Commercial Real Estate Finance
Scott Nord came to the College because he knew about the real estate program here. When the new major in commercial real estate finance was announced, everything began to fall into place for him. Since then, he’s opted to stick around for an additional semester to take full advantage of it.
Scott has known for a long time that real estate would be his academic focus and career. Specifically, he plans on becoming a developer. Because of that, he’s taken every real estate class offered at the College, along with nearly every course in finance as well. He knows that adding this major will make him an exceptional candidate for a variety of roles in this field.
“My first semester I took a course entitled The Wonderful World of Real Estate According to King Street. Then, I started lining up the other courses I’d need to get a BS in business administration with a concentration in real estate. Now I’m a double major with an unbeatable combination of disciplines.”
Scott set up an internship last summer, working with an up-and-coming real estate developer in Knoxville, Tenn., and then parlayed that into a paying role as an investment analyst. Since then, he has incorporated a property management business and plans to begin working there when the semester concludes.
“I couldn’t have done all of this without the support of my professors in this program,” he says. “They’re so well connected and they do a fantastic job of connecting students with real estate professionals.”
Studying real estate at a liberal arts college is a real advantage he says. “Not only is there a strong entrepreneurial climate here, but you’ll find a lot of overlap between disciplines. So, you don’t just end up with a business perspective, you complement that with philosophy classes in ethics or communication courses. You learn to think in different ways and that leads to personal and professional growth.”
Commercial real estate represents over 30 percent of the macroeconomy in the U.S. That’s why this major – the first of its kind offered in South Carolina – provides students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in diverse careers, including real estate, finance, hospitality and tourism, supply chain management, entrepreneurship, urban studies and historic preservation.
Students develop knowledge and skills firsthand by operating in Charleston’s dynamic commercial real estate environment. They learn to:
❱❱ analyze cash flows for new properties
❱❱ broker complex financial transactions
❱❱ assemble financial support for preserving historic properties