If there is one constant in the real estate industry it’s that it is constantly changing. Realtors are always having to adapt to market forces and changing times, learning new skills and refreshing old knowledge.

That’s where the Temple University Real Estate Institute comes in. Located at the Temple University Center City Campus (TUCC), the Real Estate Institute has been preparing realtors and brokers from all backgrounds to succeed in the industry for 50 years.

“The Real Estate Institute (REI) has been part of TUCC almost from the very beginning,” said Melanie Ellison-Roach, Director of Temple University Center City. “It is now the largest real estate education school in the region."

Opening its doors at TUCC’s former location at 1619 Walnut Street in 1974, the Real Institute offers licensing for real estate salespeople and brokers as well as continuing education for real estate professionals. In 1980, the Real Estate institute at TUCC merged with the Philadelphia Board of Realtors Real Estate School, becoming the Board of Realtors’ official education program.

REI, Ellison-Roach said, has become an essential resource for a broad diversity of individuals interested in the real estate industry.

“One of the interesting things about the Real Estate Institute is that it attracts and engages people from a lot of different walks of life. Maybe it’s someone with a high school degree and maybe it’s somebody with a master’s degree — there's something to be offered for all of them,” she said. “Beyond licensing, the institute has become an important regional leader in helping people learn about the real estate business.”

Like the industry itself, the Real Estate Institute is constantly looking forward, offering programs to cost effectively meet the educational needs of realtors today and tomorrow.   

“The Real Estate Institute is a very versatile, flexible instrument for adding to your education, your career, or even changing your career altogether and in a pretty seamless fashion at that. You also do not have to be a part of Temple University at an undergraduate or graduate level to enroll,” said Timothy Galbriath, Real Estate Institute Assistant Director. “We don’t just teach the same content year after year. We are always exploring and reviewing what is happening in the industry today.”

Founded by Jay Lamont, a longtime Philadelphia area real estate radio talk-show host, REI is known and respected for its wide-ranging course selection, which includes classes for professional real estate salespeople, brokers, appraisers and property managers, “as well as for people simply interested in expanding their knowledge about the real estate market,” said Galbriath.

“Our real estate salesperson courses — basically your ‘Real Estate 101’ — provide a great starting point for anyone interested in the field. These are the courses someone needs to take to become a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of Pennsylvania,” he said. “We also offer real estate broker courses. These are courses that are intended for people who are already licensed in real estate and that want to pursue their broker’s license.”

Temple’s Real Estate Institute additionally offers real estate continuing education courses, “which are required by the state,” said Galbraith.

“Anyone with a real estate license needs to renew every two years in the state of Pennsylvania. In 2026, by the end of May, everyone has to have their hours in — those programs will be offered by the Real Estate Institute in the new year,” he said. “Being a part of Temple and Temple’s University College, I think one of our benefits is the resources available to our students, the flexible ways we’ve modernized how we give out assignments and exams.”

REI, Galbraith said, is “so fortunate to be back offering in-person programs at the Temple Center City Campus.”

“Through the pandemic, however, we discovered just how effective and convenient Zoom and virtual coursework can be for some people,” he said. “With some courses, we’ve developed a hybrid model to provide the flexibility our students need. I think that’s one of the ways our programs stand out today.”

In the past year, the Real Estate Institute has been partnering to develop educational programs with Philadelphia High School, Galbraith added.

“Through a grant awarded to us by the School District of Philadelphia, REI is now able to deliver our coursework to high school students,” he said. “It’s a very exciting, new opportunity to share our expertise within the school district with students who are eager to learn about the industry.”

The Real Estate Institute “balances practical knowledge and academics,” Galbraith said.

“Temple is an institution of higher education so we take the academics very seriously,” he said. “We combine that with convenience and flexibility. I think we better prepare our students for the real estate exams and their career.”

Programs from the Real Estate Institute are geared toward an exceedingly wide range of people, Galbraith said.

“We have students just finishing up high school and we have college students. We have people who finished their schooling maybe a long time ago who are just trying to get a little more educated about real estate because they have their own real estate or maybe they're trying to change their career,” he said. “We have students who simply want to know more so they can make an informed decision when buying a first house and people who are already established in real estate who come back to us for their broker license or continuing education — it’s a student population that runs the gamut from 18 to 80.”

Real Estate Institute faculty “are not only experts in real estate,” Galbraith said. “They are also committed to each of our individual students and their journey.”

“Many of our instructors have taught for us for decades while continuing their real estate practice. They are all excited to teach what they know — we’re very fortunate to have faculty where both their practice and what they are doing in the classroom is equally important to them,” he said. “They provide a strong balance between the theoretical concepts and practical experience.”

It’s exciting to see how people are using what they’ve learned at the Real Estate Institute, said Galbriath.

“They are coming to Temple because they know that what they are getting here is not just a course that teaches to a book or how just to pass an exam,” he said. “Our programs give students a pathway to achieve whatever goal they are setting for themselves, whether that’s becoming a licensed realtor or owning a brokerage or just exploring investment properties.”

Not everyone who gets a real estate license “or takes our courses plans to be a realtor,” added Ellison-Roach.

“In some cases, they want to be a property manager or they want to flip a property that they’ve inherited and build that generational wealth,” she said. “REI provides the knowledge, background and experience for a professional career or that personal pursuit of a passion.”

For more information about the Real Estate Institute, including how to earn your Real Estate Salesperson License, Real Estate Broker’s License or renewing a current license, visit here. For a complete list of upcoming courses, both in person and online, visit https://noncredit.temple.edu/rei.