Learn an Expert’s Opinion on Online Real Estate Degrees

License Exam Instructor, for example, is a $49 30-day plan for prospective real estate agents in California that includes access to a personal online tutor, practice exams, e-books, and other state-specific test material.

 

Continuing education requirements:

Continuing education requirements for real estate agents and brokers vary by state. On its website, the National Association of Realtors lists many continuing education online courses and whether they fit the standards of different states.

Real Estate Express provides online continuing education courses for most states, both individually and in bigger packages, with 24/7 access to material for increased flexibility. For example, standalone classes in New York start at $15, but multicourse packages can cost $130.

Courses for becoming a broker and earning certifications include: Students may also attend online courses to advance in the field after obtaining a real estate license, possibly to become a broker. Websites such as Moseley Real Estate Schools and Allied Business Schools Inc. provide online classes for students from all around the country to get their broker licenses.

An online course to become a registered broker in Virginia costs $229 on Moseley and includes unlimited access to course materials and the opportunity to engage with other students and teachers.

 

Depending on their exact professional ambitions, students like Ducote may benefit from a second designation in the field. Ducote obtained his CCIM mostly online, eventually completing his final exam in Texas and submitting a portfolio of past transactions. Certified Property Manager, Accredited Land Consultant, and Certified International Property Specialist are other designations.

University online certificate programs:

Online university certificates – whether for credit or not – are shorter in length and less expensive than online degrees. In addition, they delve further into specific topics within the field or provide a more general overview of real estate to experts from other industries.

The for-profit, online American Public University System provides an undergraduate online certificate in real estate management for 18 credit hours, much less than the 60 hours required for the school’s associate degree in the discipline. The certificate program is also limited to real estate, whereas degree students must complete additional general prerequisites.

“Sometimes, students want to start with the certificate and then go to the associate degree,” says Kevin Forehand, the school’s program director for real estate studies programs.

Meanwhile, Cornell, Cornell University’s online degree-granting arm, offers a certificate in commercial real estate and another in hotel real estate investments and asset management for $3,600 each.

Real estate online degrees:

While a full real estate degree is not required to enter the sector, students may choose to pursue one. For example, associate degree students at APUS may choose to pursue their education to pursue a long-held passion, to educate themselves. At the same time, they purchase their first house or eventually become a licensed realtor.

“We get a lot of international buyers and sellers in Key West,” Ducote adds, “and I just wanted to understand a little bit more how to deal with them.” And basically, I only wanted the accreditation to attract investors since people look up realtors’ qualifications and so on online.”

“Typically, they’ve been in the sector for quite a while, and they’re earning a master’s degree basically to strengthen their business,” Overbye says of master’s students at REALTOR University.