Different college degree

FAIRMONT, W.VA.

Fairmont State Community and Technical College plans to offer an associate's degree in homeland security beginning this fall.

The school's governing board approved the two-year degree recently.

"To our knowledge, this is the first homeland security associate's degree to be announced, and absolutely the first that has four different tracks that one can follow," says Blair Montgomery, the college's provost.

Students will be able to specialize in aviation, criminal justice, safety or emergency medical services, Montgomery says.

Fairmont State President Daniel J. Bradley said the college would no longer offer an economics degree or an office administration degree because of low enrollment.

Review of programs with low enrollments was required because of the college's accreditation review scheduled for last month. The college was to be reviewed by a nine-member committee to determine whether it could continue to operate as a higher-education institution.