The School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) has launched the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center, designed for professionals and investors who want to boost their expertise to the next level.
“Lincoln Center is a such a classy and convenient destination,” said Robert Morgenstern, director of the new program. “To have Fordham as the school and Lincoln Center as the location, with quality faculty and programming that professionals want, is a perfect combination.”
Anthony Davidson, Ph.D., the dean of PCS, said the program is part of the expansion of the school. It offers online components that he plans to incorporate into other disciplines as well.
Davidson said Morgenstern will be working with faculty experts with years of experience in the real estate and construction industries in New York City, “one of the world’s most dynamic and sophisticated real estate markets.”
Students will be able to pursue a six-course certificate or take select courses in four tracks: Finance and Investment, Financial Modeling, Development, and Construction Project Management. Areas of study range from valuation and private equity to investment analysis and project management.
“These certificate programs present the core competencies and professional skills needed throughout the lifecycle of a property, from initial development through disposition” said Morgenstern. “Each phase of the process has its own specialized set of skills and requirements, and we strive to deliver those to the student using real world, practical applications.”
Morgenstern said that the certificate could appeal broadly—from owners and investors who want to learn how to converse with contractors working on their projects to construction tradespeople who want to move up in their career.
“We’ll be offering those professionals solid instruction by people who work every day in the industry, imparting what they know,” he said.
The Real Estate Finance and Investment track includes property financial analysis, valuation, debt finance, private equity and investment analysis.
Another track, Real Estate Financial Modeling, is a skill set that is in demand, he said.
“It’s about setting up spreadsheets, getting the inputs right, determining value, and finding an effective way to present that information” said Morgenstern. “These are critical skills.”
The Real Estate Development track starts at site selection and moves through market and feasibility analysis, finance, construction and asset stabilization.
Lecturers are from the Tri-State area, so the New York market’s nuances will certainly come up in the classroom, said Morgenstern. Online courses retain equal weight toward the certificate, and the topics will be relevant and transferrable to national and international markets.
Finally, Construction Project Management will be geared toward the construction process— from scheduling and estimating to budgets, cost control, safety management, and quality control. This track may appeal to architects who have designed but now want to be more involved in construction management or the broader development phases of projects, said Morgenstern.
“The professional certificate programs are designed to help current and up-and-coming industry professionals move to the next level in their careers, and that is exactly what our school is all about,” said Dean Davidson.
