Master of Property Practice to start in 2022

The Department of Property is proud to announce that the new Master of Property Practice(MPropPrac) begins on 4 April 2022. The MPropPrac is a fully online, 180-point non-cognate, taught Masters degree designed to be completed over one and a half or three years.

The Master of Property Practice is aimed at:

• Professionals that work in and around the property industry but do not hold a formal qualification in Property
• Individuals outside Property who are keen to enter the industry and assume a role as a property or asset manager, developer, valuer, analyst, commercial broker or leasing agent

The Department of Property’s Michael Rehm says the programme was developed to address ongoing demand from the industry.

“Property practice is multidisciplinary and boasts a variety of professional opportunities. This tends to attract individuals who have not studied property at university. These practitioners and their employers have long desired an advanced, taught degree to acquire fundamental property knowledge alongside cutting edge applications of technology and analytics to solve property problems.

“Also, before the MPropPrac, the only option available to recent non-Property graduates to earn a formal property qualification would be to pursue a second undergraduate degree. Similarly, professionals on the periphery of the industry (architects, urban planners, engineers, etc.) who would like to pivot to a career in property must return to university and earn a second undergraduate. The MPropPrac offers an attractive alternative to the BProp and taps into latent demand.

In response to the launch, industry and professional bodies, including the Property Institute of NZ, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Valuers Registration Board, have all offered their support for the MPropPrac.

Property professionals approached for feedback have shown strong interest, particularly those without a formal property qualification. A number of prospective students have also expressed their desire to pursue an MPropPrac once enrolments formally open in November 2021.

While the Department of Property prides itself on its strong relationships with industry, Professor Rehm acknowledges this is an inherent challenge in fully online programmes. The MPropPrac plans to address this in a variety of ways, including:

• The use of industry lecturers
• Case studies drawn from industry and presented by practitioners
• Collaboration with industry partners to develop internship opportunities as an integral MPropPrac capstone option

“Another challenge with online study is engagement with classmates given the lack of face-to-face meetings. So, interaction between peers will occur via group assignments, peer reviews and periodic industry networking events organised at various towns throughout the country. Although the latter engagement strategy is extracurricular, professional networking is key to a successful property career and, therefore, will be a centrepiece of the MPropPrac,” Professor Rehm says.

You can find out more about the Master of Property Practice here.