The Real Estate Development Department was founded on 2 February 2007 and following the institution of the necessary physical space and infrastructure facilities for graduate and postgraduate education and research, students were enrolled in the thesis and non-thesis graduate programs for the first time in September 2007. Opening of combined masters and doctoral programs and stand-alone PhD programs in the Department was accepted by the Higher Education Board on 31 March 2008 and the first intake of students to the doctoral program took place in the September 2008 period. Currently, The Department continues to be the only academic unit that provides research opportunities with its all graduate training and education programs and accepts students to all its graduate programs in the field of real estate development in Turkey. Opportunities of education, training, and research with an interdisciplinary approach are provided in the Department in a wide range of topics such as immovable property (real estate) and asset appraisal; business valuation; land development, project evaluation and management; construction costs and construction management; real estate investments and financing; housing finance and securitization; urban economics and management; housing economics and policies; urban regeneration, protection, revival and renewal practices; real estate taxation; real estate, development, construction, and contract laws; construction and real estate accounting; real estate economics and management; land economics, protection, and management; real estate marketing and marketing management; national and international real estate markets; information systems and real estate databases; production of value maps; expropriation; consolidation; and zoning practices.Such measures as international relations, conditions of degree equivalency, international accreditation of the programs, and areas of employment opportunities for graduates are considered as the main objectives in the development of the curriculum. Special attention is given to exchange programs for graduate students under the scope of research and internship practices and for this purpose, student exchange programs are making headway with many universities abroad including particularly the University of Regensburg (Germany), Royal Agricultural University, School of Real Estate and Land Management (UK), and Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation (Russia). The Department became an academic member of the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) in 2013 and obtained the right to participate in the activities of the council and currently continues to be the only University Department representing Turkey in the Council. Apart from this, the Department is in strong cooperation with such institutions as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the European Group of Valuers’ Associations (TEGoVA), the US Appraisal Institute, the Society of Real Estate and Real Estate Investment Trusts (GYODER), and Turkey Real Estate Appraisers Association (TDUB) as well as all public administrations, financial institutions, and other national and international organizations that operate in the field of real estate. In addition to the graduate programs, post-doctoral research opportunities are also offered and post-doctoral researchers are accepted in the topics mentioned above. The master's and doctoral programs opened in the Department provides opportunities of a new profession and career opportunities for university graduates and self-development opportunities for professionals currently working in the sector, which provide strong human resources to the real estate sector and research and advisory services in requested topics. The research teams of the Department conduct several research projects at the national level on a variety of topics such as several infrastructure projects (such as drinking water, energy and irrigation dams, railways, roads, pipelines, airports, tunnels and bridges); situation analysis and valuation studies in areas such as land acquisition and urban renewal for public investments as well as expropriation; real estate project development and valuation in the stated fields; feasibility analyses of projects such as tourist facilities, railway stations, airports, dormitories, and hospitals with the build-operate-transfer and public-private partnership models; valuation studies of public enterprises, facilities, and lands aimed at privatization and establishment of limited real rights; procedures of identification and valuation of real estates and assets of public and private institutions (registration and valuation of assets); applied research projects on such topics as integration of valuation and accounting standards, expropriation, consolidation, and development applications; evaluation of immovable acquisition by foreigners and its effects; development of the system of management and valuation of public real estates; facilities and resources management; and management and development of property and asset management in municipalities. The final reports of the research projects are published and made available to students and other stakeholders. Since its foundation, the Department has provided the opportunity to work in research projects for an average of 15 to 25 graduate students annually and given them the advantage of training on the job and conducting research. Financial support for the thesis projects of thesis master's and doctoral degree students is obtained from various public and private institutions as well as from the Scientific Research Fund of the University. Problem solving and practice oriented graduate education is offered to the participants in the Department. In this way, an opportunity of gaining in-depth knowledge and practical experience in this highly complex and multidisciplinary field is provided to the participants. The Department is in strong cooperation with the public and private sectors as well as universities in the European countries and international organizations and for this purpose, sector seminars with the participation of industry leaders, practitioners and decision-making organs each week on Friday and these seminars are made use of almost as career development days.