Last month, we took you inside one of Georgetown's real estate MBA classes. Grad real estate programs are sweeping DC, like at American U's Kogod School of Business, where last week we stopped by a master's in real estate class on development taught by professor Peter Chinloy. Students presented hypothetical development projects in and around DC, including detailed data on acquisition, financing, design, and pro-forma income. The group shown here was explaining its fictional multi-phase plan for redeveloping the Lord & Taylor property in Friendship Heights.

Another group proposed constructing a Hampton Inn at the edge of the Woodmore Town Center in Largo. Each group was given a maximum FAR to build with but was free to get creative with other aspects, such as acquisition costs and financing. Professor Chinloy's class focuses not only on the management of a development project but also studies in detail how to finance such deals.