BSc Real Estate Finance

Compulsory modules

Introduction to Data Analysis

Use statistical terminology and basic concepts to systematically analyse and describe quantitative data. You'll focus on applications in a real estate and planning context using Microsoft Excel, including data visualisation and the integrated use of AI, enabling you to interpret, display and explore data, understand the concept of probabilities, and conduct simple hypothesis testing.

Introductory Economics for Business and Finance

Understand how businesses are affected by developments in specific markets, as well as by changes at the level of the entire economy. You'll analyse forces of supply and demand in the determination of prices and the economics of consumer behaviour,  the characteristics and variability in economic output and profit under different forms of competition, the methods for calculating national income for closed and open economies, and determinants of business cycles and economic effects, interactions and policies connected to inflation, unemployment, interest rates and foreign exchange rates.

Property, Law, Rights and Institutions

Examine the legal and conceptual basis of property and the legal, institutional, and stakeholder aspects of land, property and property rights. Consider what is involved and understood by the label 'property rights', how the planning system and related institutions operate, the repercussions for different stakeholders, and the fundamental principles of land law governing the ownership, use and enjoyment of property as relevant to real estate professionals.

Real Estate Valuation 1

Discover the pricing of equities, bonds, mortgages and real estate assets, and apply models to assess investment decisions.

Contemporary Issues in Real Estate and Planning

Develop an understanding of the local, national and global challenges and potential solutions directly and indirectly affected by the real estate industry and planning system, as well as the diversity of stakeholders involved. You'll critically reflect on aspects such as climate change, housing quality, affordability, future ways of working and building, and growing inequality.

Ethics and Sustainable Development

Explore the human and non-human considerations of sustainable development goals and implications for responsible business practices in real estate and planning, including urban and architectural design, development, construction, operation, refurbishment, retrofitting, and regeneration. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Real Estate and Urban Economics

Use basic economic principles and models to analyse urban dynamics and property markets. You'll develop a foundational understanding of economic forces shaping urban growth and land use allocation within cities, equilibrium adjustment processes in demand and supply of real estate, and broader perspectives for the analysis of real estate markets.

Real Estate Valuation 2

Develop your understanding of the underlying principles of valuation and the various approaches to, and methods of, property valuation. You'll study the processes, procedures and practices necessary to value real estate, particularly commercial property investments, as well as the valuation process, including regulatory framework, role of the valuation, and different concepts of value.

Real Estate and Planning Law

Gain a thorough grounding in the key legal and regulatory principles and concepts underpinning the operation of landlord and tenant law, leasehold relationships, and planning processes.  

Real Estate Entrepreneurship and Technology

Explore the key concepts of business start-ups and become a disruptor in the real estate sector. You'll entrepreneurial management studies will span design thinking, business model creation, entrepreneurial finance, marketing, and technological trends, including the responsible use of AI.

Real Estate Finance and Investment

Gain insight into the operation of commercial real estate markets within a broader capital market setting. You'll understand key theoretical concepts in finance, be able to appraise critically published work in the field, and apply this knowledge to the analysis of practical real estate problems.

Optional modules

Planning Theory and Practice

Discover the theory and practice of spatial planning, and its interrelationship with the development of real estate. You'll study a range of contemporary issues and tools for planning implementation, including addressing climate change and sustainability, the role of plan-making, and how planning shapes different built and natural environments.

Climate Change and Finance

Examine the scientific consensus on climate change, together with its projected social and economic consequences to understand how the financial sector can help mitigate and manage these impacts.

Introduction to the Management of Information Systems

Explore the management of business information systems (IS) and the interplay between management, organisational, and information technology IS dimensions You'll study enterprise applications, the symbiotic relationship between company information infrastructures and business capability, and the fundamentals that underline the design, implementation, control, evaluation, and strategic use of information systems in modern business.

