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Certificate of Real Estate Investment Finance (CREIF)

Certificate

Key facts
Overview
How to apply
Tuition fees
Learning and assessment
Staff
Careers and professional development
Why Oxford Brookes University?

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Key facts

Start dates

January 2025 / April 2025 / July 2025 / January 2026 / September 2026

Application deadline

At least 6 weeks before the start date.

Location

Distance learning

Course length

Part time: One year

Department

School of the Built Environment

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Overview

The Certificate of Real Estate Investment Finance (CREIF) is delivered entirely online, offering students a flexible and innovative way to study.

You’ll develop and expand your knowledge of the practices that underpin the sector by studying four core modules. 
 

  • The Real Estate Investment Market
  • Applied Real Estate Valuation
  • Real Estate Investment and Finance
  • Legal and Regulatory Considerations.
Previous students have included asset managers, fund managers, investment bankers, project managers, valuers, developers and analysts.

If you are looking to gain a Postgraduate Diploma you may want to consider the MSc/PGDip Real Estate Investment Finance programme.
Student looking at a laptop

How to apply

Entry requirements

  • You should have an honours degree or equivalent.
  • It is also desirable to have at least two years' relevant experience in the workplace.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

Please email rec-creif@brookes.ac.uk for an application form.

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note

Tuition fees

£5,000 per person

Financial support and scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Learning and assessment

  • The CREIF programme is practically based and offers the opportunity to share knowledge and experience in real life situations.
  • CREIF students are part of a strong online community with access to discussion boards and chat rooms via the university’s online learning environment, as well as designated groups on various social media platforms.
Group work

Study modules

The four 'stand-alone’ core modules enable students to start the programme at any of the four entry points throughout the year.

Modules

Compulsory modules

  • Real Estate Investment Market

    Starting in September each year.

    This module provides students with an understanding of the fundamentals and principles of the real estate investment market, including: 

    • Investment Mathematics
    • Assets, Markets and Drivers
    • The Development Process
    • Asset Management
    • Property Portfolio Management
    • Property Financial Management

  • Applied Real Estate Valuation

    Starting in April each year.

    This module compares and contrasts the perspectives of real estate valuer and capital market valuation when doing a valuation of real estate via the following learning packages:
     

    • Valuation concepts and the appraisal process
    • Valuation standards
    • Valuation technique
    • Valuation modelling
    • Sustainability and property valuations
    • Due diligence
       

  • Real Estate Finance and Investment

    Starting in July each year.

    This module provides the framework for understanding the financial and business context in which a real estate organisation functions.  The learning packages include:

    • Financial reporting and the property business
    • Interpreting the Financial Performance of Property Businesses
    • Sources and costs of capital
    • Investment appraisal and management of risk
    • Property-backed securities
    • Property taxation

  • Legal and Regulatory Considerations

    Starting in January each year.

    This module brings together a number of regulatory and tax principles and issues that are implicit in many of the topics covered in the other modules via the following learning packages:

    • Legal structures
    • The Regulatory Environment and Regulatory Bodies
    • The Regulations
    • The Listing Process and On-Going Compliance
    • Foreign Investment Considerations and Unlisted Funds
    • Money Laundering Prevention and Taxation

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Learning and teaching

The CREIF programme has been specifically tailored to enhance your online learning. You can share work and study experiences, take part in presentations and receive feedback on assignments. Recordings of the Webinars will be available as part of each module. To enable you to get to know other students and discuss your studies informally, we have set up designated groups. Teaching methods include:

Formally:

  • Online webinars
  • Virtual office hours
  • Discussion board
  • Email

Informally:

  • Linkedin
  • WhatsApp
  • REIF Seminar Day

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

There are no formal exams. Each module is assessed through a combination of online tests, workbooks, problem-solving, analysis and report writing. This allows students to work at their own pace and keep track of what they have learned. 

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.

Staff

Ye Xu

Course Director for Certificate / PGD / MSc Real Estate Investment Finance and Course Director for Oxford Adapt

Careers and professional development

Once you complete the CREIF programme, there might be a possibility for you to progress to our MSc Real Estate Investment Finance programme. Please contact our team at rec-creif@brookes.ac.uk for more information.

If you are interested in obtaining RICS membership, we also offer a be-spoke training programme (Oxford Adapt) for professionals. 

Why Oxford Brookes University?

Online learning

The CREIF programme makes extensive use of the Oxford Brookes Virtual Learning Environment – not just as a repository for study material, but as a web-based environment where students can access workbooks to keep track of their learning, watch podcasts from their module leaders, undertake assessments and work collaboratively within virtual groups. Students also have the opportunity to discuss issues with Module Leaders via a range of media.

Importantly, students have the opportunity to attend Webinars throughout the programme, giving them the chance to experience lectures led by their module leaders, take part in presentations, as well as network and share work/study experiences with fellow students from across the world.

Access to a worldwide community

The programme provides an online community for students and module leaders to share knowledge and experience in real life situations. With access to discussion boards and chat rooms via the university’s Virtual Learning Environment, as well as designated groups set up especially for CREIF and REIF students on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Whatsapp, students are able to socialise and network with fellow students from across the world. This is continued after students have completed the programme via the REIF Alumni Group.

Support from the REIF team

The REIF team are experienced in providing a high-standard of online learning resources specifically aimed at distance-learning students and provide dedicated support for CREIF students throughout their programme.