The Real Estate Development Minor empowers undergraduate students in many fields to supplement their major areas of study with broad knowledge about improving metropolitan developments. With faculty expertise from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Ross School of Business, and the School of Kinesiology, this program offers a progressive approach to developing real estate and the built environment in the U.S. and worldwide.
Eligibility
The Real Estate Development Minor is currently open to undergraduate students with sophomore standing who have completed at least one semester at U-M, have successfully passed a prerequisite course, and have a declared major* in one of the following academic units:
- Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
- Ross College of Business
- School of Kinesiology
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)
- Ford School of Public Policy
- School of Public Health
- Stamps School of Art & Design
- School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD)
- College of Engineering
- School of Information (UMSI)
- School of Nursing (UMSN)
*Some students are auto-declared into their major upon admittance to their degree program. For example, Taubman College students are auto-declared as architecture or urban technology. No further major declaration is necessary.
Prerequisite Courses
Students must complete at least one course in economics at the University of Michigan or obtain a waiver from their home unit due to previous courses or mastery of the subject.
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 101 | Principles of Economics I | 4 |
| ECON 102 | Principles of Economics II | 4 |
| ECON 251 | Introduction to Statistics and Economics II | 4 |
| ECON 401 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 4 |
Test credits may not be used to meet the requirements of the minor, but they may be used to fulfill prerequisites.
How do I declare the real estate development minor?
Eligible undergraduate students can submit a request to declare the minor by completing the declaration form linked above. You can expect to hear back from a member of the Taubman College advising team within 48 business hours.
If approved, Taubman College will notify your home unit who will update your academic record to reflect this. Please note that it may take a few days for that to occur, but there is no further action required on your part to make it happen.
I’m declared, what’s next?
As a new minor student, the main priority is to make progress toward completing the requirements. You’ll ultimately need to earn a minimum of 15 credits, including the foundational courses, and 9 credits of pre-approved electives from this list.
As outlined on the Minor website, students choose to complete electives within three particular tracks. These tracks are completely optional. All of the pre-approved elective courses can count toward the minor and if you choose to explore beyond any one specified track, you will be credited with completing the ‘student-designated’ track instead. The tracks are simply resources developed to help guide your course selection if you have deep interest in a certain area of content.
Minor Requirements
The 15-credit real estate development minor contains two foundational courses and 9 credits of electives.
Only one elective may be below the 300-level.
Foundational Courses
Students must complete 6 credits of foundational courses, specifically:
- URP 390: Real Estate Design and Development Fundamentals^
- And a financial management course:
- FIN 300: Financial Management (BBA majors only), OR
- FIN 302: Making Financial Decisions (non-Ross students only)
^Engineering students that are not able to take URP 390 due to a schedule conflict can take URP 591 Financing Real Estate Development or URP 597 Acquiring and Repositioning Real Estate.
Real Estate Development Minor Elective Courses
The approved list of elective courses is dynamic and evolving, click the link below to view the latest version.
- Students may take minor courses in any order.
- Courses taken prior to declaring the minor will count toward minor requirements.
- Special topics or experimental courses often offer varied sections under the same course number. For example, URP 402 has previously been “Sustainable Design and Construction in Real Estate” (now URP 439) and “Affordable Housing Development in Practice” (now URP 498). Pay close attention to the Course Title to verify whether a particular course is approved to count toward the minor.
- The majority of the elective courses that count toward the minor are open classes and you can register for them during your regular registration period for an upcoming term.
- Select courses will have enrollment restrictions. You’ll need to work with the academic unit that owns the course to elect these courses. For example, you should contact Taubman College for assistance with URP 390 or URP 423, Ross for assistance with FIN 302, and Engineering for assistance with CEE 435.
Minor Policies
When enrolled in a Taubman College-administered minor, students must abide by their home academic unitʼs policies regarding shared courses within distribution requirements and the minor, as well as those between major and minor or between multiple minors.
- Courses graded pass/fail may not be used toward the real estate development minor.
- Test credits may not be used to meet the requirements of the minor, but they may be used to fulfill prerequisites.
- Only one elective may be below the 300-level.
- Generally, all U-M students can only double-count one course between your major and your minor. You are encouraged to refer to your home unit’s specific policies and confirm details with the academic advisor for your major.
- For Ross students, this course is FIN 300.
- Courses elected to meet the requirements of a minor may also be part of a student’s area distribution plan.
- We recommend that students take courses at the University of Michigan to meet their minor requirements.However, courses from outside of the university (including study abroad courses) can be reviewed and approved by the faculty director via the exception process outlined below.
- Students can only use up to two courses from outside of the University of Michigan for the minor (no more than 6 credits).
- A student must earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in the minor.
How can I check my minor progress?
After your home unit has added your declaration to your academic record, you’ll find a new section within your Degree Audit that is specific to the minor. As you enroll in and complete minor courses you’ll see them reflected in the appropriate concentrations. All concentrations will be visible until you’ve completed one in full. Please note that, depending on your major requirements and/or any exceptions you are granted, some of the courses may not initially appear as you expect on your audit. That will be resolved once you request a minor release and we work with your home unit to manually update things behind the scenes.
Requesting Exceptions
While the pre-approved elective list is your primary resource for identifying appropriate minor courses, the list is always evolving and, in some cases, students may be able to petition for an exception to have an alternative course used toward the minor. A new exception process is being developed, but for now if you are interested in submitting a petition for an exception simply email TaubmanCollegeAdvising@umich.edu with the following: the course name, number and title, course syllabus and/or course description. Submissions will be reviewed by the Faculty Director of the Minor.
I changed my mind. Can I drop the minor?
We understand that academic plans change. If at any time you decide that you’d like to drop the minor, email TaubmanCollegeAdvising@umich.edu, and we will work with your home unit to update your record.
Completing your minor
To officially graduate with your minor, you’ll need to obtain a Minor Release from our Taubman College Advising team. You can do so as soon as you’ve completed the minor requirements and/or are currently enrolled in your final minor course(s). Most students will request their Minor Release after they’ve registered for the final term before graduation. If you happen to complete your requirements early, you’re welcome to request a Minor Release prior to your final term. Just like your declaration, you can request your Minor Release by submitting the form linked above.