The Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate
Source: https://aap.cornell.edu/real-estate/ Parent: https://aap.cornell.edu/undergraduate-admissions/undergraduate-admissions-architecture/
Jointly led with the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
Empowering future leaders of the real estate industry to drive positive change for society, the economy, and the planet.
The jointly led Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate is rooted in a mutual understanding that real estate education and practice are both multidisciplinary and multiscalar, encompassing finance and development, governance and economic policy, and the built environment.
Real estate — and the many different relationships within the field that make it such a powerful force — is not only a critical component of the built environment, it is the built environment. At Cornell, students and faculty come together to better understand the complex and changing needs of our cities and communities that push the industry to evolve, innovate, and adopt perspectives from across a broad spectrum of expertise and practice.
Cornell’s Baker Program in Real Estate prepares professionals with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and flexible master’s degree.
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Largest Full-time Real Estate Faculty in US - 100%
Graduates Receiving Job Offers - 5+
Real Estate Discipline Perspectives
Student Experience
$30 Million from Paul Rubacha 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, M.B.A. ’73
Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate
The Baker Program in Real Estate
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Optional Second Year in NYC
Students have the option to spend their second year in the program based in New York City, providing them with valuable hands-on learning opportunities and perspectives gleaned directly from industry professionals. 2. ### The +1 Pathway
Strong Cornell students from across all majors at the university can fulfill the first year of the master’s program while still an undergraduate. 3. ### STEM-Designated Real Estate Curriculum
Recognizing the analytical nature of the degree while allowing international students to remain in the United States for up to three years of optional professional training.
Minors
Real Estate Minors for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
In partnership with the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the department offers undergraduate and graduate-level minors in real estate to students across the university. Combining coursework with industry connections, special events, treks, and career support, minors prepare students for a range of real estate careers.
At Cornell, we see real estate students as the next generation of leaders in the field. Thanks to the tremendous vision of our departmental and cross-college leadership, more students now have access to opportunities in and outside of the classroom to engage and shape this massively important, ever-changing industry.
Richard Baker ’88
Latest News and Events
Latest News and Events
In the Media Institutional Real Estate Allocations Drop, Rebound Expected
Law360 — Cornell University’s Baker Program in Real Estate co-authored a survey report on institutional real estate allocations and investment trends.
The 2025 Cornell Real Estate Review
View this year’s publication that covers a range of topics from the various real estate disciplines.
Stories Gensler Family AAP NYC Center Opens Doors, Possibilities on Cornell Tech Campus
After a decade at 26 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, the center’s move to Roosevelt Island affords new opportunities for connection and collaboration.
Stories
Cornell AAP to Launch First New York City-based High School Summer Program
Cornell AAP recently announced an opportunity for rising high school juniors and seniors to join City Visionaries, the newest addition to the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center’s (AAP NYC) immersive slate of New York City-based programs.
Stories Cornell’s Baker Program in Real Estate Offers New Opportunities for Students, Including NYC Study Option
Recently confirmed developments include plans for hands-on study in New York City, an accelerated path to a master’s degree, and the benefits of a STEM-designated program.
Stories What’s Ahead: Spring 2026 Highlights
After a winter break to regroup and recharge, faculty, students, and staff return to campus and to the open questions, conversations, and explorations that will drive the work of the semester ahead.
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Careers
We invite you to submit your application to join our faculty, staff, and students who come together from around the globe to advance research, scholarship, and critical and creative practices to build a more sustainable, just, and resilient world.