In 2010, the world was stumbling out of a global financial crisis triggered by the U.S. housing bubble—an inauspicious moment to launch a real estate program. But the George Washington University took a calculated risk, and today the Center for Real Estate Studies (CRES) at the School of Business marks its 15th anniversary with a noteworthy list of superlatives.
CRES offers the only undergraduate degree in real estate in the D.C. area, boasts an impressive job placement rate and organizes a national summit on housing policy. This spring it is launching the East Coast’s only professional development certificate focused on affordable housing.
“We want to be ranked among the top undergraduate programs in the country,” said Robert Valero, B.A. ’82, who has served as the CRES executive director since its inception.