The size of the Columbia, MIT and NYU programs are vastly different. There are less than 30 students in the MIT program, there are roughly 125 students in the Columbia program and there are roughly 820 students in the NYU program. The MIT program and the Columbia program are both full-time, the NYU program has the option of completing the degree either full-time or part-time. It is my understanding that because the MIT program is so small, the class/program is very tight knit. MIT does a great job of organizing employment interviews for it's students. Neither the Columbia program nor the NYU program has a strong career center for their Masters in Real Estate/MRED students. 

The NYU program has the largest alumni base specific to the Masters in Real Estate or MRED, as it was the first school of it's type to ever exist. However, if you go there, you have to work the network yourself in order to find a job. The advantage of either the Columbia or the MIT program is the pedigree of the school and the fact that they are both considered to be Ivy League. Because MIT is in Boston and there are less MRED programs in the area, there is generally less competition for local jobs. If you are looking for a job with an Equity Fund/Institutional Investor, I would highly recommend the MIT or the Harvard program. 

When you graduate, you will not only be competing against the MRED/MRE program graduates but you will also be competing with the MBA's who did a specialization in Real Estate. There are a lot of people out there that still do not see the value of the Masters in Real Estate/MRED programs and still feel that the MBA with a Focus in Real Estate is superior. The Harvard/MIT/Columbia programs help get you past this additional challenge just due to their name. 

MIT: not ivy league

NYU MSRE, finance and practicality focused. Because it is 2 y long and located in the middle of Manhattan, costs a lot overall. It offers part time track however. I did some Linkedin research and saw a lot of alumni in good positions in NYC. I also heard its graduates usually have no problem getting a job; as long as this market doesn't crash. NYU MSRED is not very well regarded.

Columbia MSRED is in architecture department. The last chair person focused the program in urban design/ planning. The new chair shifted gear to finance which is great in my opinion. The new chair was a professor in NYU MSRE and brought her experience to Col.

MIT is very small and hard to get into. Finance focused. I didn't research much since it's in Boston and is probably too difficult to get accepted.