HIGHER EDUCATION
HIGHER EDUCATION
New Stockton Degree Preps Students for Cannabis Industry
By Jamie Grill-Goodman
In response to ballooning jobs in New Jersey ’ s cannabis industry , Stockton University is rolling out a new undergraduate degree program this fall aimed at providing educated graduates to fill future industry roles .
The University ’ s Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management degree ( HACM ) is a first in New Jersey , Rob Mejia told COMMERCE Magazine in a recent interview .
Mejia , Adjunct Professor , Cannabis Studies , Stockton , said the University began offering a Minor in Cannabis Studies in the fall of 2018 with an enrollment of 24 students . Enrollment grew quickly and to date over 70 students have graduated with the Minor , according to Mejia . Based on this success and seeing a need to provide educated graduates to work in the hemp and cannabis industries , Stockton added the HACM undergraduate degree . The University , located in Galloway Township , NJ , expects to see up to two dozen students enroll in the first year – and the first potential graduates of the program in spring 2028 .
“ Stockton University is leading the way in cannabis education , offering the first Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management in New Jersey to meet the booming demand for educated professionals in this rapidly growing industry ,” said Mejia .
Full time cannabis jobs in New Jersey saw a 66 % spike this year , growing by 4,870 positions to a total of 12,237 in March 2024 , according to Vangst ’ s Cannabis “ Jobs Report 2024 .” And these figures don ’ t include “ support ” businesses
“ Stockton University is leading the way in cannabis education , offering the first Bachelor of Science in Hemp and Cannabis Business Management in New Jersey …”
required to make cannabis businesses successful , Mejia noted , such as marketing companies and webpage developers . According to the report , with a little more than 100 stores , New Jersey added nearly 5,000 jobs but has captured less than onethird of the state ’ s full cannabis demand . Rob Mejia , Adjunct Professor , Cannabis Studies ,
Continued Stockton University
Photo courtesy of Rob Mejia
Student interns help grow about 150 hemp plants per year on the campus farm . They learn to weed , trim , and water the plants ; identify male and female plants ; and collect seeds near the end of the growing cycle .
Photo : Stockton University
This year Stockton is growing three different strains / types of hemp on the campus farm . At the end of the growing cycle , we harvest and then compost the plants , said Mejia .
Photo : Stockton University
10 COMMERCE www . commercemagazinenj . com