Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED)

The Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment (TUSABE) offers the Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED) for career changers, working professionals, and recent graduates seeking a real estate credential focused on sustainability. The curriculum blends real estate finance, economics, sustainable design, urbanism, and law into a single interdisciplinary framework, delivered through a hybrid model of online evening classes and in-person field experiences.

Because the program is practice-oriented, you'll graduate with real-world project experience and a professional network spanning New Orleans and beyond.

MSRED

Program Features

• Faculty of Industry Professionals: Learn from current practitioners who bring real-world experience and a commitment to teaching.
• Experiential Learning: Get direct field experience through structured internships, client-based research projects, and field study trips.
• Online Delivery with Field Experiences: The majority of coursework will be delivered through synchronous online classes held in the evenings. Students will also participate in short, high-impact in-person field experiences.
• Connections with Local and National Organizations: Build a professional network through interaction with industry professionals at the local, state, and national levels. Meet our Real Estate Advisory Board.
• Alumni Success: MSRED alumni are making an impact in high-level leadership positions across the industry.

Key Facts

• Program Entry: Open Enrollment with classes starting in January, May, and August
• Credit Hours: 36
• Cost per Credit Hour: $1898 (Learn more here)
• Class Structure: Online synchronous evening classes
• Time to Completion: 1-3 years
• Field Experiences: Weekend or week-long trips, as part of required courses, in domestic or international cities.
• Career Opportunities: Project Manager, Financial Analyst, Development Associate, Consultant, Principal, Owner/Developer, and more

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

MSRED Curriculum

The MSRED is a 36-credit-hour, practice-oriented curriculum built around six core courses, two required field residencies, and a capstone:

• Real Estate Finance (SRED 6100)
• Real Estate Law (SRED 6210)
• Planning and Urbanism (SRED 6515)
• Sustainability (SRED 6720)
• Climate Change (SRED 6505)
• Urban Field Study (SRED 6400): required residency
• Sustainable Urban Development Field Study (SRED 6301/SRED 6516): required residency, based in New Orleans
• Graduate Real Estate Capstone (SRED 6740): hybrid, culminating project

Emerging focus areas include Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Construction and Project Management. Students complete applied projects with partner organizations throughout the program. Graduates leave with the skills and professional networks to finance, design, and develop projects that create lasting value and advance affordable housing, resilience, and sustainable urban growth.

Learning Outcomes

By graduation, you'll have hands-on command of the tools and frameworks the real estate industry actually runs on, not just the theory behind them. Coursework and required field residencies build skills including:

• Real estate financial modeling and underwriting, using tools like Excel and ARGUS
• Real estate law, contracts, and land-use regulation
• Sustainable design and climate-resilient development strategy
• Urban planning and GIS-based site analysis
• Construction and project management fundamentals
• Applied data and programming skills (Python, SQL) for real estate analytics
• BIM and design software proficiency (SketchUp, Revit)

Because these skills are built through required field residencies and a hybrid capstone rather than lecture alone, you graduate with real applied project experience behind you.

Program Format

The program's hybrid delivery model puts the majority of your coursework through synchronous online classes held in the evening, supplemented by short, high-impact field studies. That format lets you choose a 1-year (3-semester) full-time pathway or a two-to-three-year part-time pathway, depending on how you want to balance the program with work.

Place-Based Learning in New Orleans

New Orleans is central to the MSRED program. While the hybrid format offers online flexibility, the city remains the anchor for place-based learning. Through a required Sustainable Urban Development Field Study (SRED 6301/SRED 6516), you'll gain immersive, hands-on exposure to climate resilience, historic preservation, and equitable development in action. By grounding your studies in the challenges and opportunities of New Orleans, the MSRED program equips you with the interdisciplinary skills to lead sustainable, resilient real estate projects in communities worldwide.

For-Credit Internships

Students have the option to complete a 3-credit internship elective that provides a structured opportunity to gain practical experience with developers, investment firms, public agencies, or nonprofit organizations. Internships can be completed in students' home markets and are coordinated through TUSABE's industry network. Throughout the internship, students apply core concepts in finance, market analysis, development strategy, and sustainability to real-world projects. This experience provides valuable industry insight, expands professional networks, and strengthens resumes.

World-Renowned Faculty

Courses are taught by full-time tenure and tenure-track faculty and professors of practice who are nationally recognized leaders in real estate development, finance, construction, community-based planning, design, urbanism, and policy. As active industry practitioners, they bring live deals, current market insights, and the latest evidence into the classroom, ensuring an education that is rigorous, relevant, and grounded in real-world practice. This model fosters strong mentorship, expands employer connections, and keeps the curriculum continually market-current across diverse areas of the field.

MSRED Careers & Outcomes

MSRED graduates pursue roles across real estate finance, development, and design, including:

• Project Manager
• Financial Analyst
• Development Associate
• Consultant
• Principal
• Owner/Developer
• Construction Manager
• Property/Real Estate Manager
• Urban & Regional Planner

MSRED alumni are making an impact in high-level leadership positions across the industry.

National Career Outlook (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

These are national U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for occupations related to MSRED career paths, not TUSABE’s own graduate outcomes or placement data. Actual pay and job availability vary by location, experience, and employer.

