Facility Managers of tomorrow will contribute at a strategic level by helping corporate goals to be met. In addition to managing FM staff, they will be able to make and contribute to key business decisions. In the Managerial Skills module block, students develop extensive conceptual, analytical and people skills. They learn how to generate and understand many relevant business indicators as well as how to formulate and represent them to the corporation in order to influence decision making. They have developed a profound problem solution competence and are well informed about new models and processes.

In the Strategic Management module block, Facility Management is focused on business environment and its dimensions as well as on FM and its potential to strategically contribute to a company's decision making. As an important management partner a Facility Manager needs to understand business dimensions from an internal and an external perspective in order to contribute to policy development and add value. The students become familiar with different models and concepts and learn about best practices in Switzerland and other countries. They develop a broad understanding of factors that influence a business in order to advise organizations at tactical and strategic levels

The focus of the Strategic Planning of Facilities and Services module block is on an organisation's support processes and optimization potentials. Students are introduced to different FM realities where optimization is a continuous key issue and a responsibility of Facility Managers. Particular attention is given to property and facilities as resources (asset and portfolio management), service design and strategic services marketing and relationship management challenges in a B2B4C field, and workspace design with its impact on productivity and wellbeing.

The FM Integrated module block is transdisciplinary in terms of the procedures and theories introduced. In Advanced FM there is the focus on general strategic aspects of Facility Management and sustainability, as well as on trends and perspectives in fields relevant to FM. Students learn about recent and future potential challenges and changes for FM. In the case studies students apply their FM knowledge, integrate different expertise, theories and ideas and interact with partners from real life situations. The aim is to develop an integrated understanding of FM, to learn to deal with complexities within projects holistically and to develop academic skills.

Facility Management helps to solve real life problems by providing scientific solutions. For its own disciplinary development upcoming issues need to be anticipated and reflected on. It is necessary to continuously learn about new insights, models and concepts which then can be applied. They help to better understand overall developments and their consequences for a company. Students are integrated in an Applied Research Project from a very early stage on, so they stay reflective and develop professional research skills. These projects are initiated by the Institute of Facility Management or by partners of the Institute. The students’ participation is supervised; this helps them to develop their research and academic skills. They are provided with an insight into areas they might want to specialize in.

This Research Skills module block focuses on research strategies (quantitative and qualitative) and selected methods, their application and logic. Reflections on real live problems where FM is in focus is mandatory. Directly linked with the module block Applied Research Project and the module Master Thesis Research Plan, students will be empowered to carry out a research project. They are trained to do so in ways that are scientifically sound and reasoned, critical, problem solving- oriented and autonomous. They learn how to analyze, interpret and synthesize data and information.

The Master's thesis is an individual scientific work. Students prove their academic, research and analytical skills. A Master's thesis usually mirrors one of the research strategies of the Institute of Facility Management and/or is written in cooperation with an external partner. Students focus on relevant, up-to-date problems and issues from within Facility Management in real-life situations. The findings are of practical relevance and value to different stakeholders.

You choose whether you write the paper in German or English.

All three degree programmes in facility management (Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Advanced Studies) at the ZHAW are officially accredited by the IFMA Foundation.

The IFMA Association (International Facility Management Association, headquartered in Houston, Texas) has 25'000 members in 78 countries, which makes it the largest association of professionals in the FM sector. The IFMA Foundation is the certifying organisation for tertiary education and training programme. Worldwide, 30 study programmes are accredited by the IFMA Foundation.