FIRE Ignite Pillars
Technical Skills
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Adventures in Commercial Real Estate (A.CRE)
- According to reviews of the A.CRE product in November 2025, “A.CRE continues to grow as the industry standard for teaching real estate financial modeling to new and established CRE professionals. Those who complete the program exhibit an advanced proficiency that ranks among the top in the industry.” All students who complete FIRE Ignite will have finished the 18 course A.CRE Real Estate Accelerator Core Curriculum.
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Project Destined
- FIRE Ignite Students will enroll in and utilize Project Destined and its array of virtual internship resources and opportunities to grow their real estate acumen and learn more about the variety of vertical markets and roles within commercial real estate.
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ARGUS Certification
- ARGUS is one of the most highly demanded certifications for entry-level positions in real estate. Many entry-level roles require ARGUS certification, and others list it as a preferred for their candidate. Each student who completes FIRE Ignite will receive their ARGUS Enterprise certification, which will be valid for 2 years from the date of completion.
Experiential Learning
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Career Treks
- Students are highly encouraged to participate in one of the 6 career trek opportunities provided by FIRE and REND. These experiential learning opportunities allow students to view real estate assets and projects from the perspective of the industry, providing deeper insight into acquisitions, asset management, client advisory, capital markets, development, REITs and private equity. These treks visit markets most sought after by Notre Dame students, Chicago, New York, California, Florida, and Texas.
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SIBC
- The Student International Business Council is a student-run organization that offers Notre Dame undergraduates practical professional experience with companies around the world. The goal of the real estate SIBC group is to offer students critical exposure to the real estate industry. SIBC strives to provide its members with robust skills and ample networking opportunities that will serve them well in the future. Students participating in FIRE Ignite are highly encouraged to take advantage of SIBC and the experience it provides as a multi-week internship adjacent opportunity.
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Case Competitions
- The Real Estate Club of Notre Dame (REND) actively participates in multiple case competitions throughout the school year. In 2025, REND is also bringing back an internal undergraduate case competition, in which junior and senior club members mentor the first year and sophomore students in a multi-week private equity based acquisition project.
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Internships
- According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), internship experience is the number one and number 2 factor when determining if a candidate will be hired. Completing FIRE Ignite requires that students complete at least one internship during their time at Notre Dame. To accomplish this goal, students are provided with dozens of opportunities to network with and learn about our industry partners. Many of those opportunities are built into FIRE Ignite.
*Completing a Project Destined Skill Bridge Program fulfills the internship requirement for students who are unable to
complete a traditional internship program.
Workshops
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Career Discernment
- All students participating in FIRE Ignite will participate in a 45-minute workshop covering the various paths in real estate careers. The objective of this workshop is to ensure students know the basic entry-level options available to them and what the day-to-day expectations of those roles are.
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Company Info Sessions
- FIRE Ignite Students are required to attend a minimum of one company information session for a company of their choice, but are encouraged to attend as many of these sessions as they desire. FIRE Ignite emphasizes the importance of these workshops, as learning opportunities on company values and culture, a key piece of determining if the student and the company are a good match for each other.
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Resume Review
- Every FIRE Ignite student will have their resume reviewed and evaluated by REND, or the FIRE Career Program Director. These reviews ensure that FIRE Ignite resumes meet the Notre Dame and industry standards of excellence.
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Networking
- FIRE Ignite students will participate in a 45-minute workshop on the basics of building foundational relationships in the real estate industry through networking. Through this workshop, students will learn a framework for networking calls, emails, and in-person meetings.
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Interview Preparation
- Knowing how to prepare for an interview can be as important as the preparation itself. For that reason, each student who completes FIRE Ignite will have attended a 45-minute workshop on preparing for behavioral and informational interviews. Upon completion of this workshop, students will be able to have better discussions about themselves, their aspirations, and their strengths.
Leadership
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Student Led Mentor Program
- Notre Dame’s undergraduate real estate club, REND, has initiated a peer mentorship program designed to help first year and sophomore students understand and have educated conversations about real estate prior to being able to take the Real Estate Fundamentals coursework. All FIRE Ignite students will participate in this program, either as a mentee in years 1 and 2 of their undergraduate career, or as a mentor in years 3 and 4. Mentors of this program will also pair with industry professionals who will help them guide and develop conversations with the first and second year students.
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REND Officer Opportunities
- Not every student who applies to become a REND officer will have the opportunity to take a position as a leader in the club. FIRE Ignite requires every student who wishes to complete the program to apply to become a REND officer. This ensures that only the most dedicated real estate students will complete FIRE Ignite, and increases the competitive nature of becoming a REND officer, ensuring only the best real estate students gain those roles.
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McQuaig Personality Assessment
- The McQuaig Word Survey is a personality test used in hiring to assess a candidate's fit for a role by revealing their underlying temperament and work style. It measures four key personality domains (Dominance, Sociability, Relaxation, and Compliance) through a series of questions that ask you to rank words based on how well they describe you, both as you are and as others perceive you. The survey is typically computer-based, and timed (to encourage intuitive answers).