LaGuardia Community College Introduces New Major, Academic Department, And Courses For Fall 2024

LaGuardia Community College Introduces New Major, Academic Department, and Courses for Fall 2024

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (August 16, 2024) — When classes begin on September 5 for the Fall 2024 semester at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, students will have a new major, academic department, and courses to explore. The Business Administration: Facilities Management major is designed for students interested in business operations and maintaining a business’s physical space, whether the location is a warehouse, an office complex, a storefront, or a residential building. Three courses serve this major. The newly introduced Community Health and Wellness Department will house non-clinical healthcare-related jobs. And new courses will offer experiential learning and health humanities courses for existing majors in Liberal Arts and English, and additional skills training for Industrial Design majors.

“At LaGuardia Community College, we are constantly evaluating our academic offerings to ensure that we’re meeting employer needs and fostering student success. This fall, we are pleased to be introducing eight new courses, a new academic department, and an exciting new major for entrepreneurial-minded students,” said Dionne Miller, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “The Facilities Management program is the first of its kind in New York State at a two-year college. With new high-rise buildings dotting the Long Island City skyline, and the ongoing challenges of maintaining older buildings, the need for facilities managers can be seen outside our windows.”

The new Business Administration: Facilities Management major aims to prepare students, upon graduation from LaGuardia, for transfer to a bachelor’s program in facilities management, business administration, finance, international business, and related fields. Facilities Management is one of the fastest growing fields, especially post-pandemic. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 5% growth in this area for 2022-2032, which is faster than average. Students can enter entry-level positions with the Associate degree. Potential careers include facilities manager or coordinator, chief operating officer, occupational safety specialist or technician, construction project manager, property manager, and building supervisor. New courses for Facilities Management majors, developed in collaboration with the International Facility Management Association Foundation, include Introduction to Facilities Management, Building Systems: Anatomy of a Building, and Project Management.

“The IFMA Foundation and the NYC Chapter of IFMA were instrumental in creating these courses that meet the standard for Facilities Management education globally. The Foundation and the NYC Chapter will continue to interface with the college as graduates flow into the workforce filling a great need; especially as NYC moves into a more technical and sustainable building operations model. I am thrilled that LaGuardia has created this much needed program,” said Regina Ford Cahill, Chair of the IFMA Foundation.

In response to workforce demand for candidates to fill roles that are critical to maintaining and enhancing the health and wellness of New York communities, a new academic department, Community Health and Wellness will house all non-clinical healthcare-related majors. These majors, Nutrition and Culinary Management: Culinary Option, Nutrition and Culinary Management: Nutrition Option, Human Services: Mental Health, Public and Community Health, and Therapeutic Recreation, were previously part of the Health Sciences Department. The new Community Health and Wellness Department will be chaired by Dr. Nicolle Fernandes, professor of nutrition and culinary management.

Health Sciences, chaired by Dr. Phil Gimber, will continue to house majors for clinical healthcare jobs, which include Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Veterinary Technology, and the certificate in Practical Nursing.

“The new Community Health and Wellness Department will enhance student success by clarifying advisement and career pathways for students interested in health-related careers,” said Dr. Miller. “Additionally, the new department will foster faculty collaboration, thereby improving academic instruction and curricular development, and supporting enhanced faculty scholarship, research, and development.”

Additional new courses added to the 2024-2025 Academic Catalog include:

Introduction to Integrative Research Methods will give Liberal Arts: Social Science & Humanities and Liberal Arts: Math & Science students hands-on experience in using research methodologies to address global issues through a local NYC perspective. Developed by a team of faculty from the six academic departments at LaGuardia that teach liberal arts, this course aims to expose students to the broad, interdisciplinary nature of the liberal arts and serve as a midpoint course for those majoring in these areas.

Literature, Health and Medicine will be a required course for Liberal Arts: Health Humanities students and an elective for English majors. Students will examine how understandings of health and illness is shaped by literature and how diverse experiences of health and ability inform literary expression.

Computer Aided Industrial Design II and Computer Aided Industrial Design III will teach Industrial Design students techniques in 2D and 3D computer graphics. A third new course, Human Factors, will explore human factors and ergonomics, highlighting their role in the product design development process.

Catalog descriptions of the newly added courses include:

Business Administration: Facilities Management, Associate of Science (AS)

BTM113 Introduction to Facilities Management: Students will be introduced to the essentials of facility management and the understanding of its core competencies. An overview of the Facility Management field will be presented by exploring the major as both an academic discipline and a career field, while examining its beginnings and development over time, its conceptual assumptions and its culture.
BTM206 Building Systems: Anatomy of a Building: This course introduces the building’s physical plant, which includes the walls, ceilings, floors, and roof structure. It also examines how the basic systems, equipment, and utilities required to service the building’s occupants provide the following: potable water and sanitary drainage, electrical power, light, architectural lighting systems, life safety systems, fire-protection, HVAC, building automation systems, solar thermal systems, refuse disposal, and telecommunication systems.
BTM208 Project Management: This course introduces the basics of project management by exploring related techniques and strategies. Students will gain insight into the role of a project manager and Project Management Office. Students will also examine processes for rolling out a project and methods of estimating project budgets and schedules. They will also learn how to manage the project team and explore methods of monitoring, evaluating, and terminating a project.

Liberal Arts: Social Science and Humanities, Associate of Arts (AA) and Liberal Arts: Math and Science, AA

LIN150 Introduction to Integrative Research Methods: This Urban Studies course builds on the First Year Seminar and Liberal Arts coursework to prepare students for the capstone course, LIB 200. Students will use project-based interdisciplinary research methodologies to critically engage with global issues through a local NYC lens. Students will reflect on the responsibilities of global, democratic citizenship in a diverse society through integrative reflection. This is an experiential, writing-intensive course.

Liberal Arts: Health Humanities, AA and English, AA

ENG241 Literature, Health and Medicine: This course examines the relationships between literature, health, and medicine through critical analysis of fictional and nonfictional texts. We will explore how literature shapes understandings of health and illness and how diverse experiences of health and ability inform literary expression. The course will also serve as an introduction to the practice of narrative medicine as it highlights the role of storytelling and close reading practices in medical encounters.

Industrial Design, Applied Associates of Science (AAS)

HUI229 Computer Aided Industrial Design II: This design course develops on students’ existing 2D and 3D computer graphic techniques used by industrial designers. Students will develop skills in 3D parametric computer modeling, product simulation and analysis and subdivision modeling techniques in 3D CAD. Students will develop digital design skills using a selection of 2D and 3D computer modeling software. This is a laboratory course that uses new and existing student projects as input for digital development and portfolio presentation.
HUI259 Computer Aided Industrial Design III: This design course advances and refines students’ existing 2D and 3D computer graphic techniques used by industrial designers. Students will develop skills in computational and generative design, artificial intelligence and programming and advanced 3d modeling. Students will develop digital design skills using a selection of 2D and 3D computer modeling software. This is a laboratory course that uses new and existing student projects as input for digital development and portfolio presentation.
HUI260 Human Factors: This course examines human factors and ergonomics as they inform the product design development process. Their purpose is to maximize the interactive aspects of design toward the development of human centered design. This is accomplished through a series of studio and seminar participation exercises that involve industrial design philosophy, research methods, standards and data, human issues, cultural context and design outcomes.

To apply to LaGuardia Community College, please click here. To learn about the more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates offered at LaGuardia, please click here.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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