GALLOWAY — Stockton University is expanding its business and hospitality offerings this fall while creating new pathways for Atlantic Cape Community College students to transfer into bachelor's degree programs at the university.
Stockton announced Wednesday that it is adding certificates in entrepreneurship and business fundamentals in hospitality, along with several new academic and transfer options for the 2026-27 academic year.
The changes include five new transfer pathways connecting programs at Atlantic Cape with bachelor's degree programs at Stockton, including aviation, esports, culinary arts and hospitality.
“These new academic offerings give Stockton students more flexible, practical pathways to pursue their interests and prepare for the opportunities ahead,” said Tracey Meilander, Stockton's associate provost for Curriculum & Compliance.
“Students can tailor their education to their goals while gaining the knowledge, experience and professional connections needed to succeed.”
New Entrepreneurship Certificate Open to All Majors
Stockton's new Entrepreneurship Certificate will consist of four courses totaling 16 credits.
Although housed within Stockton's School of Business, the certificate will be available to students regardless of their major.
Coursework will cover market discovery and innovation, launching and growing a business, entrepreneurial finance and global entrepreneurship.
Monica Amadio, assistant professor of Business Management, said the lessons aren't valuable only to students who plan to start their own companies.
“The skills Entrepreneurship students learn, such as go-to-market and growth strategies, formation, problem-solving, legal structure, finance and communication, are highly transferrable as business owners or industry leaders,” Amadio said.
The certificate expands an entrepreneurship program that Stockton launched last year.
The university debuted its Entrepreneurship major in fall 2025, with both programs designed to give students experience in building, launching and expanding businesses.
Amadio, the founding chair of the Entrepreneurship degree program, said the potential impact extends beyond individual students.
“We say that having a job is good, but creating jobs changes our community,” Amadio said.
She said the faculty members teaching in the program bring real-world experience to the classroom.
“All our professors are also entrepreneurs and experts in the field,” Amadio said. “We share our enthusiasm and passion for business startups.”
Students also get opportunities to meet businesspeople and other entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurship students are invited to many meet-and-greet events on campus to network with and learn from successful businesspeople, faculty and other like-minded students,” Amadio said.
Hospitality Certificate Focuses on Business Skills
Stockton is also launching a Business Fundamentals in Hospitality Certificate, another four-course, 16-credit program.
Students will study accounting, marketing, human resources and business law.
Noel Criscione-Naylor, professor and chair of Hospitality and Tourism and Event Management Studies, said those skills can be valuable well beyond the hospitality industry.
“Whether you're majoring in Healthcare, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Education, Communications Studies, Sustainability, or the Arts, every industry needs professionals who understand how organizations operate,” Criscione-Naylor said.
“This certificate will provide valuable business skills and prepare students for leadership in any organization.”
Students already enrolled in Stockton's Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management major will automatically be enrolled in the certificate program without additional coursework or tuition, according to the university.
New Pathways for Atlantic Cape Students
Stockton is also expanding its relationship with Atlantic Cape Community College through the South Jersey Higher Education Alliance.
Five new pathways will make it easier for students completing specific associate degrees at Atlantic Cape to continue toward related bachelor's degrees at Stockton.
The new agreements connect:
Aviation Studies at Atlantic Cape to Stockton's Business Administration bachelor's program.
Esports to Stockton's Esports Management program.
Culinary Arts to Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management.
Food Service Management to Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management.
Hospitality Management to Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management.
The agreements are designed to create a more direct route from community college to a four-year degree.
For South Jersey students, the new pathways could allow them to begin their education at Atlantic Cape and then continue at Stockton in a related field without having to start over in an unrelated bachelor's program.
Mathematics, Economics Program Also Added
Stockton is adding another interdisciplinary academic option this fall for students interested in mathematics and economics.
Mathematics majors will be able to complete a new concentration that also allows them to earn a minor in economics.
Bradley Forrest, professor of Mathematics, said the combination is designed to prepare students for careers including consulting and quantitative research, as well as graduate programs in economics, data science and related fields.
Stockton is also establishing a transfer agreement outside South Jersey. An articulation agreement with Essex County College will create a pathway from that school's Associate of Applied Science in New Media Technology to Stockton's Bachelor of Arts in Digital Studies.
The new offerings come as Stockton continues to expand academic programs at its Galloway and Atlantic City campuses and strengthen relationships with New Jersey community colleges.
For Meilander, the common thread is giving students more ways to build an education around where they ultimately want to go.
“Students can tailor their education to their goals,” she said, “while gaining the knowledge, experience and professional connections needed to succeed.”
