LEED Exam Required of ASU Real Estate Students

Students entering the Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program at Arizona State University in the 2008–2009 academic year will be required to study the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System and take the LEED Professional Accreditation exam.

Begun in 2006, the program is one of only five in the nation to offer the master’s-level degree. According to its director, R. Nicholas Loope, FAIA, the university has been incorporating environmental awareness into its curricula and physical plant. The MRED program has added more focus on sustainability each year, Loope said. About a third of the program’s students volunteered to study LEED last year, and all students visited the LEED Gold Solaire building in New York City.

A thorough understanding of green building provided by LEED training, Loope said, helps graduates understand how to assemble the multifaceted team needed to tackle a complex green building project.