University Of Tulsa Now Offers Classes For Degree In Real Estate

TU students interested in real estate investment can now take classes and graduate with a degree in it.

Jackson McKinney is a finance and accounting student at TU.

He said he wanted to minor in real estate because of the way business and the real estate go hand-in-hand.

"The reason I'm considering a path in real estate is that it's a very visible sector of the finance market,” said McKinney. “And it's something you can kind of really easily attach yourself to, you can see the properties come up if you live in the community."

Professor Meagan McCollum said many TU alumni have invested in real estate after graduation and she hopes these classes will help more students do just that.

"A few years ago we started studying where some of our TU alumni ended up in their careers and a lot of them pursued careers in real estate,” said McCollum. “So we wanted to, for our current students and our future students, offer them a more direct pathway into that industry where so many of our alumni have found success."

They hope this new degree program will give TU students an advantage if they decide to buy and sell real estate.

"I think it sets them apart when they graduate because it puts them a little further ahead of the curve when they start down that career path,” said Julie Buxton, a commercial realtor who serves on the advisory board for the program. “The finance classes, the real estate classes, it gives them a little bit of an edge for those students coming out of school going into that industry who don't have that background."

Buxton said this program will help both the students and their mentors.

"It's a great opportunity for the students of TU, it's also a great opportunity for the community to participate as a mentor in this particular program, it's a win-win for both sides," said Buxton.

McKinney hopes this degree will help him get to know the Tulsa market and the people working in it.

"I think that the real estate minor is just a great opportunity to kind of get yourself into the community of the Tulsa real estate market and just meet all the people in it, learn all the different aspects," said McKinney.

The degree is open to all TU students, although some students not in the Collins College of Business might have to take extra prerequisites.