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Q I am currently looking to gain academic certification in facilities management. Michigan State University no longer offers a program, and I am not aware of any other colleges that do. Could you please tell me where to obtain as much knowledge as possible?

John Fowler
District Facilities & Fleet Maintenance Manager
Waste Management
Santa Clara, CA
JGFowler@aol.com

James Elledge replies ...

A In addition to reading TFM magazine and visiting FacilityBlog ("www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/facilityblog ) regularly, your best shot at obtaining more knowledge in facilities management would be to consider the Facilities Management Administrator (FMA) program offered by BOMI International (www.bomi-edu.org). To earn a BOMI FMA designation, you must complete seven mandatory courses plus the Ethics Is Good Business® ShortCourse™. This designation program has been certified for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service.

If you feel you have sufficient professional knowledge and experience, you may opt to take the competency based Certified Facility Manager (CFM) exam from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) ( www.ifma.org).

Both programs are affordable ways to get the recognition you deserve as a facility management professional.

While the Michigan State degree program is no longer offered, there are several other universities that still support the facility management profession at the traditional academic level. At the end of this past school year, Brigham Young University, Cornell University, Ferris State University, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology had active undergraduate programs.

Thanks for your question

Jim Elledge

Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM’s Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “FM Expert Advice” portion of the magazine’s Web site.

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