Career Advice: best degrees to go into development
To keep things brief, I am looking to go into real estate development, specifically hotel and mixed use. I am a senior in undergrad, majoring in Business Administration/Management, and I essentially have 3 options before me to pursue:

- JD and MSRE (MS in Real Estate) combined degree in 3 years, at no cost due to scholarships
- JD/MBA in 4 years, slightly more cost, but still small 
- MSRE for 1 year, then work for a couple years before getting an MBA

If my goal is real estate development, which combination of degrees would be the most beneficial? (Also worth noting: my father is a hotel developer and I assume has industry contacts to help in terms of networking)
[{"id": "dsvql3i", "text": "as someone  with an education in environment and nothing close to business but currently a leasing agent and mixed use res/comm agent, the degrees help but its the experience that solidifies your stature in the field of this work. I have never been blown away by a guys education as much as his tenacity and focus/ speed at which he gets his projects done. \nYour father is you best mentor, I suggest you utilize him as much as possible. get your Masters from the master himself. as for your actual question, you never stop learning so take the road that gets legal licensing the fastest and then keep working on it as you work on income generating projects.\nthis is just my 2 cents keep it or throw it, please do not respond", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dsw13st", "text": "If you are looking for something specifically for Real Estate Development, they actually have graduate courses called MRED program (Master's of Real Estate Development) so if you know what you want to do, which is development, there is something more focused to better suit you, at least from an educational standpoint. But, in real estate it's not what you know, it's who you know, and most definitely your best resource would be your father. \n\nIf I were in shoes, knowing what I know now (been working in commercial brokerage for about 5 years now) I would work for your father, shadow him, and at the same time get the MRED education part-time. I believe the program is only 2-years but of course they all vary depending on school. Depending on where you are from, I know University of Southern California and New York University offer these Master's programs. Best of luck!\n\nEdit: Grammar", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dswb4pp", "text": "I would suggest trying to get in right out of UG, worked fine for me.\n\n Definitely don\u2019t get a JD, that\u2019s a huge waste of time. There\u2019s also no point in getting an MSRE *and* an MBA. Those will serve you better a few years into your career, if you want to pivot markets or get a promotion or something along those lines. Best not to play that card until you absolutely have to.\n\nIn RE experience is everything, so the sooner you can start to accumulate it the better. There are principals out there with nothing more than an UG degree. There are guys out there who spent all this time in school chasing advanced degrees just to land the same associate role that some guy who put 2 years in as an analyst got.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dswwk7n", "text": "Degrees don't mean jack. Just do it.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dszi1ln", "text": "Currently about halfway through my MRED after going straight from undergraduate. AMA", "replies": [{"id": "dszm80a", "text": "Wut school bruh? How's it?", "replies": [{"id": "dszurbu", "text": "I don\u2019t really want to doxx myself as my program is fairly small.  My program is at a large university within the Southeast.  I\u2019ve really enjoyed it so far.  I feel like it\u2019s doing a good job at preparing and setting a good foundation for my career.  While experience is paramount in this industry, I do think that having graduate education will help to \u201cfuture proof\u201d myself in the sense that this industry is beginning to attract more elite talent than before.  A lot more top MBA graduates and Ivy\u2019s are going into CRE development.  I would recommend it.", "replies": [{"id": "dszuu96", "text": "You've got a good point there.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dt1kd50", "text": "I wouldn\u2019t waste money on grad school if your goal is real estate development.  Look into the CCIM designation. The classes seem to offer a lot of useful information. \n\nDefinitely do not go to law school. It\u2019s a waste of time and money unless you want to practice law. Don\u2019t believe me? Google law school scam and Paul Campos. Also see the JD Underground web site.  ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dth4qm0", "text": "I would suggest that with a dad doing hotel development just get a job right out of undergrad and keep grad school on the back burner until you feel it is needed professionally.  If you do decide to jump to grad school and want to stay in the CRE career path then I would think the pure MSRE is the best bet.  Unless you want to go into law the JD is probably a waste of time and money.\n\nAlso be sure to look into the Cornell Hotel School.  Many people working in the hospitality industry come through that school and they have a huge network.\n\nI work in hotel development and in my opinion you are probably best served with getting into a project and learning the job through real work experience.  Real experience is way more valuable then any grad degree.\n\nIf you want any more info feel free to shoot me a PM.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "dthmvu5", "text": "As other people have said - don\u2019t go to law school unless you want to practice law.  It\u2019s going to be a waste of your time otherwise.  With the exception of maybe some basic fundamentals in contract law and possibly a one-off course in something like land use, you\u2019re not going to gain any \u201creal world\u201d  knowledge that will help you get a job in development right out of law school.   If you want to practice law for a bit and then go into the business side of development, I would suggest trying to work in the real estate practice group at a large firm.   You\u2019ll learn the legal side of development quickly but it still is not going to give you any advantages in the near term in landing a job with a developer.  \n\nI have multiple friends who work in development.  Some started out in leasing or investment sales and went right into development and others went to MRE or MBA programs after working in commercial real estate for a while.   I also have friends in development who got jobs through family (either working directly for a family member or leveraging the relationship for a job).   The family route is the easiest and should be your first option after you finish undergrad.   \n\nI would also recommend working for a few years before you consider grad school.  You\u2019ll benefit from gaining real world experience and you\u2019ll learn how to network and market yourself.   As between an MRE and MBA (if you are considering both), an MBA in finance with an emphasis in real estate is the best degree.  You need to learn about financing (with both debt and equity) if you want to work in development.    So much of development is working with numbers. \n\nI\u2019m currently a real estate attorney and was in retail real estate leasing and investment sales for 10 years prior to law school.   ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]