A Comparison of the Usefulness of the Facilities Management Program in the Graduate School of Systems and Logistics and Similar Programs in Civilian Institutions as Perceived by Former Students

摘要

This research involved an analysis of the usefulness of the Facilities Management Program in the Graduate School of Systems and Logistics and similar programs in civilian institutions. The major objective as to evaluate the advantages of a graduate degree in Facilities Management (FM) from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) versus similar programs in civilian institutions (CI) based on the perceptions of former graduates of these programs. A survey questionnaire was constructed and mailed to active duty Civil Engineering officers who had completed one of these programs. Of the 83 FM graduates and 50 CI graduates who were sent this questionnaire, a total of 96 were returned (72.2 percent). A thorough analysis of the collected data was made utilizing various computer programs. The general conclusions reached consisted of the following: there is a need for graduate management education in the Air Force for Civil Engineers; CI programs are providing an equivalent education in the context of course content and their programs are useful; the current FM program is current and relevant, however, it does need to be changed slightly to meet the demand of today's civil engineering manager. (Author)