School Facilities Management

Associate in Applied Science Degree

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This program was developed at the request of, and in cooperation with, the New York State Association for Superintendents of School Buildings and Grounds (SBGA), which represent 600 schools and 30 BOCES Systems of Superintendents of Buildings and Grounds and all related personnel. The program prepares personnel for management positions in school buildings and grounds, and further enhances the skills of those already occupying such positions. Graduates will be effective and efficient in decisionmaking situations in facilities management, equipped to stay abreast of critical issues in their changing environment. Emphasis is on courses in Facilities Maintenance, Basic Education Law, Public Health and Safety in Schools, and New York State Public School Budgeting and Accounting.

Goal 1 Develop basic skills to prepare the student for a career as a School Facilities Manager

  • Students are able to manage all necessary technical aspects of a commercial building’s daily existence
  • Graduates obtain a career as School Facilities Manager

Goal 2 Prepare students to work effectively as part of a diverse technical team

  • Students will collaborate in the design of energy improvements required for sustainable operation in a building.
  • The student will demonstrate openness toward diverse points of view, and draw upon knowledge and experiences of others to function as a team member.

Goal 3 To prepare the student to present technical materials via discussion

  • The student will be able to present reports in a clear and concise manner via discussion board on Blackboard

Goal 4. Prepare the student to apply basic technical concepts and industry practices to implement in facilities improvements & designs

  • Students will be able to read building blueprints and analyze any new design improvements.

Goal 5. Prepare the student to maintain and coordinate building maintenance & improvements

  • The student will be able to read complex electrical diagrams and analyze their designs.
  • The student will be able to configure industrial control systems.

Goal 6 Prepare student to utilize basic principles and resources in the development of solutions to technical challenges

  • The student will demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot and develop a corrective action plan.

Goal 7 To prepare students to demonstrate information literacy

  • Students will use traditional and contemporary information technology.
  • Students will identify, access, and appropriately use authoritative sources of information.

Total Credit Hours: 64

First Semester

This course is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to be successful in college. Students learn the importance of the faculty-student and advisor-advisee relationship, develop time management techniques, apply effective study skill techniques, recognize the implications of living in a diverse society, utilize college resources, and explore career and transfer requirements. Collaborative projects are included. Students matriculated in a degree program must take this course in their first term of study.

This course focuses on several kinds of writing-self-expressive, informative, and argumentative/persuasive, and others. A minimum of five essay compositions are required. The course emphasizes the composition of clear, correct, and effective prose required in a variety of professions and occupations. Prerequisites: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or EN090 Basic Writing Skills or SL116 ESL4: Advanced Composition or SL145 ESOL Advanced Composition

This web-based course introduces basic electrical theory. The course is a study of electron theory, Ohm’s Law, series and parallel circuits, electrical energy, power relationships, and electromagnetism. DC circuit theory is emphasized. This course does not satisfy the requirements for any courses in the Electrical Service Technician programs.

This web-based course provides a basic understanding of NYS public school budgeting and accounting fundamentals, including financial statements and cost and managerial relationships. An introduction to the regulatory authorities of public school accounting is included.

This web-based course introduces construction and facility plans and blueprints necessary for a construction or maintenance project, including how to interpret information from plans and blueprints.

This course introduces the nature and study of history, and covers the emergence and development of Eurasian civilization to about 1500 A.D. in the Near East, India, China, Europe, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa. Attention is given to religion in these civilizations and on the rise of the West to a position of world power during the Middle Ages.

PE Physical Education: Recommended Phys Ed. Course: PE172 Health & Wellness

Second Semester

This course encourages a deeper understanding of human nature and the human condition through the study of ideas and values expressed in imaginative literature. Emphasis is placed on the use and development of critical thinking and language skills. Library-oriented research is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

This course is a survey of mathematics for students in those programs that do not require a mathematics sequence. It provides an appreciation of mathematical ideas in historical and modern settings. Topics include problem solving, logic, geometry, statistics, and consumer mathematics. Prerequisite: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or MA089 Arithmetic.

This course is the study of how individuals and groups act in organizations. It explores a systems approach in developing organizational and human resource objectives, as well as a holistic approach in examining relations among groups, individuals, and systems as they relate to the organization.

This course explores the features of mechanical and electrical systems typically included as part of the utility of service grouping in modern buildings, including design principles, materials and equipment, installation, operation, and maintenance. All mechanical aspects of supporting a building are covered, including air handling, HVAC, heat loads and losses, electricity, plumbing, and water delivery.

This web-based course is a continuation of ET115 Basic Electricity 1. It covers topics in AC electrical theory and investigates sine wave generation, mutual inductance, inductive and capacitive resistance, and instantaneous values of voltage and current as well as real and apparent power. This course does not satisfy the requirements for any courses in the Electrical Service Technician programs. Prereqisite: ET115 Basic Electricity 1.

