Real Estate Finance Syllabus Template — Synchronous Online
AACSB-aligned. Bloom's taxonomy mapped. A complete, customizable syllabus template you can adapt in an afternoon.
What's Inside the Template
Who This Template Is For
Designed for Synchronous Online Delivery
Prevents Zoom fatigue with 20-minute lecture blocks, breakout room mortgage problems, and structured peer discussion of lending cases. Includes a proctored exam strategy that works in a live online environment.
What makes this variant different
Anti-Zoom-fatigue design with breakout activities built around real mortgage scenarios. Students work through loan structuring and underwriting problems collaboratively before reconvening for instructor-led discussion.
16-Week Topic Schedule
Whether your institution calls it Real Estate Finance, RE Finance, Real Estate Financial Analysis, Mortgage Finance, Real Estate Capital Markets, or any of the 6+ common names for this course — this schedule covers the standard curriculum.
Excel for Real Estate Finance
Spreadsheet setup, financial functions, building RE financial models from scratch
Advanced Time Value of Money
Multi-period discounting, uneven cash flows, mortgage-relevant TVM applications
Advanced TVM Applications
Loan amortization schedules, effective vs. nominal rates, points and fees analysis
Mortgage Fundamentals
Mortgage instruments, fixed-rate vs. adjustable-rate, payment structures, loan terminology
Mortgage Fundamentals — Applications
Building amortization tables, comparing mortgage structures, total cost of borrowing
Residential Borrowers
Borrower qualification, debt-to-income ratios, credit analysis, down payment requirements
Midterm Review & Exam
Comprehensive review of weeks 1-6: TVM, mortgage math, and borrower qualification
Residential Lenders
Origination process, underwriting standards, lender risk assessment, servicing
Residential Lenders — Risk Management
Default risk, prepayment risk, interest rate risk, lender profitability analysis
The Mortgage Markets
Secondary markets, securitization, GSEs (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae), MBS
Mortgage Markets — Capital Flows
Tranching, credit enhancement, yield spreads, role of rating agencies, market structure
Commercial Lenders & Borrowers
Commercial loan structures, DSCR, LTV constraints, recourse vs. non-recourse lending
Commercial Lending — Advanced Topics
Mezzanine debt, preferred equity, construction lending, loan covenants, workout strategies
The Impact of Financing on Returns
Leverage and equity returns, financial risk, optimal capital structure for RE investments
Review & Integration
Connecting residential and commercial lending, capital markets, and investment return analysis
Final Review & Exam
Comprehensive review of all course material
Sample Learning Objectives — Bloom's Taxonomy Aligned
AACSB Alignment Guide
AACSB-accredited business schools are required to demonstrate Assurance of Learning (AoL) — evidence that students achieve the learning goals established by the program. For finance courses, this typically means mapping individual course learning objectives to broader program-level goals.
This template includes learning objectives pre-mapped to the most common AACSB learning goal categories: analytical thinking, ethical reasoning, application of knowledge, and communication. Each objective is tagged with its Bloom's taxonomy level, making it straightforward to demonstrate that your course assessments align with your institution's AoL requirements.
The 2020 AACSB standards emphasize competency-based learning and continuous improvement. This template supports both by providing measurable, action-verb objectives that can be directly assessed through the included assessment calendar.
Common Questions
Start With a Proven Structure
Don't build your syllabus from scratch. Download a complete, AACSB-aligned template and customize it for your course.