Programs and Services

Roles of the Campuses

Instructional programs for the national and state campuses are delineated as follows:

• National campus is to offer the following:
  • Majority of AS/AA degree programs that serve the workforce needs of the FSM and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions;
  • BA degree program in education as soon as possible;
  • All third-year certificate of achievement programs;
  • Collaboration with regional as well as U.S. institutions on BA/BS degree programs as needed;
  • Arrange for distance education programs in BA/BS and MA/MS degree programs for FSM citizens;
  • Offer and expand AS/AA degree programs to state campuses based on needs of the states through distance education; and
  • Upper level developmental courses.

• State campuses are to offer the following:
  • AS degree program in teacher preparation;
  • AS degree program in early childhood education;
  • Specialized vocational programs based on the needs of the respective states and availability of resources;
  • One additional AA/AS degree program in which each state wants to specialize;
  • Short-term training programs and other training programs that are needed in the states; and
  • Certificates and developmental programs designed to upgrade basic skills.

(Adopted by the Board of Regents September 2004)

Associate Degree Programs

The college offers the following associate degree programs:

• Associate of science degrees in:
• General Agriculture
• Business Administration
• Computer Information Systems
• Teacher Education – Elementary
• Teacher Education – Special Education
• Early Childhood Education
• Hospitality and Tourism Management
• Marine Science

• Associate of arts degrees in:
• Teacher Preparation
• Liberal Arts
• Liberal Arts/Health Careers Opportunity Program
• Liberal Arts/Media Studies
• Micronesian Studies

• Associate of applied science degrees in:
• Telecommunication Technology
• Electronic Technology
• Building Technology

Certificate of Achievement Programs

The college offers the following certificate of achievement programs:

• Third-year certificate of achievement programs in:
• Accounting
• General Business
• Teacher Preparation – Elementary
• Teacher Preparation – Special Education
• Related Services Assistant

• Professional certificate of achievement programs in:

• Community Health Assistant
• Trial Counselor

• Vocational certificate of achievement programs in:
• Carpentry
• Construction Electricity
• Cabinet Making/Furniture Making
• Electronic Engineering Technology
• Masonry
• Plumbing
• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
• Building Maintenance and Repair
• Career Education

• Other certificate of achievement programs in:
• Agriculture and Food Technology
• Bookkeeping
• General Studies
• Law Enforcement
• Preschool Teacher Education
• Secretarial Science

Apprenticeship program is available in most of the trade areas.

Short-term Training

The college offers short-term customized training when requested to meet the manpower training needs of the local communities and governments. Requests are addressed to the state campuses where the training session or program is developed to meet the needs of the client. Pohnpei campus handles such requests through the Pohnpei Campus Training Institute.

FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute

At the request of the national government and through a memorandum of understanding with the government, the college administers the FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute. The institute offers programs in fisheries, navigation and marine engineering. These programs, particularly navigation and marine engineering, are offered in accordance with the standards and requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995 (STCW Convention). The STCW convention is the international treaty that prescribes the minimum qualification for seafarers worldwide.

Cooperative Research and Extension - Land Grant Programs

Land grant college status was granted to the College of Micronesia (COM) in 1981 through Section 506(a) of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Public Law 92-318, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 301 note). As such, when the three colleges of the COM system became autonomous institutions under separate governing boards in 1993, land grant status remained with COM. Land grant programs are currently extended to COM-FSM through a memorandum of understanding with COM.

The COM-FSM programs are named the Cooperative Research and Extension programs with the Vice President for Cooperative Research and Extension as head, directly responsible to the president of COM-FSM and as designee representative of the COM-Land Grant Program Director.

Programs under Cooperative Research and Extension (CRE) include:

• Cooperative Extension Services – focus on extension programs to improve the quality of life while maintaining a strong cultural identity and healthy environment. The CES programs are based at the state campuses. All state CES facilities and personnel are locally administered by the state campus director except for Pohnpei where CES is directly administered from the VPCRE office.
• Agriculture Experiment Station – conducts research or verifies experiments that bear directly upon the agricultural and food industries of FSM. AES research facilities are located in Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap.
• Resident Instruction – provides support to academic programs with natural resources, agriculture and food science focus. RI supports the college’s associate degree programs in general agriculture and marine science. The RI program is administered by the Vice President for Instructional Affairs office with financial support provided by COM-Land Grant Program.

Program development and management as well as fiscal administration are the responsibility of the VPCRE office in collaboration with the comptroller and the COM-Land Grant Program administration.

Small Business Development Centers

In support of private sector development, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has loaned money to the states to build a Small Business Development Center at the state campuses, except for Yap state which already has a center. The college has entered into memorandum of understanding with Pohnpei state and with Kosrae state regarding funding and the college’s role

The Pohnpei Business Development Center opened January 2006. Its mission is to provide small business owners and prospective entrepreneurs with help to start, grow and compete in domestic and global markets. The center provides business preparation classes, business plan development classes, business opportunity workshops, business ideas, business mentors, consulting services, confidential counseling, guidance with permits and licenses, networking with banks and loan institutions, recordkeeping classes, resource development, and research assistance.