PE Physical Education: Recommended Phys Ed. Course: PE172 Health & Wellness

Third Semester

This course introduces economic theory and its relevance to daily life in a market economy. Topics include scarcity, supply and demand, choice, economic growth, taxation, and the role of government in the economy. Attention is given to current economic issues and their impact upon everyday life.

This course provides a working knowledge of supervisory skills necessary for dealing with human problems within the organization. It covers elements such as communications, motivation, discipline, negotiations, and conflict management. Prerequisites: BM251 Organizational Behavior.

This web-based course emphasizes the understanding, analysis, and application of law to school districts and the management of their facilities. A broad conceptual basis is supplemented by an examination of case law, current articles, Federal and State statutes, and regulations and school district policy.

This web-based course provides the rationale for an occupationally safe and healthy work environment in an educational facility. Skills include working effectively with school emergencies, safe internal and external facility environments, and safety inspections.

This course addresses the theory of operation of residential and commercial geothermal systems. Topics include the science and principles of heat transfer, convection and infrared, and identification of the best system for application and budget. Market values, tax incentives, and rebates for these systems are discussed as well as system configurations, system sizing, and design.

PE Physical Education: Recommended Phys Ed. Course: PE172 Health & Wellness

Fourth Semester

This web-based course focuses on the principles of commercial construction using a sustainable methodology. Green building principles such as energy efficiency, environmental impacts, resource conservation, indoor air quality, renewable energy sources, and community issues are studied. National and International programs for design as well as building rating systems are investigated. Codes and building standards are reviewed with emphasis on the LEEDS standards. Current building ratings and standards are reviewed.

This course provides both professional engineers as well as engineering students interested in energy systems with essential knowledge of major energy technologies, including function, quantitative evaluation cost, and impact on the natural environment. Topics covered include fossil fuel combustion, carbon sequestration, nuclear energy, wind energy, and biofuels.

This course addresses the installation of residential and commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems. It covers the principles of PV electricity and its effective incorporation into stand alone or utility-connected electrical systems. Topics include solar radiation; array orientation; components and system configurations; system sizing and design; and mechanical and electrical installation.

This course presents the biological and evolutionary history of humans. Basic concepts of evolutionary theory, human genetics, human biological adaptation and diversity, and the hominid fossil record are explored. It includes the behavior and ecology of living non-human primates.

This course is an introduction to public speaking. It emphasizes the fundamentals of preparing, organizing, supporting, and delivering the speech based on factual material. It includes topic selection, audience analysis, fact vs. opinion, outlining, supporting material, and visual support. Informative, demonstrative, and persuasive speeches are presented. Elements of interpersonal communication, logic, and persuasion are discussed. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

This course introduces the discipline of political science through the study of American government. Topics include the concept of the political system, democracy in theory and practice, the historical background and content of the Constitution, Federalism, and the role of the Supreme Court in civil rights. It stresses these aspects of the American political system: public opinion, voting behavior, the electoral system, political parties, and modern campaigning techniques.

This course introduces the many and varied facets of psychology. Emphasis is on interactions of individuals in their cultural, social, and economic environments as determined by their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional experiences and training.

This course gives an understanding of and a feeling for the society in which we live. The concepts and theories discussed relate to humanity, its culture and society, and to those forces that contribute to the smooth operation of this society as well as those forces that contribute to conflict and social problems. Topics include culture, socialization, stratification, population, and patterns of social organization.

This course introduces the science of weather while highlighting the important concepts of that science. It provides the opportunity to work with current weather data and graphic products which have been specifically designed for the course by atmospheric scientists and educators at the American Meteorological Society. Fundamental scientific principles are studied through their application to everyday weather events. Meteorology and the dynamic atmosphere are observed by following weather as it happens, in near real-time and/or by using recent real-world data and case studies. There is an emphasis on using the analysis and decision-making skills employed by meteorologists to diagnose weather patterns, understand air motions, and predict future atmospheric conditions. Prerequisite: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or MA089 Arithmetic.

This course explores the composition and formation of minerals and rocks that make up the Earth. Additionally, the primary surface and subsurface properties that continually shape the Earth are discussed. In the laboratory, the common rock-forming minerals as well as igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are examined. Additionally, the concepts of surface and groundwater flow are discussed as well as topographic map interpretation and construction. Field trips may be taken during laboratory periods.

PE Physical Education: Recommended Phys Ed. Course: PE172 Health & Wellness

(a) Recommended Physical Education Course: PE172 Health & Wellness.

(b) Restricted Electives: AN101 Biological Anthropology, EN150 Effective Speech, PS101 American National Government, PY101 Introduction to General Psychology, or SO101 Introduction to Sociology.

(c) Natural Science elective options: WE101 Introduction to Weather Studies OR GL101 Physical Geology.