Home Schools CSU Northridge Real Estate
Business · Real Estate Rank #16 of 28

Real Estateat California State University-Northridge

Graduates earn $35,879/yr in their first year — about 37.0% below the national Real Estate average. Base-case 10-year earnings $569K; scenarios range from $521K to $578K depending on AI disruption.

Northridge, CA Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
50 AVERAGE
51
Optimistic
48
Pessimistic
Earnings
$35,879
1-year post-graduation
ROI
19.7x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$569K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
52% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at CSU Northridge

The real estate market in Southern California, particularly the highly competitive Los Angeles area, significantly shapes these early career outcomes. Many graduates from this program often enter roles like residential sales or property management, where initial earnings can be heavily commission-based. It takes time and significant effort to build a client base and establish yourself within the dense network of agents and firms operating across the region.

CSUN's program likely provides a strong foundational understanding for these local market realities, but you'll need to be proactive. To succeed, aggressively network with local brokerages, property management companies, and developers throughout your studies. Pursue internships early to gain practical experience and forge crucial connections. Your ability to specialize, understand specific neighborhoods, and demonstrate entrepreneurial drive will be key to outperforming these initial projections within this dynamic local economy.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$521K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score48/100
Earnings Multiple18.3x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$569K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score50/100
Earnings Multiple20.0x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$578K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score51/100
Earnings Multiple20.3x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to CSU Northridge's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Real Estate graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Real estate brokers
+3.3% 10-yr growth · 9,700 openings/yr
$72,280/yr
High
2
Property, real estate, and community association managers
+3.6% 10-yr growth · 39,000 openings/yr
$66,700/yr
Moderate
3
Real estate sales agents
+3.1% 10-yr growth · 36,600 openings/yr
$56,320/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Real Estate

How CSU Northridge stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
64
DW Score
$99K
1-yr earn
4.3x
ROI
Villanova University
PA · Private nonprofit
60
DW Score
$76K
1-yr earn
3.8x
ROI
New York University
NY · Private nonprofit
46
DW Score
$75K
1-yr earn
2.1x
ROI
Top score
University of Wisconsin-Madison
WI · Public
72
DW Score
$73K
1-yr earn
25.8x
ROI
Ohio State University-Main Campus
OH · Public
68
DW Score
$73K
1-yr earn
16.5x
ROI
Also at CSU Northridge

Other top programs at CSU Northridge

Other highest-scoring programs offered at CSU Northridge, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Real Estate offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Real Estate trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Real Estate at CSU Northridge

How does California State University-Northridge's Real Estate program score?

A score of 50/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but California State University-Northridge trails the majority of Real Estate programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

How vulnerable is Real Estate to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Real Estate careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 46% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.

Why are Real Estate earnings lower at California State University-Northridge?

Lower starting pay at California State University-Northridge may reflect local labor market conditions rather than program quality. Many graduates see convergence with national averages within 3-5 years.