Welcome!
The University of Wisconsin is home to the oldest undergraduate program in Real Estate and the oldest graduate program in Real Estate in the United States. Our graduate programs feature the one-year MS program, the full-time MBA program specializing in Real Estate, and the Global Real Estate Master Program.
The Real Estate Club began here in the late 1970's and has grown to be one of the largest student-run organizations on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Open to both graduate and undergraduate students, the club meets monthly to hear from real estate professionals and practitioners. Our speakers cover a wide range of topics including the debt markets, development, REITs, green building, and institutional trends. As one of the top-ranked undergraduate programs and one of the top-ranked MBA programs in the country, we facilitate countless opportunities to engage lecturers, guests, and alumni from across the globe.
We are proud to work closely with the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association to continue the Badger tradition of connecting our students with networking opportunities within the Real Estate industry.
In addition to activities on campus, we take two national trips each year. Trips include site tours of key developments, meetings with professionals, networking dinners, and a variety of other opportunities to learn from industry leaders. Local alumni and principals are always on hand and ultimately make it all possible. Past excursions include Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, DC, Phoenix, New York City, and Denver. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!
What We Do
Speaker Series
Every month, the Club hosts Thursday night meetings with guest speakers from the industry. Past speakers are both local and global professionals, even alumni, including: Ellen Shuman (Yale University Investments Office), Ryan Severino (JLL), Dan Kroetz (Commonwealth Companies), Dan Barry (American Campus), Mike Brennan (First Industrial, Brennan Investment Group), and additional speakers from TA Realty, 29th Street Capital, CBRE, Ernst & Young, Harrison Street, Jamestown Development, PGIM, Blue Vista Capital Management, Northwestern Mutual and Wells Fargo.
Innovator Award
In conjunction with the Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, we acknowledge industry professionals who have made a significant impact in the world of real estate. Past recipients include: Goldie Wolfe Miller (The Goldie Initiative Scholarship for Women in Real Estate), Michael Toolis (Stantec Architecture), David Brain (Entertainment Properties Trust, Enfinite Capital), Ryan Williams (Cadre) and Jeff Shapack (Shapack Partners).
Local Market Tours
Each semester, a group of students travel to Chicago, Milwaukee or Minneapolis to meet local alumni, see new real estate projects, and connect with local firms. Market tours provide our members with the real-world insight they need to become a well-rounded real estate professional. You can only learn so much about real estate in the classroom!
Real Estate Club Trips
Students have the opportunity to travel with the Real Estate Club to cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Denver, Austin and more. On these trips, students learn about these markets, network with Wisconsin alumni, understand various real estate career paths, and build relationships with local professionals.
Career Fair
The Real Estate Career Fair occurs in the Fall (early September) and Spring (early February) semesters. Firm representatives can view the Recruiters tab for further information.
MBA and MSRE Mentorship program
Undergraduate students are able to be paired with MBA and Masters of Real Estate mentors for the semester (and beyond!) to help guide undergraduate students with insight into the real estate industry, course selection, internsip and career perspective, and a friendly face on campus.
Fall 2023 Trip to Boston
Fall 2022 Trip to Denver
Fall 2021 Trip to Milwaukee
Spring 2020 Trip to Austin
Fall 2019 Trip to Fiserv Forum
Fall 2019 Trip to Denver
Fall 2018 Trip to Minneapolis
Spring 2018 REC Career Fair
Wrigley Field Development Tour
Fall 2017 Trip to Dallas
Spring 2017 Trip to Seattle
Special thanks to WREAA and our Seattle alumni for making this trip possible!
See photos from the Fall 2016 Trip to Atlanta!
Wisconsin Real Estate students have been leaders in the industry for more than 80 years. Graduates have found placement (full-time or internship) at some of the following leading real estate firms:
The Real Estate Club also provides students with great opportunities to network with locally and nationally based professionals in the industry. Some of these opportunities include mock interviews, mentor programs, and professional development events.