I’m not sure how the financing would work for such a move, being that I have 50k in student loans and 216k owed on the primary residence and work as a traveling nurse on a modest income.

Most of the courses are now online, so you get very little teacher input.If you are looking for actual builder knowledge, you should be looking for in-person classes.

Are most of the renters students that move out when the school semester ends?

. :) Keep reading and listening, and yes, doing it will be the most excellent teacher.  

The teacher did try and have us study balancing a check book and calculate interest rates but the class was meant for kids who couldn't pass normal high school math.

Most students report getting $20,000+ assignment fees on their first deal! 

Conventional lending is not really an option as I am a college student and dont have much W-2 income at this time.

He has stellar credit but is unable to make deals due to the sensitive financial company he works for and the amount of student loans he cosigned for his kids. 

If you're looking for original art, you could consider contacting the AP art teacher at a local high school and asking them to coordinate commissioning a student to make something for you or purchasing from a student.

If you want to rent to college students, you could rent by the room for 10 month leases and if the location is right, Airbnb the property during the summer months.