Samford University’s Brock School of Business launched its new real estate concentration for business majors in the fall 2023 semester. Since its launch, the concentration has grown quickly. The program offers students a multifaceted toolkit for understanding the intricacies of the real estate industry, including property markets, investment strategies and real estate law.
The real estate concentration offers students the unique opportunity to have a customizable undergraduate experience. Katie Carlton, a junior marketing major, commented on her experience since adding the concentration, “Something unique about this concentration is that the curriculum encourages students to pursue multiple concentrations. I am also in the professional sales concentration and one of the classes overlap so that it fits in the curriculum of both the real estate and professional sales concentrations. I also think the real estate concentration is unique because you can choose either the sales or investment path depending on the career path you plan to take.”
As an accompaniment to any business major, students can choose one of two paths within the concentration based on their career interests: sales and brokerage or professional management and investment. Both paths include core classes on real estate law and real estate principles, then separately incorporate specialty classes for either professional selling or real estate investment.
In coordination with launching the new concentration, Brock School of Business, in partnership with Fairway Investments, opened the Fairway Commercial Real Estate Lab in fall 2023. Mike Thompson, president of Fairway investments, shared more about the partnership. He said, “The Thompson Family and Fairway Investments are pleased to partner with Brock School of Business to enhance their comprehensive teaching of real estate. Our joint vision of our Fairway Commercial Real Estate Lab combined with the new Lucille Ryals Thompson Professorship will bring meaningful assistance to Samford’s outstanding students wanting more knowledge in the exciting field of study.”
The lab is a major component of a multi-pronged initiative to prepare Samford students for careers in the dynamic real estate industry and provide curated curriculum for students in the concentration. Dakota Hartfield, senior marketing major, expressed her excitement over the new concentration, saying, “I have been overjoyed that Samford is offering a real estate concentration and thus far have been impressed by my professors and resources provided to everyone in the program.”
Over the last two semesters, students have collaborated in the newly dedicated workspace and made meaningful connections in this emerging industry. This concentration not only fosters a solid understanding of real estate, but also cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving abilities essential for navigating the landscape of the profession.