Programming for Finance

Engage in the basics of programming for finance, including class, objects, datatypes, conditional statements and loops, processing data from files, receiving inputs, and displaying relevant outputs. You'll be able to write simple programming functions in Python, process data files including reading, and modifying and writing data to external files, and explore data management and visualisation

Trends in Finance

Contextualise current issues and debates in finance by placing them in the historical evolution of finance. Understand how finance has evolved over time and where it may develop in the future.

Understanding Leadership

Gain a deeper understanding of leadership models and concepts as you explore different leadership styles and the associated ethical challenges. You’ll consider potential obstacles for leaders and learn how they can develop their leadership capabilities to deal with them.

Development Appraisal and Finance

Evaluate and appraise the financial viability of real estate development projects. You'll develop key skills and knowledge related to the ways in which land value, how the risks and rewards associated with real estate development activity might be shared, and the range of debt and equity investments in real estate development projects. 

Real Estate Valuation 3

Explore the variety of valuation processes and valuation methods, at both theoretical and applied levels, for different market contexts, real estate assets, and purposes. 

Real Estate Asset Management

Explore the real estate management process from the perspective of both investors and public/corporate occupiers. Apply qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyse the real estate management process and make judgements on investment and tenure opportunities, gaining an understanding of the role, responsibilities and skills required of the real estate manager. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Real Estate Portfolio Management

Understand the concepts of investment strategy, portfolio selection, performance measurement and their application to property markets.

Quantitative Techniques and Statistics

Explore core statistical concepts and basic econometric modelling with a focus on applications in the real estate environment, developing an understanding for applied quantitative data analysis. You'll learn how to use statistical software as you focus on the real estate context, describing, modifying and visualising data, and apply econometric modelling to test research hypotheses and build forecasting models. 

Real Estate Securities

Gain an awareness of market structures and the pricing of financial products for indirect investments in real estate, developing a critical understanding of the different features of real estate securities.

Project in Finance and Investment

Blend practical and theoretical perspectives involving close-to-market materials to enhance your digital capability, skills and knowledge related to asset allocation, portfolio management, asset pricing and real estate investment vehicles. 

Optional modules

Work-based Learning

Undertake a four-week work placement (as a minimum) to reflect on professional practice in the workplace, develop your skills and competencies, explore your future career options, and extend the knowledge gained throughout your studies.

Housing Markets and Policy

Study the economic principles that underpin residential property markets and relevant government policies. You'll examine why global, national, and local housing markets operate as they do, and the implications this has for economies and societies more generally, as well as how different types of policy – town planning, fiscal, and monetary – can shape housing markets. 

Urban Regeneration

Discover urban regeneration policy and practice, with a focus on the UK context, developing your critical thinking related to the models and theories that underpin regeneration processes and the outcomes of regeneration activities.  

Dissertation in Real Estate and Planning

Conduct a substantial research study on a topic of relevance to property and real estate, supported by your dissertation supervisor.

New Directions in Business and Corporate Social Responsibility

Develop your awareness and understanding of contemporary debates and practices of corporate social responsibility, and reflect on the wider role of business in societal and global sustainable development.  

Investment in Rural Assets

Demonstrate technical knowledge in various areas of rural asset management and investment, from an understanding of the core influences on rural land as an asset class to the ability to analyse and project long-term financial performance. You'll gain the ability to use a range of financial, economic and asset management skills to offer strategic advice in this area. 

International Real Estate

Understand how commercial real estate markets work in an international context, focusing on three distinct, but interrelated areas: international market analysis, analysis of European real estate markets, and global market analysis. Critically evaluate the functioning and principal characteristics of commercial real estate markets, key global players, and the real estate sectors in both established and emerging markets.  

Fintech and Crypto Currencies

Explore the major areas of Fintech, including the ability to understand cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology (and why so many firms are implementing the technology), the history, behaviour, and impact cryptocurrencies have had on the financial sector, and recent developments spanning money and payment, digital finance, alternative finance, and regulation.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.