How to Get an Online Associate’s Degree in Property Management

If you want to work for many different industries such as banking, real estate, and property investors, then it may be worthwhile for you to look into getting an associate’s degree in property management.

Property managers are essential because they help property owners keep things under control and organized. Property owners are often busy with other things and don’t have time to attend to their property. So, property managers step in to ensure that the property stays in good condition, and generates a great profit over time.

Earning an associate’s degree will give you a step up to becoming a successful property manager. Because the field is rather competitive like most today, many students will continue onto a four-year college to finish up a bachelor’s degree. This degree opens up more work opportunities and more often than not, for better pay as well.

The associate’s degree typically takes two years of full-time study to complete. However, if you choose to earn your credential online, you may be able to complete it earlier. Depending on how many classes you can take per quarter/semester, you may be able to finish a lot quicker.

Super busy but still want to make time for education? Earning your associate’s degree in property management online could be a great option. Distance learning can work really well for those who are motivated and independent learners. It is important to make sure that the college you choose is accredited so that the credits you earn can be easily transferred to a four-year college should you decide to continue your education.

By virtually attending classes online, you will have access to all course materials and participate in class discussions just like you would normally in a traditional classroom setting. By pursuing your degree online, you would be able to log into the classroom portal from anywhere and anytime to complete required coursework and exams. Students can easily communicate with other students and their professors via chat platforms and email.

Common Associate’s in Property Management Curriculum

Before you become a property manager, there are several classes you will need to take to learn necessary skills and gain knowledge in the field. Some classes you can expect to take include but are not limited to:

  • Marketing
  • Understanding leases
  • Tenant relations
  • Economics of property management
  • Systems and reports
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Managing commercial property
  • Apartment management and operations

The courses may vary slightly depending on your school, but the associate’s degree is designed to give you a glimpse of what you can expect working as a property manager. It will give you a pretty good sense of skills you need to have and develop. By enrolling in the associate’s degree program, you can determine whether or not this path is right for you. Should you end up really loving it, you can think about pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the field to remain competitive. Keep in mind that it is not mandatory to have a degree in order to become a property manager, but your chances are much better if you do. Having a degree, along with enough work experience, may give you good leverage in getting promoted.

In addition to property management related courses, you may also be required to take some electives and general education classes before graduating. Some of these classes include art, history, math, science, writing, language, and social sciences, to name a few. These classes will help you develop a well-rounded foundation of knowledge that will be useful in understanding real-life situations and succeeding in your job in the future. Many of these general education course requirements can be waived if you took AP classes and passed their respective exams in high school. If this sounds like it might be you, we recommend checking with your college counselor to see which classes you might not have to retake.

Associate’s in Property Management Careers

After getting their associate’s degree, property managers can work in a variety of settings and do different tasks. However, regardless of what you end up doing and where you end up working, people skills are very essential to success in this field.

For example, a property manager for an apartment complex may be in charge of giving prospective residents tours around the building, and explaining the available amenities, rent cost, security deposit amount, etc. He or she may also manage the grounds crew, to make sure that resident work and repair orders are completed on time. Apartment complex property managers are also responsible for managing the overall upkeep for the entire building.

With an associate’s degree in property management, you could also work for a real estate company. In this case, you might oversee dozens of homes that the agency rents out. You may be in charge of processing rental payments, evicting tenants who fail to pay their rent on time, giving property tours, scheduling contractors for repairs and lawn care as necessary, and more.

Because there are so many routes you can take, as you might imagine, the salary for a property manager will vary on a variety of factors. Some factors include where and who you work for, education level, and experience level. In general, though, property managers make pretty decent money and also can have great perks. For example, a property manager might be given free rent at the property they are managing or a deep discount. If course, benefits will vary from place to place.

The average income for a property manager is $43,000 a year. Depending on who you work for, you could be making more or less. To give you a better perspective, the average income for property managers working for a big subdivision is around $78,000 a year. On the other hand, those working for the government may earn around $55,000 a year. Those working for private owners may only make around $37,000 a year.

If this career sounds like a path you might want to take, getting started with an associate’s degree in property management will help you not only make your final decision, but also get a pretty good idea of what the career entails.