Fast Facts About the Center for Real Estate

Top Rankings
Wisconsin is consistently ranked among the very best real estate programs in the country.  Its undergraduate program was rated second in U.S. News and World Report’s most recent ranking of real estate programs and its graduate program third the last time the MBA/MS programs were rated.

World-Class Faculty Producing Cutting-Edge Research  
The real estate faculty at UW-Madison are some of the top academics in the country and their research interests vary from REITs to institutional investments, land use regulatory policy, mortgage pricing, urban economics, housing and beyond. Research activities of the Graaskamp Center are disseminated through a working paper series, which is available online. The faculty often serve as a resource to policy makers who seek expert advice on questions affecting urban land use and other real estate topics.

Outstanding Job Placement 
The Class of 2006 had 100% job placement.  Leading companies regularly recruit Wisconsin real estate students.  The average starting salary for 2006 for Real Estate MBA students was  $86,365.


Active Alumni Network
Program graduates stay involved long after graduation.  The Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association is a strong and active network of more than 1,600 professionals.  They play an active roll in networking with students, as well as participating in class lectures and projects.

Unique International Opportunities   
The Graaskamp Center now offers the most in-depth international experience of any real estate program in the country.  First-year MBA student participated in the second annual trip to the high-level, European-based MIPM Conference in France.  Second-year students participated in a fantastic studytrip to China with stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.   This gives our students the opportunity to learn firsthand about current issues in international real estate.

 
Strategic Partnerships with Industry
Students and faculty are connected with top-level professionals in industry through the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate Board board members.  The Graaskamp Center also engages the larger real estate community by developing academic and executive education programs that will meet the needs of the industry today and well into the future.

History
The Institute for Research in Urban Land Economics, a precursor to the current center, dates back to 1920, giving UW-Madison a long and rich history of real estate expertise. In 1971, the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate opened and began building an alumni network that now boasts more than 1,600 industry professionals. Many of these former students continue to participate in university lectures, discussions and projects. They also help the center achieve its primary mission of linking real estate faculty to students, alumni, real estate professionals, governmental agencies and the general public.