This fall, the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu will offer a new bachelor of applied science concentration in facilities management, the first of its kind in Hawaiʻi. UH West Oʻahu will join a group of just nine universities across the country to address the growing need for qualified facility management professionals.
UH West Oʻahu’s facilities management concentration was created to educate future professionals in the evolving facility management industry that is increasingly characterized by computerized, electronic systems and modern energy-efficient facilities as well as aging building infrastructures. According to the International Facility Management Association Foundation, 50 percent of the existing facility management workforce will retire in 5 to 15 years. UH West Oʻahu facilities management students will graduate into a field filled with high-demand, high-paying, local and national career opportunities in facilities planning and maintenance, building management and operations.
“We are thrilled to add this innovative academic concentration to our bachelor of applied science program,” said UH West Oʻahu Interim Academic Program Officer and Director of Strategic Initiatives, Sherry Proper. “It is a great example of UH West Oʻahu’s attention to workforce needs in Hawaiʻi and of our collaboration with both private and public industries. We are extremely grateful to have government organizations and private businesses supporting this initiative that will prepare future professionals for exciting careers as facilities managers.”
Through the UH West Oʻahu bachelor of applied science in facilities management, students and current professionals will have the opportunity to earn the following facility management certifications:
- Building operator certification
- IFMA facility management professional
- IFMA sustainable facility management professional
- IFMA certified facility manager
The UH West Oʻahu bachelor of applied science in facilities management was developed in partnership with the Office of Naval Research that provided the university with funding for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs including facilities management where students take courses in science, pre-engineering, facility operations, energy efficiency and business.
“The new facilities management concentration will provide a tremendous opportunity for students interested in a career that combines the STEM related field of sustainable buildings with elements of business management,” said Richard Carlin of the Office of Naval Research.
The UH West Oʻahu facilities management concentration is also sponsored by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, and Hawaiʻi Energy, the ratepayer-fundedenergy conservation and efficiency program serving Hawaiʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi and Oʻahu, that supported the inception of the Facilities Management program and provided funding for curriculum development, training and education for UH West Oʻahu instructors, and development of industry support.
For more information about the bachelor of applied science in facilities management, visit the UH West Oʻahu facilities management webpage.