Leading to a Master of Science in Facility Management Degree

The Master of Science in Facility Management (MSFM) program is designed to educate students in foundational post-graduate management principles and enhanced facility management skills and knowledge. Students will learn the leadership and business skills necessary to respond to the demand to keep their facilities highly efficient and functional. Coursework will also integrate elements of several related disciplines, including: project management, finance, real estate, humans and their working environment, space planning, building operations and maintenance, and quality assessment. Graduates of the MSFM program will be prepared for leadership roles in facility management and related industries.

Mission

A key feature of the program is the opportunity to build strong professional relationships. Our instructors are proven leaders in the field and many of them work full-time in facility management and closely related areas. Our students also work in facility management and related industries, which creates an ideal learning environment in which students learn from both their instructor and their peers. Many of the concepts learned in the classroom can be immediately applied on the job. Facility Management is the holistic management of real property and the infrastructure of an organization with the aim of improving the productivity of its core business. It is the practice of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and work of the organization; it integrates the principles of business administration, project management, architecture and the behavioral and engineering sciences.

Program Educational Objectives

The Master of Science in Facility Management (MSFM) program is designed to combine common general management techniques with current facility management practices and technologies. The curriculum will provide graduates with the tools and managerial decision-making processes related specifically to maintaining and managing the built environment. The MSFM program is designed for working professionals, as an on-campus format (as well as an online format) with convenient evening classes and a cohort format that allows students to complete the degree in less than two years while still being able to work full-time and fulfill their personal responsibilities.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the Master of Science in Facility Management (MSFM) program will be able to:

• Describe and demonstrate the implementation of management principles relating specifically to maintaining and managing the built environment.
• Formulate effective communication strategies/processes for delivering concepts, financial information, and strategic and tactical information regarding real property, equipment and staffing to all levels of staff in a business organization.
• Demonstrate leadership skills by leading a team from conception through completion and closeout of an assigned project.
• Demonstrate teamwork skills by participating constructively as a team member on an assigned project.
• Develop a facilities technology strategy for a business or other organization that demonstrates knowledge of different technology platforms, workplace management systems and CAFM; and of the larger social, ethical, and legal issues related to information, telecommunications and other supporting technologies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of research tools appropriate for analyzing and developing solutions for facilities management problems.
• Describe what constitutes effective sustainable policy and use that knowledge to develop a corporate sustainable program.
• Create an energy policy for a business or organization that reflects knowledge of how buildings use energy, and of proven methods to reduce energy consumption.
• Formulate and complete a complex project that demonstrates mastery of both the technical and managerial aspects of strategic facility management.

This is a part-time,  five-semester program, starting in the fall of the student’s first year and planned to end in the summer semester of the student’s second year. Students may choose to complete an optional thesis during a sixth semester; it is not required for graduation.

MSFM Recommended Schedule

Total credits for degree: 30 (36 with optional thesis)