email Sara Heidtmann Coers at sheidtma@iu.edu.