The Real Property Appraiser Qualifications Board, an independent group that operates under the Appraisal Foundation, has adopted the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria, which will become effective on January 1, 2008. Once they take place, these new criteria will introduce the requirement of college degrees as a prerequisite for those who wish to become real estate appraisers – sort of.

The criteria posted on the Appraisal Foundation’s Web site reads, “Applicants for the Certified Residential license must hold an Associate degree, or higher, from an accredited college, junior college, community college, or university, unless the requirements of Section III.B are satisfied.”

Section III.B says that one can bypass the Associate degree requirement by passing college courses in English composition, macro or micro economics, finance, advanced mathematics, statistics, computers and business or real estate law.

The criteria posted as qualifying education for a Certified General Appraiser is worded similarly to that of Certified Residential except that a Bachelors Degree is required and the exceptions require both macro and micro economics and two elective courses in accounting, geography, ag-economics, business management or real estate as well as the other courses necessary for a potential Certified Residential appraiser to bypass the Associate degree requirement.