Real estate as a career option is gaining ground, and Indian institutions are drafting specialized courses for the realty sector.
The US based National Association of Realtors, (NAR), has been offering real estate certification programmes through its Indian affiliate, the Indian Institute of real Estate, (IIRE) since 2003. Since January 2007, the institute has registered a spurt in admissions for its diploma course in Principles and Practices in Real Estate.
The response has prompted the institute to consider a satellite programme on the discipline. The Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) is likely to be roped in to facilitate the transmission of the diploma program on Real Estate Principles and Management to 50 affiliate colleges in Maharashtra.
Both short-term (two and a half months) and long-term courses (eight months) are being considered. These could be an add-on qualification for management, architecture and engineering graduates looking to join the realty sector.
An increasing number of management colleges are offering real estate courses, with representatives of the real estate industry serving as visiting or part-time faculty. Notable institutions offering these courses are IIT-Powai, which conducted a programme on real estate, and the Indian School of Business, which has a research chair for “Real Estate and Urban Cities” Indu Projects, Hyderabad’s real estate developer, is sponsoring the research chair with a grant of Rs. 2.5 crore.
