MSc Real Estate and Construction Management
The master's programme in Real Estate and Construction Management opens the door to engaging professions in real estate development, law, economics, management, finance, and construction management. The dynamic combination of applied and theoretical courses, group projects, and industry interaction equips graduates with the skills to excel in the building and real estate markets. The programme is RICS accredited for delivering the highest standards in real estate education.
Real Estate and Construction Management at KTH
The master's programme in Real Estate and Construction Management will provide you with solid knowledge and understanding of real estate and construction management, along with the relevant skills, abilities, and techniques. You will develop analytical and problem-solving skills that can be applied across various contexts in real estate and construction management. The programme combines lectures and laboratory work with seminars, case studies, group projects, workshops and field trips. You will also engage with industry professionals and researchers through guest lectures and collaborative projects related to the real estate and construction sectors.
The programme takes an interdisciplinary approach to complex challenges in the built environment, which rarely have a single solution. You learn to integrate economic, legal, managerial, technological, environmental and social perspectives and make informed and responsible decisions.
Sustainability is embedded throughout the programme rather than treated as a separate topic. You examine environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and the role of the real estate and construction sectors in creating a more sustainable built environment, addressing climate change and supporting the transition to net-zero emissions. You also explore how digitalisation, artificial intelligence, PropTech and demographic change are transforming the sectors. Ethical considerations, gender equality, diversity and equal opportunities are addressed across courses and learning activities, helping you reflect on the broader social and ethical consequences of professional decisions.
The programme is embedded in Sweden's leading academic environment for education and research in law, economics, management, and finance related to real estate development, construction and property management and geodesy. The department's close links with industry, local professional bodies, and a strong alumni network allow the programme to continually stay abreast of current developments and integrate these into our course offerings and other industry-academia events such as guest lectures, talks, seminars, and job fairs, boosting your possibilities in the job market after graduation. Additionally, our industry-university alliances, student union, and various student clubs provide numerous opportunities for a vibrant campus life and a seamless transition into the professional world.
The programme is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), recognising that it meets high international standards in real estate education. Graduates from a RICS-accredited programme are qualified for membership in RICS and can continue towards becoming chartered surveyors.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is mainly offered at the KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Architecture and Built Environment (at KTH).
Programme structure and progression
During the first semester, you build a foundation in market analysis, quantitative methods and project communication while choosing a specialisation based on your educational background and interests. You can choose among three profiles: Construction Project Management, Real Estate Development and Land Law, and Building and Real Estate Economics. During the second and third semesters, you take conditionally elective courses within your chosen profile alongside the final mandatory course shared by all students in the programme.
In the final semester, you complete a degree project within the programme’s subject area. The degree project allows you to apply the knowledge and skills developed during the programme to a relevant problem within the field. You can carry it out in collaboration with a company in Sweden or abroad, or independently within one of the programme’s research areas.
Courses in the programme
The courses in the programme cover topics such as real estate economics and finance, valuation and property management, construction and project management, planning and land administration, building, environmental and real estate law, as well as sustainability and digitalisation within the built environment.
Courses in the master's programme in Real Estate and Construction Management
Future and career
Graduates from the programme have in-depth knowledge of construction project management, real estate economics, real estate development, and land law. They have the skills to work on and lead real estate and construction management projects, collaborate across disciplinary boundaries, work independently, exercise initiative, and generate new ideas for a sustainable built environment. This interdisciplinary perspective equips graduates to address complex, interconnected challenges and integrate economic, environmental, social, legal and ethical considerations into professional decision-making.
Given the borderless nature of the subjects covered in the programme, graduates are prepared for careers at private building and real estate companies, financial institutions, consultancy companies, and local and national public organisations, both nationally and internationally. As a RICS-accredited programme, it offers a pathway to becoming a chartered surveyor and joining a global professional network, thereby enhancing international career prospects in real estate and construction management. After graduation, you can take on roles as a valuer, analyst, asset manager, transaction advisor, construction project manager, project engineer, developer, real estate consultant and land surveyor. Graduates from the programme have gone on to work in organisations such as:
- Construction management firms, real estate companies, construction companies, architectural firms, technical consulting firms, client and facilities management organisations and public organisations.
- Consultancy companies, banks, pension funds, insurance companies
- Property and asset management companies, development companies, real estate appraisal/valuation firms, and real estate capital groups
- Infrastructure development organisations
- Land development, cadastral and registration agencies and other related regulatory bodies and private companies
The programme also prepares you for doctoral studies. Our students have pursued PhD studies at other prominent universities, including the University of Aberdeen, NTNU, RWTH Aachen University, the University of Auckland, the University of Hong Kong, the University of the Witwatersrand, and Uppsala University.
Sustainable development
Graduates from KTH have the knowledge and tools for moving society in a more sustainable direction, as sustainable development is an integral part of all programmes. The three key sustainable development goals addressed by the master's programme in Real Estate and Construction Management are:
Decent Work and Economic Growth
When people have access to comfortable homes, attractive neighbourhoods, and working spaces that enhance employee well-being, they can also be more productive and creative, which is fundamental to sustainable economic growth. After graduation, you will be able to work on challenging and interesting tasks to improve many people's living and working environments.
Building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialisation, and fostering innovation
Planning, managing and financing the construction of infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, railroads and water projects requires expertise in project management, real estate law, and real estate economics and finance. You will acquire skills in these areas during your studies in the master's programme in Real Estate and Construction Management.
Making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
In recent decades, the world has been urbanising rapidly. When you study this programme, you will take courses that will help you tackle the many severe challenges that urban areas and cities face regarding residents' access to residential and commercial spaces and to various fundamental city infrastructure facilities.
Faculty and research
Real estate and construction management encompasses legal, economic, and administrative issues connected to property management, property development, and construction. The department’s research covers basic research on root causes and mechanisms, as well as applied research aimed at informing decisions in both the public and private sectors. All courses in the master's programme are taught by highly qualified teachers and researchers involved in various research projects.
Faculty involved in the programme
