Do Real Estate Faculty Teach the Skills and Competencies Needed by Corporate Real Estate Executives?

This paper compares three recent studies ranking the skills and competencies most needed by corporate real estate professionals, reviews them within the context of the recent literature on corporate real estate management, and seeks to answer the question: “Are the proficiencies most needed by corporate real estate professionals taught by U.S. real estate university faculty?” The authors attempt to answer this question, and several related questions, using the empirical results of a 2003 survey of U.S. university real estate faculty and the courses they teach. Viewing this empirical evidence within the context of the corporate real estate management literature, this paper then suggests desirable education and career paths for senior corporate real estate executives, their corporate real estate staffs, and corporate real estate service providers that are more likely to provide corporate real estate professionals with the proficiencies needed most to do their jobs well.