The Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) Program was established at Marquette University in the summer of 2004. The program is an industry-supported initiative that recruits and trains minorities for professional careers in commercial real estate. Through a 16-week curriculum in commercial real estate, several networking events and working on case studies, ACRE will meet its primary goal of increasing the number of African-Americans, Latinos, American-Indians and other traditionally under-represented populations in the commercial real estate industry.

The ACRE model was developed on the premise that access to the commercial real estate industry is often achieved through informal networks — family, friends and colleagues. Without such connections, entry into the field is difficult; ACRE extends these networks to its students through education, networking, applied project-based training and mentoring.

Partners

ACRE relies on the successful collaboration between education, financial, industry, community and association partners.

Marquette University is the education partner and coordinator of ACRE. The program is housed in the College of Business Administration and is supervised by Nicole Truog, Associate Director, Center for Real Estate. The Mandel Group is the financial partner and is also active in the administration of the program. ACRE community partners provide essential networking opportunities.

View ACRE partners

Students

Typical ACRE students have some college training and several years of business experience. Students are selected through a rigorous process of screening, testing and interviewing. The four primary student selection criteria are:

Must have completed a high school education;
Must have proficient knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel;
Must exhibit adequate verbal and math skills (determined by skills test and writing sample); and
Must demonstrate a strong interest in commercial real estate or commercial real estate investment.

Curriculum and Class Structure

The ACRE Class meets every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Marquette University's College of Business Administration and will be held during the spring semester of 2010 from January 20th to May 12th. The curriculum will provide an overview of the commercial real estate industry including development, real estate finance, property management, construction, the public sector and municipal approval. The goal is to provide participants with a high-level overview of various aspects of commercial real estate. Guest-speakers will be brought in to supplement the curriculum.

Networking

ACRE and its partners will host two to three networking receptions during the program so that current ACRE students and ACRE graduates can network with industry professionals and community leaders. ACRE students have additional opportunities for networking at industry-sponsored events held in the Milwaukee area.

Student Expectations

Candidates that are accepted to the program are required to submit a $250.00 non-refundable tuition fee as well as fulfill the following requirements:

Participate in 16 weeks of classroom instruction which meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Marquette University;
Attend two networking events;
Complete all assignments; and
Complete a final class project.

Any candidate who does not meet the course requirements will be dropped from the program and will forfeit his or her tuition fee.