By GREGORY ZELLER //
Long Island colleges and universities are keeping students – and themselves – ahead of the socioeconomic curve with a new slate of innovative degree programs.
The latest to ride the cutting edge is Farmingdale State College, which on Tuesday announced the launch of a new Master of Science in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, designed to prepare students for leadership roles in the quality-assurance and regulatory systems that govern the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device industries.
Farmingdale State’s announcement comes just a month after the Old Westbury-based New York Institute of Technology kicked off a new Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program, aiming to qualify graduates to address critical infrastructure needs that directly enhance safety and quality of life throughout the built environment.
Both the Farmingdale State QARA program the New York Tech Civil Engineering program are slated to kick off in the Fall 2026 semester, as are two new degree pathways at SUNY Old Westbury: a new Master of Science in Teaching English as a New Language and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in ENL.
Thomas Ward: Direct response.
Those new programs follow several other recent additions to SUNY Old Westbury’s curriculum, including Master of Science programs focused on Data Analytics and Students With Disabilities and several micro-credential programs covering Workplace Communication, Information Technology and more.
Rockville Centre-based Molloy University recently announced the Fall 2026 liftoff of its new direct Bachelor of Science-to-PhD Nursing program – speeding students straight to their Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in just five total years – while Garden City-based Adelphi University continues to flesh out the offerings at its shiny new Manhattan Center, with a Master’s of Science program in artificial intelligence/machine learning, a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing, a Global Higher Education Leadership PhD program and several other graduate-degree programs all slated to kick off at Adelphi’s New York City campus this Fall.
Like most of the new degree and certification programs sprouting up across the region, Farmingdale State’s multidisciplinary QARA master’s program – which is open to qualified graduates of baccalaureate programs in bioscience, biology, chemistry and related disciplines – was developed “in direct response to … increased demand,” according to Thomas Ward, dean of the college’s School of Arts and Sciences.
In this case, Ward noted, demand for professionals who understand regulatory compliance and data-driven decision-making – both important concepts on an Island replete with biotechnological research, development and commercialization.
“It was designed to support workforce development in the pharmaceutical, biologics, medical device, cosmetic and food industries,” the dean added.
The program – which will leverage faculty strengths in bioscience, mathematics, business and other key disciplines – intends to develop essential analytical, documentation and communication skills while giving students a deep understanding of federal and international regulations and compliance standards.
A similar cross-functional thought process powers New York Tech’s new Civil Engineering program, which is being built to emphasize design, construction, analysis and operational protocols through coursework grounded in applied engineering, mathematics and other sciences.
Biologic logic: Farmingdale State’s new Master of Science in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs should play huge on biotech-heavy Long Island.
It also offers an increasingly common opportunity in higher education: an Accelerated M.S. Options program that gives students the opportunity to earn both the Civil Engineering bachelor’s degree and an Energy Management master’s degree – incorporating vital lessons in water resources, geotechnical engineering and other next-generation energy applications – in just five years.
Like Farmingdale State, New York Tech is paying attention to the real-world workforce demands that are constantly in play – and, like many other institutions, is interested in introducing well-prepared learners to the professional workforce as quickly as possible, according to Babak Beheshti, dean of the New York Institute of Technology College of Engineering and Computing Sciences.
“Civil engineers play a critical role in shaping the infrastructure that supports modern life,” Beheshti said in a statement. “This new program equips students with the technical expertise and practical experience needed to design safe, sustainable and innovative solutions for the infrastructure challenges facing our communities.”
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