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Real Estate

Types of Degrees Real Estate Majors Are Earning

Those studying Real Estate have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	142
Associate’s Degree	658
Bachelor’s Degree	1,894
Master’s Degree	4,446

What Real Estate Majors Need to Know

Studies in Real Estate develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Real Estate graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Real Estate emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Real Estate program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Real Estate careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Real Estate graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Real Estate professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Yardi software	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Showing Suite real estate software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Real Estate graduates include:

• Real Estate Associate
• Realtor
• Real Estate Closer
• Real Estate Representative (Real Estate Rep)
• Leasing Specialist
• Closing Agent
• Real Estate Specialist
• Real Estate Salesperson
• Real Estate Sales Associate
• Leasing Professional
• Personal Property Assessor
• Appraiser
• Commercial Appraiser
• Licensed Appraiser
• Valuation Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Real Estate graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	17.0%
Some college courses	14.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.2%
Postsecondary certificate	8.1%
First professional degree	5.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.4%
Less than a high school diploma	3.5%
Master’s degree	3.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Real Estate?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.9% women and 51.1% men among Real Estate graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,865	48.9%
Men	4,041	51.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Real Estate graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,385	42.8%
Asian	484	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino	2,045	25.9%
Black or African American	1,056	13.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	32	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	12	0.2%
Two or More Races	297	3.8%
Race Unknown	276	3.5%
International Students	319	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Real Estate Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Real Estate graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$71,651
4 years	$89,642
5 years	$105,222

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $105,222 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Real Estate Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Real Estate. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	14	8
Bachelor’s	4	1
Master’s	5	3
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Real Estate Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Real Estate graduates earn a median of $89,642 four years after completion — roughly 136% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business Management Marketing Sales	52
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	52.99
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES	52.00
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Managerial Economics	52.06
Construction Management	52.20
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	52.07
Finance and Financial Management Services	52.08

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.