School of Business Partners With Commercial Investment Member Institute

The Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) program at the College of Charleston School of Business is raking in more career-boosting advantages for its ready-to-work students. Recently, the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute (CCIM) named CofC’s School of Business a university alliance partner for its undergraduate real estate program.

In this partnership, students majoring, minoring or concentrating in commercial real estate finance — and recent graduates — may now benefit from CCIM’s educational and networking opportunities. CCIM is the commercial real estate industry’s premier organization spanning 13,000 members worldwide.

“CCIM is a leader in the commercial real estate professional community that provides extensive education and resources,” says Elaine Worzala, professor of real estate and director of the Carter Real Estate Center. “This partnership will assist our students in building an important network with other professionals in the field and allow them to work on their professional designation faster once they graduate.”

Commercial real estate professionals are eligible for the coveted professional CCIM designation after completing advanced coursework in financial and market analysis and demonstrating extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry.

“The CCIM curriculum will equip students with skills in financial, investment and market analysis that will allow them to become top commercial real estate professionals and profit from the ever-changing commercial real estate industry,” says Kelley Glenn, president of the South Carolina Chapter of CCIM. “We value our continued partnership with the College of Charleston, and we look forward to working with the College and students on this exciting advancement.”

In this collaboration with CCIM, CREF students and graduates (within the last five years) will receive numerous benefits to expand their professional networks and enhance their career opportunities such as:

Ability to waive CI101 (Financial Analysis for Commercial Real Estate), fast-tracking towards to CCIM designation

Free trial membership to CCIM

Access to local chapter events

Discounted rates for membership, CCIM Global Conference and career-relevant online courses

Free access to special industry reports, curated content

Professional mentoring via CCIM Mentor

Free subscription to Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine, and more

The first of its kind in South Carolina and one of the only finance-driven commercial real estate programs in the country, the commercial real estate finance program at the College of Charleston School of Business meets critical needs both locally and nationally. It is one of the College’s fastest-growing academic areas.