Rethinking Real Estate Education | Student Housing Investment

Interview

Key Takeaways

Expansion from traditional real estate to broader real assets:

The legacy “four food groups” (office, retail, multifamily, industrial) have evolved into a much wider investable universe including digital infrastructure, cell towers, single-family rental, senior housing, power, and energy transition. Public REIT market cap has grown from ~$6B in 1986 to nearly $2T today, reflecting sustained institutional adoption and structural sector expansion.

Addressing the education gap:

As institutional capital shifts toward infrastructure, digital assets, and energy transition, many academic programs remain anchored in legacy property sectors. The Master of Science in Global Real Assets (GRA) program is designed to realign education with capital markets reality — training students across public REITs, private real estate, infrastructure, and real asset credit to match evolving employer demand.

Real assets as a core institutional allocation:

The asset class has delivered low double-digit long-term returns with ~0.6 correlation to public equities, offering diversification and inflation sensitivity. As traditional markets become more crowded, sovereign funds and large allocators continue increasing exposure across both equity and credit real asset strategies.

Investing in the Future of Real Assets Leaders:

Through the Steers Scholars Program within Georgetown’s M.S. in Global Real Assets, the university supports the next generation of institutional leaders with 20 full tuition scholarships. The program aligns academic training with the realities of real estate, infrastructure, and energy, expanding access while preparing students for careers across public and private real assets investing.

The

Academic and Industry Leaders

Team

Matthew Cypher serves as Academic Director of Georgetown’s Master of Science in Global Real Assets (GRA) program, leading curriculum innovation at the intersection of real estate, infrastructure, and energy. Bob Steers, founder and Executive Chairman of Cohen & Steers, brings decades of experience pioneering listed real assets investing and has played a key role in advancing real assets education through the Steers Center and the Steers Scholars initiative. Together, they represent both academic leadership and institutional investment expertise.

Access Georgetown’s GRA Materials:

Discover curriculum details, admissions information, and how Georgetown is redefining real assets education.

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