The Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate - Department of Real Estate at Cornell

Baker MPS-RE

Graduate Real Estate Minor

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Visionary Real Estate Education at Cornell University

Developing Today’s World by Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders

Today’s challenges require a new kind of real estate professional. The Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate is a multi-college department that combines expertise from Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. A multidisciplinary approach to real estate education is prioritized by immersing students in perspectives from architecture, finance, planning, economics, and law. The department conducts high-impact scholarly research and provides students with hands-on experiences that prepare them to make an impact in the real estate industry.

#1 Largest full-time real estate faculty in US
STEM-Designated Real Estate Curriculum
100% Graduates Received Job Offers
5+ Discipline perspectives in real estate

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The Baker Real Estate Program Announces an Optional Second-Year in NYC

The Rubacha Department of Real Estate is proud to announce a new pathway combining our Ivy League real estate education with the industry hub of New York City. Students matriculating in Fall 2025, can enroll in an optional second-year in NYC for the Baker program. In the second year, Baker students get practical experience with real estate development, design, venture capital, and other related fields through hands-on learning.

READ ABOUT BAKER’S NYC OPTION

News from the Department

Explore some of the exciting research and other news from the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate.

December 20, 2024

Associate Real Estate Council NYC Trek

Thirty first- and second-year Baker Program graduate students participated in the NYC trek to connect across cohorts and learn together during the journey.

February 13, 2024

Baker Program in Real Estate Announces STEM Designation and +1 Option for Undergrads

The Baker Program announces two developments that enhance the value of its MPS-RE degree and open it up to students from a wide range of backgrounds.

September 18, 2023

Equity and Prosperity: 5 Questions with Real Estate Chair Stuart S. Rosenthal

Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate chair Stuart Rosenthal outlines links between economics, real estate markets, and the health of communities.

Paul Rubacha speaks with his hands while a group of people clap in the background.

$30 Million Gift Names Department of Real Estate

“This is an opportunity for me to say thanks to the university for much of what it’s done for me, professionally and personally. And I hope that by doing this, it will further strengthen the real estate education program at the university, and provide similar opportunities for scores of other students going forward”

—Paul Rubacha ’72, MBA ’73

READ THE CORNELL CHRONICLE ARTICLE

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The Baker Program in Real Estate

The Cornell Baker Program in Real Estate prepares professionals with comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and flexible real estate master’s degrees in New York. Our graduates have limitless opportunities in the real estate industry, thanks to the program’s STEM-accreditation, specialized concentrations, treks, internships, and the robust Cornell network.

Explore the Baker Program

Hear from Our Students

“I love the cross-pollination across faculties, bringing in urban planners, architects, and engineers offers different viewpoints and much more interesting class dialogue. The fact that Cornell is located in a small town was also particularly appealing to me. It brings the cohort and other Cornellians much closer together beyond proximity.”

—Alice Chi Hu MPS-RE ’24

“The depth of curriculum not only provides students with more real estate industry exposure but also gives students the opportunity to put what they’ve learned into practice through summer internships… Every day I use what I learned in the Baker Program. A[nother] big part of it is the network…I am still very close with the folks I graduated with and the class beneath me, and that was 12 years ago.”

—Davis Schlomi MPS-RE ’12

#1 Largest Full-Time Real Estate Faculty in the US

At the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, you’ll learn from some of the bose, renowned industry thought leaders.

Cody Danks Burke

Professor of Practice and Director of the Baker Program

Baker Program in Real Estate

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Biography for Cody Danks Burke

Cody Danks Burke is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Baker Program. He has extensive experience managing investment portfolios with a focus on real estate assets. His positions include many years on Cornell's investment team and ongoing work with private companies outside of Cornell.

Suzanne L. Charles

Associate Professor

Baker Program in Real Estate

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Biography for Suzanne L. Charles

Suzanne Lanyi Charles is an Associate Professor whose research examines housing finance, infill redevelopment, and access to affordable housing. She is a Fulbright US Scholar recipient and worked for many years as a licensed architect before earning her doctorate in urban planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Dragana Cvijanovic

Associate Professor

Baker Program in Real Estate

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Biography for Dragana Cvijanovic

Dragana Cvijanovic is an Associate Professor in Applied Economics and Policy. Her research interests include real estate finance, housing, and corporate governance, and has appeared in leading finance journals. Her work has been recognized through several international honors and awards.

Stuart S. Rosenthal

Chair of the Rubacha Department of Real Estate

Baker Program in Real Estate

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Biography for Stuart S. Rosenthal

Stuart Rosenthal serves as Chair of the Rubacha Department of Real Estate. He has extensive experience in real estate including 17 years as managing editor of the Journal of Urban Economics, a former president of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and other notable positions.

EXPLORE RUBACHA DEPARTMENT FACULTY

Cover of the 2024 Cornell Real Estate Review.

The Cornell Real Estate Review

The Cornell Real Estate Review was founded in 2002 as a forum for faculty, professionals, and real estate students to focus attention on current issues in the real estate industry. The publication covers many topics from the various real estate disciplines including design, business economics, engineering, finance, law, planning, development, marketing, and property management.

Read the Real Estate Review

Develop Your Infrastructure at Cornell

Take the first step toward a rewarding, fulfilling career in real estate by adding Cornell credentials and an innovative hospitality education to your resume.

Apply Today