FMCC, SUNY Cobleskill join in business degree program

PHOTOGRAPHER: Edward Munger Jr.

Students enrolled in Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s most popular two-year degree program will be able to stay put and complete a four-year business degree thanks to FMCC’s partnership with SUNY Cobleskill.

Students who earn an associate’s degree in business administration at FMCC are being asked to consider signing up for Saturday courses to run in two eight-week sessions.

It’s an offering likely to appeal to working students, FMCC President Dustin Swanger said, especially those unable to travel to Cobleskill for further studies.

“We hear a number of times from students, ‘Boy I wish FM offered bachelor’s degrees so I could stay,’ ” Swanger said.

Roughly 200 students enroll to study business administration each year, according to FMCC Provost Greg Truckenmiller. It’s one of the community college’s “most popular career-oriented degrees,” he said in an email.

In addition to its popularity, the business administration program is the most versatile, Swanger said. The coursework provides education in accounting, marketing, supervising staff, economics and other business workings, he said.

“It really professionalizes a lot of people in areas that are helpful for them to run a successful business or to work in a successful business, to understand how it operates,” he said.

The partnership will bring SUNY Cobleskill instructors to Fulton-Montgomery Community College, and some of FMCC’s teachers will likely serve as adjunct faculty at SUNY Cobleskill, Swanger said.

The agreement between the two institutions also allows FMCC graduates to enroll in SUNY Cobleskill’s Weekend College cohort programs on the Cobleskill campus. Those offerings include bachelor of science degrees in early childhood studies and bachelor of business degrees in financial services and business administration.

A July 1 deadline is set for applications. Students interested in signing up should contact Andrea Scribner, an FMCC education and career planning specialist, at 736-3622, ext. 8161, or by email at [email protected]