The first students from the Middle East have completed the initial course conference to kick off the new blended learning, part-time MSc Real Estate programme. The course conferences are all planned to be face to face sessions, as part of the blended learning format, but this first conference was delivered virtually, as a result of the current pandemic. It presented the opportunity to introduce everyone involved, from students to faculty, and to run through all the ‘housekeeping’ information. The serious business of learning then began with faculty-led sessions on the Middle East real estate market, and the impact of Covid-19 on real estate valuations.
The MSc Real Estate - Middle East Centre Welcome Event was hosted on the Zoom Virtual Platform and was an opportunity to welcome everyone on to the programme, to introduce the Middle East Centre team, learn more about the support offered by the Middle East Centre and for students to network with their fellow peers, with an ‘ice breaker’ session and team building exercises. The Middle East Programmes & Operations Manager led the welcome event, and the Careers and Alumni Manager shared insights on the Middle East Centre careers programme and events, careers support for students, networking events, Guest Speaker Series and Skill Development Webinars.
The course conference was based around the part-time MSc Real Estate programme’s first unit on ‘Real Estate Markets’, which was presented by five University academics. The three-day course conference covered topics including ‘Introduction to Real Estate Markets’, ‘International Real Estate Markets Comparison’, and ‘Introduction to Property Evaluation’ as well as a session from The University of Manchester Library Team on ‘Academic Writing for Different Audiences – Getting It Right’, and two guest speaker sessions. The guest speaker sessions were delivered by Nicholas Maclean, Managing Director, CBRE MENA, on the topic ‘The Real Estate Market in the Middle East’ and Tarek Madany, Managing Director, Global Appraisal Tech, on the topic ‘Valuation Uncertainty and Covid-19’.
The University of Manchester launched the new part-time master’s degree in the Middle East for people working in the real estate industry and associated professional services, or working professionals with an interest in building a career in real estate. The MSc Real Estate programme is delivered in a part-time blended learning format, suitable for working professionals, with the opportunity to join regular face to face course conferences with faculty and peers, in Dubai. The new programme is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is taught by a team of leading academics experienced in the global real industry.
The MSc Real Estate has been designed to meet the needs of professionals in a dynamic global industry which is facing a range of issues such as rapid urbanization and the challenge to urban planning; climate change and energy sustainability; digital transformation (prop-tech) and changing end-user lifestyles and expectations.
The programme combines academic excellence with the development of transferable skills that are essential for a career in real estate in the private or public sector, internationally. It is designed as an intensive fast-track conversion course for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The key themes are commercial awareness, globalization, and sustainability, understanding the role of real estate in society, business, and the end-user. Students in the Middle East are likely to be working in real estate or a related field, such as banking, real estate finance, or development.
Students on the new master’s programme are able to choose from a range of study units covering topics such as the fundamentals of real estate, markets and property cycles; responsible property investment and finance; methods of property valuation; strategic asset management, risk management and sustainability; emerging future trends in urban development in global cities; the future ‘smart’ city in a global context; understanding of land use policies and making the best use of land resources. There is also an opportunity to conduct practice-based research on a topic related to the course. In addition, all students have the opportunity to attend face-to-face (or virtual) course conferences twice a year – normally hosted at Dubai Knowledge Park - providing opportunities for team working, networking and mentoring to underpin the academic content.