Real estate is a dynamic, growing field that touches on nearly every aspect of business and management. Working in real estate also allows individuals the opportunity to have an impactful career reshaping how communities live, work and play.
The Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program at the Daniels School of Business prepares students for careers in real estate with specialized minors, coursework, and experiential learning opportunities while providing thought-leadership in economics, finance, and accounting related to the built environment.
The program currently offers two undergraduate minors depending on the school or college of the student’s primary major. Students with a major within the Daniels School of Business are eligible to earn a Real Estate Finance Minor, whereas undergraduates with a major outside of the Daniels School are eligible for a Real Estate Minor.
All Real Estate and Real Estate Finance minors are eligible to compete in program sponsored case competitions, join the Purdue Real Estate Society, and apply to be designated a Dean V. White Scholar based on their academic excellence and preparedness to work in the real estate industry following graduation. Each year, minors also have the opportunity to travel with the program to Chicago, Indianapolis, and beyond to network with Purdue Alumni and Industry leaders to jumpstart their careers.
Past graduates of the program currently work as Project Engineers, Investment Banking Analysts, Commercial Asset Managers, Logistics Managers, Marketing Analysts, and several other roles related to real estate. Examples of companies who have recently hired our students include Becknell Industrial, Cushman and Wakefield, JLL, McCarthy, Nuveen, Related Companies, Skanska, and Thompson Thrift.
The Daniels School of Business launched the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program in April 2022. The program is named in memory of the late Indiana entrepreneur and in recognition of a $20.8 million pledge from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation.
Dean White was a veteran of World War II, attended the University of Nebraska and was a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York. He spent most of his life in Crown Point, Indiana, where he developed a successful entrepreneurial career in advertising and real estate development, eventually becoming one of Indiana’s most prominent philanthropists and successful business leaders. He died in 2016.
Dean, his son Bruce and the White family have been generous contributors to Purdue over the past three decades. Bruce White was a Purdue graduate, a member of the Purdue Board of Trustees, a longtime benefactor of the university and founder and chairman of White Lodging. He passed away in January 2023.
In early 2023, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation committed $50 million to Purdue to help launch our reimagined business school and name our undergraduate program the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute. This commitment represents the lead gift to establish the Daniels School and the largest monetary contribution ever made to Purdue’s business school.
The Real Estate Finance Minor allows students within the Daniels School of Business to develop in-depth knowledge of theory and practices in real estate and strengthen their leadership skills to pursue careers in real estate development, investment banking, marketing, accounting, asset management, and related areas following graduation. This minor requires 18 credit hours including completion of a 3 credit industry project course.
The Real Estate Minor helps students in non-business majors acquire basic knowledge in business, analytics, and finance related to real estate and the built environment. It allows students to broaden or enhance their knowledge of their major field while creating a unique skill set to compete for the top employment opportunities. The minor requires 18 credit hours.
The Purdue Real Estate Society is the student-run organization of students interested in pursuing careers in commercial real estate. The society organizes workshops, industry panels, and social activities. Students who join the society will be added to its Brightspace page where announcements for upcoming events are posted as well as internship opportunities with commercial real estate companies. Students may request membership to the society at the Boilerlink website.
Being designated a Dean V. White Real Estate Scholar is a recognition earned by students based on their academic excellence and career preparedness to work in real estate following graduation. In addition to the recognition, DVW Real Estate Scholars are eligible for additional mentorship opportunities and receive priority to attend program-sponsored trips and events when space is limited. Students are invited to apply annually based on an established set of criteria.
You can help shape future Boilermaker talent within the rapidly evolving real estate industry by contributing to the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance program. Give today!
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