​Karras: There are a number of attributes that are unique. First and foremost, we have nationally recognized faculty. John Demas, clinical professor of real estate, Norm Miller, Hahn Chair of Real Estate Finance, and Charles Tu, the Daniel F. Mulvihill Professor of Commercial Real Estate and Academic Director of the Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) program, are highly regarded and recognized in the academic world. The real estate faculty have received national awards and have mentored student teams, which have consistently won national competitions.​

The combination of our outstanding faculty, along with the Burnham-Moores Center's strong connection to the local industry, facilitates student success and serves as a gateway into the real estate industry. Through our industry connections, we provide USD real estate students with: mentors, a wide range of internship opportunities; access to industry leaders who serve as guest lecturers, a connection between the students and the industry for career opportunities; and a vast number of networking opportunities for students at our conferences throughout the year.”
Further, we have invested in a full-time student and career services professional who only focuses on real estate students. She came to the Burnham-Moores Center from the private sector and has deep ties into the industry. In order to continue to connect USD real estate students to the industry, the Burnham-Moores Center offers five significant conferences annually that serve several purposes. First, to provide topical information to the real-estate community through the outstanding speakers we secure. Second, to allow networking opportunities for our students and industry professionals and third to raise money to allow us to pay for the resources we need to execute our mission. Our strong marketing efforts with branding and maintaining a presence in the news and within media is an important factor in these rankings because these efforts allow us to communicate the success of our students and our mission. This College Factual ranking validates that. Lastly, we provide a tool to our students that no other program, that I am aware of, uses. We give students the opportunity to complete a behavioral profile. Over the years we have benchmarked how specific profiles fit into the wide spectrum of real estate career opportunities. This allows us to provide specific and personal guidance to the students and help match their technical and behavioral skill set to a career in real estate, which will ultimately be most suitable. The results and feedback from the industry is outstanding.

GlobeSt.com: The real estate market is changing today more than ever. How has the program evolved to keep in step with the changing industry?

​Karras: A good part of our program is taught by, and has input from, industry practitioners. We collaborate with professionals who are the change-makers in the industry. We bring them into the classroom and/or ask them to mentor USD real estate students. ​This strong tie to the industry allows us to stay current with what is going on in the market. We also have two groups of industry professionals that provide input and insight into market dynamics. The Burnham-Moores Center has a Policy Advisory Board of 34 who are the “who's who” of San Diego real estate and this Board provides us with feedback regarding the market and the various strategies they are employing in the market. Our second group is the Burnham-Moores Real Estate Committee, which consists of another 45 industry professionals who meet regularly to discuss the market and market dynamics. Our strong connection to the industry is what allows us to keep our curriculum current and relevant.

GlobeSt.com: What are the program's goals this year for students?

​Karras: At the end of the ​day our goal is simple. Provide a strong academic and applied education through outstanding faculty and through interaction with industry professionals and then find our students career opportunities that fit their technical and behavioral makeup to help them build their future in real estate.

​GlobeSt.com: In general, how are undergraduate real estate programs growing and becoming more competitive at universities across the country?

​Karras: Real Estate has been a strong and growing asset class for decades. The importance of real estate becomes more and more evident as it evolves from a place to work, live or shop to a place that provides life experiences for its customers in an appealing and cost-effective manner. It means that the professionals that need to design, develop, build, analyze and manage these processes must have a strong working knowledge of these dynamics. ​This evolution in the market will create a demand for programs throughout the world to provide the practical and theoretical knowledge to students looking for a career in real estate. They will continue to grow and likely continue to specialize.