HENLEY vs. CASS (Master, Real Estate)
Hi,
My question is about the Master in Real Estate. Especially, real Estate Investment (cass) or real Estate Finance (Henley)… Which is the “better” master and why? ( For development, private equity, ……)
Best regards
cass is better, no competition
Do you also know other attractive Master opportunities in UK or Europe… I mainly heard about these two, Oxford brookes and Groningen. ((In germany there is also Regensburg and EBS))
Did you look at the Real Estate Finance Master of the University of Amsterdam?
why, justify yourself
city uni's business school ranks on global league tables (see from FT: https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/2866/mba-2022). henley does not.
the university of reading just does not have the same reputation. i mean, who goes to uni to learn to read?
So i am in the process of applying for next year to both Henely & Cass, & this is the best summaries one of my uni mates back in South Africa (where i am now) wrote to me about Henely:
"I found Henley great. They’re unbelievably professional and efficient and the quality of education is top notch. There are two MSc to choose from, one in Real Estate (RE) and one in Real Estate Finance (REF). The one in RE is quite dull as it’s really just a crash course for people who don’t come from a property background or undergrad. The REF, although open to anyone, is definitely the more intense and worthwhile degree. You share courses with other finance masters students and do some more traditional finance subjects. I can see you did your Real Estate degree at the University of Cape Town too, so I feel you would be a little underwhelmed and bored with just a RE MSc."
Cass from what i have gathered is much more financially focussed than Henley, and more expensive.. But if you don't mind the price tag, & like the idea of a less specialised pathway, then Cass is a way forward. I am leaning personally to Henley due to its reputation in the real estate sector.
Also heard Cass is much better. Seems that Cass has one of the better real estate masters programs in the UK.
Reading university Henley business schools Masters in Real estate investment and finance programmes have probably best reputation not only in UK but Europe. Cass is ok but does not have same long term reputation.
The only one to challenge it or on par is Mphil real estate finance at Cambridge. Trading on the Cambridge brand name, but is very theoretical. Readings are good blend of theory and practical. Cambridge could have edge for private equity, but as long as you also have a good undergrad and coupled with Readings Masters, can equally do well in private equity or investment management or real estate development.
Not sure why there is such a leaning to Cass here. Henley has the most established Real Estate masters programme in the country and benefits from an unrivalled network.
If you look at a lot of top players in the UK real estate industry you will see a lot went to Henley / Reading, much less so Cass. If you want to do a more financed focused Real Estate programme just then do the Henley one in Real Estate Finance. Cass has a great reputation as a Business School but when it comes to Real Estate it’s not beating Henley / Reading. Believe me, I looked at both courses and went to Henley.
I had interviews and received an offer from Evercore for their Real Estate Capital Advisory group and they commented throughout the interview on the quality of Henley candidates. One of the interviewers at a later stage also went there.
Top firms like Eastdil, GIC etc would regularly come to the university to network with the students there and for of course careers fairs.
Did you opt for MSc in Real Estate or MSc in Real Estate Finance?
Also I’m going to finish my BSc in Accountancy in summer 2025 and I really want to get into a Real Estate Private Equity/ Investment firm, just wanted to know if you had any tips? I haven’t had any internships in Real Estate, however I have completed placements as an auditor at PwC, so do you believe I should do a MSc in Real estate next year or would it be possible to land a RE job straight out of graduation?
Definitely Henley, very well regarded in the industry. In Europe its only beaten by Cambridge’s Real Estate Finance Program.
Considering JLL sponsors its people to go do a Masters at Henley, I'd say Henley.
Does anyone have insight into using a program like Henley or Cass to lateral into the UK/EU market? As I understand most students would have zero experience but coming from the North American market im wondering if it would help establish a network and create recruiting opportunities.
So after completing a university course in the UK you can get a graduate work visa that lets you stay in the country for up to 2 years to look for a job. Once you get the job you’ll be good. So yes it will certainly help. Shouldn’t be an issue.
As mentioned above, go to Henley. Those that say Cass likely don’t work in the UK real estate industry or fell into it and didn’t study real estate. Henley has the best rep alongside Cambridge.
Thank you, this is very helpful. So for my situation, I actually have dual citizenship and roughly 5 years of experience, so my biggest question is whether or not I could just go get a job or if it’s better to stop at a masters first to establish myself in the country. Would love your thoughts here.
Grad from one of the Two programs here...
Depends on what field you're trying to achieve/get into when you're done. If you're looking for something Brokerage related? Henley's RE program is hands down the best in the industry. If you're trying to go the finance route, you can't go wrong with either Cass or Henley's RE Finance program. Since you're already in the industry, you'll definitely be bored with just Henley's RE program, but you'll really enjoy the networking opportunities. Henley's reputation in the UK/EU is unmatched. Had an American friend in my program who made the move through the program and got a job once she was done.
That being said, nothing beats the power of networking. I know a couple of buddies who made the move over to the UK/EU based on the fact that either their shop had a presence over there, or they worked on a deal with a company that had a shop there and the rest is history...
Personally I love a nice Henley, used to wear them pretty often.
I personally would have thought CASS>Henley but as you can see it's subjective! - Ring up/email a few recruiters and ask them what's the flavour in the market atm, would take literally 15 seconds of their time to respond.
For real estate, University of Reading Henley Business School is better known internationally than Cass
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