Clinical Associate Professor Tanya Bansal has been named director of the University of Maryland’s Real Estate Development Program. In her new role, she will oversee the graduate, undergraduate and accelerated graduate degrees at the university’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
“Tanya is a passionate thought leader with a deep and personal connection to the school, program and industry,” said Dawn Jourdan, dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. “I am confident that she will bring a vision and innovative spirit to her new role and continue to build on the foundation created by her predecessors.”
Bansal succeeds Professor of Real Estate Development Maria Day-Marshall, who has served as director since 2017. During her tenure, Day-Marshall cultivated an experiential and professional pedagogy that engaged both large and smaller-scale development firms and community partners. An advocate and mentor with decades of experience in the industry, Day-Marshall has helped dozens of students take the national stage in HUD, ULI-Hines and NAIOP competitions.
Established in 2006 by Professor Margaret McFarland, Maryland’s Real Estate Development Program has become one of the fastest growing programs at the University of Maryland, largely due to the vision and partnerships created by McFarland, Day-Marshall and Bansal. The program launched the university’s first bachelor’s degree in real estate and the built environment in 2022. In 2024, Bansal worked with student services to create two accelerated graduate degree programs for undergraduate architecture and real estate development students.
Bansal became assistant director of the program in 2014, juggling teaching and advising while assisting Day-Marshall on curriculum development and program development. She is actively involved in local and national organizations, including the Urban Land Institute and the American Real Estate Society. She is an active volunteer on campus and was a member of the University Senate. With a passion for global education, she has guest lectured at several institutions in India and South Africa and co-led the study abroad program to St. Petersburg, Russia. Alongside Assistant Director of Undergraduate Architecture Ken Filler, she will launch a new education abroad program in Chandigarh, India in 2026.
As director, Bansal will continue to work in partnership with McFarland and Day-Marshall, who will continue her role as the director of the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.
Read more in Bansal’s biography.