School of Business launches Global Real Estate Master program

The Wisconsin School of Business will attract some of the brightest real estate students from the top business schools in Asia, Europe and Latin America with a highly innovative Global Real Estate Master (GREM) program.

The program builds on the Wisconsin School of Business’s expertise and tradition in real estate education, strong alumni network and international industry connections.

Students from around the world are offered the choice to start the program at one of three business schools, each one top ranked on its continent: HEC Paris, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. To gain their real estate expertise, students converge in the second phase of the GREM program at the Wisconsin School of Business for a semester of intensive classroom training and field experience.

This premier educational partnership offers students a unique experience because of the quality of the consortium of partner business schools and the creativity of the GREM concept.

“This is globalization taken to its best in education. We have assembled the ideal worldwide partnership to provide each student the best training and the best global set of classmates,” says Mike Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. “The classroom experience in Madison will be an amazing opportunity for students to expand their understanding of the world and build bridges for future international collaboration.”

“The real estate industry has become global and our schools are becoming global,” says Bernard Ramanantsoa, dean of HEC Paris. “This unique partnership leverages obvious synergies across the four institutions to the benefit of our students, future global leaders in business.”

“We are enthusiastic Wisconsin federated us in this partnership,” adds Leonard K. Cheng, dean of HKUST. “Upon graduation, students will join both the best business alumni network on their continent and the best real estate alumni network in the world. It is a great opportunity for HKUST students and alumni who are interested in developing a career path toward leadership in the global real estate industry.”

“Our students now have access to the best training in real estate in the world,” says Condo Arturo, dean of INCAE Business School. “The cooperative and applied learning they will receive as students in Wisconsin will prepare them to understand the complexities, challenges and opportunities of markets across the globe.”

Students who enroll in the GREM will be exposed to comprehensive courses in real estate finance and economics, from the core concepts of feasibility analysis and deal structuring to applied skills in real estate development and real estate portfolio management. A study tour of a major U.S. real estate market will provide opportunities for students to observe real estate projects in action and network with industry leaders. Through these exercises, students will strengthen their involvement in relevant extra-curricular activities both in Madison and elsewhere.

In addition, GREM students will have the opportunity to take full advantage of the Wisconsin School of Business’s rich support structure, which includes the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, the student-run Real Estate Club, the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association and an international board of advisers of industry leaders specific to the GREM program.

Students will also benefit from industry partnerships with the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate; Reed MIDEM, the organizer of premier international real estate events, such as MIPIM; the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors; and other preeminent U.S. real estate professional organizations.

Applications are now being accepted. The first GREM class will graduate in May 2011.