Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics features a robust partnership between academia and the Institute for Real Estate Management (IREM), which provides certification and professional development opportunities for real estate professionals. 

Since fall 2024, students in the CSUF real estate program have the privilege to participate in instructor-led, in-person IREM Skill Badge courses offered on campus as part of the Center for Real Estate, making CSUF the first university to provide this integration. Course topics covered at CSUF in the Skill Badges include marketing, leasing, budgeting and maintenance. 

CSUF also offered students and alumni the opportunity to take IREM’s ACoM (Accredited Commercial Manager) designation track courses in-person, preparing Business Titans for lucrative careers in the Southern California commercial real estate sector upon graduation. This was the first offering of the ACoM track at the university level. Additional certification designations are currently in development for future semesters. 

Shannon Alter, a longtime supporter of the Center for Real Estate and an IREM instructor at Cal State Fullerton, notes that on-demand webinars, skill badges and certification tracks are among the opportunities available through IREM to CSUF students, and these credentials are highly valued by industry employers.  

“By the time students finish the track, they are in high demand, and we have had students who have been granted time off to take these courses,” she says. “The skill badges, by contrast, are stand-alone foundational one full day, but are great additions to a LinkedIn profile or résumé.”  

The Cal State Fullerton offerings were recently featured in a case study by IREM, highlighting the program’s unique integration of academic instruction and professional development that this partnership offers, which is already serving as a model for similar programs at other universities nationwide.

“The goal is to help launch the careers of students who have selected commercial real estate as their direction, so that their résumé and capacity is eye catching and compelling,” explains Linsey Carbone, a supporter of the program and a past director of the Center for Real Estate, who notes that these internationally coveted designations help graduating students stay ahead in a competitive marketplace. 

For More Information 

For more on the real estate program at Cal State Fullerton, including academic offerings and opportunities for networking as a business professional, visit the Center for Real Estate website. Or read more of our articles on Titan real estate education.