How To Integrate Research In A Real Estate Course

In the last two years the Real Estate Course of V&M Groningen has developed a program to execute applied research for different real estate companies in the third year of the real Estate Course. Starting with a group of 6 students in 2005, we now carry out applied research with 75 students in the third year of the program. It is a short but intensive preparation for their final thesis in the fourth year and is followed by their first internship. In this paper some examples will be presented, and the succes factors will be discussed. It is a follow up from the presentation in Paris (december 2007, ESSEC), which was about the conditions and possibilities. In Paris, 1 or 2 from the 60 people present were familiar with this type of education, so it seems not very common to integrate applied research for companies in the program (except internship and thesis). Students like working in practice, which does not mean they have a professional attitude. This part o f the course forces them to develop such an attitude. Students are very enthousiastic, although insecure, and think it's the prefect preparation for their internship and thesis. Examples are applied research for an new office concept, needed competences for Property and Assetmanagement (with results), monitoring the social-economic effects in a weak region after building a new village (in preparation), and a research of recreational village concepts.