Related Occupation	Median Annual Pay	Projected Job Growth	Typical Entry Education
Financial Analysts	$103,570 (2025)	+7% (2025–35)	Bachelor's degree
Construction Managers	$114,990 (2025)	+9% (2025–35)	Bachelor's degree
Property, Real Estate & Community Association Managers	$69,990 (2025)	+4% (2025–35)	High school diploma typical; bachelor's/master's often preferred for finance-focused roles
Urban and Regional Planners	$89,320 (2025)	+4% (2025–35)	Master's degree
All U.S. occupations (for comparison)	$50,980 (2025)	+3% (2025–35)	N/A

Sources:

• Financial Analysts — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Construction Managers — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Property, Real Estate & Community Association Managers — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Urban and Regional Planners — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook

Why TuSABE

The MSRED is a graduate real estate program built around sustainability, not layered onto a standard finance degree after the fact. The Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment pairs real estate finance and development coursework with sustainable design, climate resilience, and urbanism, taught by faculty who are active industry practitioners bringing live deals and current market insight into the classroom.

New Orleans gives that curriculum a live laboratory. Through the required Sustainable Urban Development Field Study, you'll work directly with a city facing real questions about climate resilience, historic preservation, and equitable development, then apply those lessons to markets nationwide. 

Admissions &

Deadlines

The MSRED admits on a rolling basis for three entry terms each year, with applications for 2026–27 opening September 1. Decisions are typically returned within about 10 days of a completed application.

Entry Term	Early Application	Final Application	Decision	Classes Start
Spring	October 16	December 11	December 18	January 11, 2027
Summer	February 12	April 23	April 30	May 17
Fall	June 11	July 23	July 30	August 16

For the full list of required materials, see the Real Estate Guide to Apply or visit Online MSRED Admissions.

Tuition &

Financial Aid

More than 92% of our graduate students receive some form of financial support, and our admissions team can walk you through exactly what applies to the MSRED. 

• Tuition & Financial Aid: full costs, payment plans, and scholarships
• FAFSA: apply for federal aid using our school code, 002029
• Request Info: talk to an advisor about your specific situation

Frequently Asked

Questions

What are the admissions requirements for the MSRED program?

The MSRED admits on a rolling basis, with entry terms available in Fall, Spring, and Summer rather than a single annual deadline. Because applications are reviewed as they're submitted, you'll typically hear back within about 10 days of completing your application instead of waiting for one fixed decision date. Current early and final deadlines for each entry term are listed in the Admissions & Deadlines section above, since those dates shift from cycle to cycle. For the full list of required materials, see the Real Estate Guide to Apply. You can also visit Online MSRED Admissions to review requirements in detail and start your application.

How long does the MSRED program take to complete?

The MSRED is a 36-credit-hour program that you can complete in as little as one year, or three semesters, if you study full-time. If you need more flexibility, a two-to-three-year part-time pathway lets you balance the program with a job. Most coursework is delivered through synchronous online evening classes, accompanied by 2-5-day in-person field experiences in New Orleans or other domestic and international cities. Both pathways cover the same core curriculum and field requirements, so the pace you choose doesn't change what you'll learn.

Is the MSRED a graduate-level degree, and how is it different from Tulane's M.Arch?

Yes, the MSRED is a master's degree focused on real estate finance, development, and sustainable design rather than on architectural design itself. That sets it apart from Tulane's Master of Architecture (M.Arch), a design-focused, NAAB-accredited credential meant for students pursuing architectural licensure. If you're more interested in the business and development side of the built environment, such as project finance, land use, and sustainability strategy, the MSRED is the closer fit. However, if you enjoy both design and development, we offer students the opportunity to pursue both degrees at the same time through coordinated scheduling and integrated academic advising. Many M.Arch students end up also pursuing MSRED degrees, finding that the skills in both help them find successful career paths upon graduation. Students drawn instead to adaptive reuse and building conservation may prefer the MS in Historic Preservation (MSHP). All three degrees are housed within the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment, but prepare graduates for distinct career paths.

What careers can I pursue with an MSRED degree?

Graduates pursue roles such as project manager, financial analyst, development associate, consultant, principal, and owner/developer, building on the professional network and field experience woven into the program. These paths fall within occupations projected to grow nationally, including construction managers (+9% through 2035) and financial analysts (+7% through 2035), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Coursework in real estate finance, sustainable design, planning, and law prepares you to work across for-profit, nonprofit, and public organizations rather than a single track. Many students also complete a for-credit internship with developers, investment firms, or public agencies, which often leads directly to job opportunities. Because the program is grounded in New Orleans, you'll also build a professional network with reach into local, state, and national real estate markets.

Is financial aid available for the MSRED program?

You can find MSRED-specific costs, payment plans, and how to apply for aid on the Tuition & Financial Aid page. More than 92% of our graduate students receive some form of financial support, though eligibility and award amounts vary by program. U.S. applicants can also apply for federal aid by submitting the FAFSA and entering Tulane's school code, 002029, in step six of the form. Because admissions are rolling, it's worth requesting cost and aid details early in your application cycle so you have full information before your decision deadline. If you have questions specific to MSRED aid or scholarships, the admissions team listed on the Tuition & Financial Aid page can help.

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