Real Estate

Career potential

Many people may think real estate is a profession that involves selling houses and receiving a commission on each sale. This is the work of a sales agent employed by a real estate office, but it is only a small part of what you may do with a career in real estate. Sales agents also work for companies that finance, lease and sell land and commercial properties.

Studying real estate at the University of North Texas can prepare you for a career in:

• residential or commercial property management
• mortgage banking
• brokerage
• leasing
• appraisal
• site location

You should earn a master's degree to become an administrator of a property management or real estate development company. In addition, if you plan to become a sales agent, you must take a licensing exam. Many UNT students satisfy the requirements needed for the exam while in college and become licensed real estate agents before receiving their bachelor's degrees.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.

Majoring in real estate

As a real estate major, you may take courses in residential property management, appraisal techniques, the homeownership market, investments in real estate, methods of financing commercial and residential properties, and real estate law.

You also may choose from courses in building construction; international business finance, law, marketing and operations; financial transactions; property and liability insurance; real estate brokerage; risk and insurance management; taxation; and urban economics and geography. Many students are eligible to sit for the real estate licensing exam after completing only a few courses.

Faculty members in the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law are professionals in their fields as well as dedicated teachers. Four faculty members have been named Regents Professors for outstanding teaching and research. Regents Professors devote at least half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses. Other faculty members have received teaching awards and have written numerous articles and books in their areas of expertise.

The College of Business Administration is accredited by AACSB International - the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (777 South Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750, Tampa, Fla. 33602-5730, telephone 813-769-6500). This accreditation means the college has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education.

The department offers a variety of competitive scholarships for full-time students who have completed at least 24 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours at UNT, have a high overall grade point average and demonstrate financial need.

Getting hands-on experience

The North Texas Real Estate Club sponsors social events as well as career nights, field trips, guest speakers and workshops that help you meet leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth real estate community.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation.

You can also contact the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law for additional information about internships.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science - economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor/ advisor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Charting your path with academic advising

Full-time staff advisors in the College of Business Administration will help you each semester to select courses necessary to earn your degree. In addition, the student advisor for the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law and the faculty members in the real estate program can assist you and provide career advice.

The College of Business Administration's academic advising office is in the Business Administration Building, Room 123. The Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law office is in the Business Administration Building, Room 177.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.