Florida Tech Fact Card
About Florida Tech
2013–2014 Fact Card
Florida Institute of Technology
College of Engineering • College of Science • College of Aeronautics • College of Psychology and Liberal Arts • Nathan M. Bisk College of Business and Department of Extended Studies • Online Learning
In 1958 to provide advanced education for professionals working in the space program at what is now Kennedy Space Center.
In Melbourne, Fla., on 130 subtropical acres, including the picturesque Botanical Garden.
The campus is located very close to the Indian River, the Atlantic Ocean and is less than an hour from Kennedy Space Center.
OF SPECIAL NOTE
• Among the top 200 universities in the world according to Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-2015.
• The only independent, technological university in the Southeast
• A Barron's Guide “Best Buy” in College Education
• Ranked as a Tier 1 Best National University by U.S. News & World Report
• Named one of the nation’s top technological institutions in the Fiske Guide to Colleges
• Cited by Washington Monthly College Rankings as among universities contributing to the public good
• Among top Southeastern colleges according to Princeton Review ratings
• Named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Colleges
• Graduates’ midcareer salaries ranked at the top of the list for Florida in
• PayScale.com’s 2013 College Salary Report
• The university’s Ortega 0.8-m Telescope is one of the largest research telescopes in the Southeast
• Included among “The 25 ‘Boatiest’ Schools in America” by BoatU.S. Magazine
• Named by “Surfline” as one of the 10 best surf schools in America
• Ranked by G.I. Jobs as among the top 15% of colleges and universities
Total University Budget: Approximately $200 million
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT COSTS PER YEAR
Science and Engineering $35,460
Other Disciplines $32,310
Room and Board $10,520
Books (estimate) $1,200
Undergraduate programs in science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education (science and mathematics); master's programs in science, engineering, aviation, business, mathematics, psychology, behavior analysis, communication and education (computer, environmental, mathematics, science and informal science and teaching); and doctoral programs in science, engineering, mathematics, psychology, behavior analysis and science and mathematics education.
FLORIDA TECH RESEARCH PARK
The Florida Tech Research Park at Melbourne International Airport (FTRP) is a concrete response to the needs of industry. In this research, science and technology enterprise, the elements for innovation, development and economic growth come together with business and the community in collaboration with a world class national research university. The research park offers prime leased, commercial office, laboratory, manufacturing and runway access space as well as available build-to-suit opportunities, ready for immediate development. Located on the Florida High Tech Corridor, the FTRP represents the largest research park located at an FAA-approved airport and is home to many high-tech companies and research-based facilities. With business-friendly incentives in place, access to a skilled workforce, nearby amenities and support services, established strong research partners and key intermodal transportation links on Foreign Trade Zone 136, the park is a natural innovator for research, technology and success.
OFFICE OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
The Office of External Relations (OER), which includes the Office of Economic Development, the Office of Community Affairs as well as the Florida Tech Research Park, was created to serve the community-at-large and existing external constituents. Its focus is to facilitate and strengthen relationships between the university, community, and business as well as to initiate new relationships. External Relations is responsible for a variety of new and annual community activities to support the university’s mission to meet the diverse economic, cultural and societal needs of local, state, national and international constituencies.
For more information: Call (321) 674-8472
DEPARTMENT OF EXTENDED STUDIES SITES
(Nathan M. Bisk College of Business)
Huntsville, Ala.; Orlando, Kennedy Space Center and Eglin Air Force Base Fla.; Aberdeen Proving Ground and Patuxent River, Md.; Picatinny Arsenal and Lakehurst, N.J.; Fort Lee, National Capital Region and Hampton Roads, Va.; and The Virtual Campus.
The university gives working professionals the opportunity to earn degrees in more than 60 online programs. Each of our colleges participates in online programs. Students can choose from degree programs offered in 8-week terms and 16-week semesters, or professional development programs offered in similar formats. Florida Tech has been committed to the educational needs of non-traditional students since our founding over 50 years ago and has offered online degree programs since 2000.
The library, the heart of Florida Tech information retrieval, offers campus-wide and worldwide access through its website, which delivers a catalog of library materials, online databases, electronic journals and books, reference and research resources, online instruction and Internet sites organized by discipline. The Evans Library provides a full range of academic information services.
Close to 2,000 Florida Tech undergraduates reside in campus housing. The newest residence halls, Panther Bay and Mary Star of the Sea-Newman Hall, opened fall semester 2013. Panther Bay features 300 beds for Greek Life and International Aviation students and Mary Star of the Sea-Newman Hall features close to 150 beds for freshmen through seniors. These and other complexes offer comfortable home-like amenities, which include a full kitchen, living room and compartmentalized bathrooms.
Campus life revolves around the Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation, the Denius Student Center and Panther Plaza. Panther Dining Hall, which opened in January 2011 adjacent to the new Panther Aquatic Center, is another major gathering place. The center offers a huge selection of pre-made and made-to-order dishes, pizza, classic entrees, comfort food, burgers, entrée salads, panini and more. A grocery store/quick service facility provides prepackaged freshly cooked foods for take-out, a deli, grab-n-go grill and breakfast sandwiches.
Students participate in a wide range of intramural sports, more than 100 student organizations and 22 intercollegiate sports. From Greek life to the College Players theatrical organization, students are actively involved in the life of the campus community.
Florida Tech Athletics consists of 22 intercollegiate sports, a cheerleading team and the Panther Pep Band. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, football, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field. Football kicked off its inaugural season in fall 2013. Women’s lacrosse will begin in fall 2014.
The Panthers are a member of NCAA Division II. Of their 22 sports, 17 participate in the Sunshine State Conference. Football will compete in the Gulf South Conference when play begins in fall 2013.
FIT has won national championships in men’s rowing and men’s soccer. Daniela Iacobelli, new on the LPGA tour, collected an individual national title in women’s golf in 2007. Regional titles have been won in baseball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s rowing, and men’s and women’s soccer. Sunshine State Conference championships have been earned in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s rowing, and men’s and women’s soccer.
During the 2012–13 season, five teams appeared in their respective NCAA Division II postseason tournaments. Men’s cross country competed in the NCAA Division II National Championship race for the first time in the program’s history. Men’s golf made its third straight NCAA regional appearance and women’s golf appeared in the tournament for the first time in its history. Men’s rowing won gold at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta in the varsity four; the varsity eight earned bronze.
In the classroom, the Panthers were just as impressive. FIT named 181 student-athletes to its Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and 131 were chosen for the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Ten student-athletes also received sport- specific academic honors and the women’s swimming team collected its fourth team academic award in two years.
In addition to fielding nationally ranked teams, Florida Tech offers exemplary on-campus athletic facilities, including the spacious Charles and Ruth Clemente Center, which houses the athletics department, workout facility and courts for the basketball and volleyball teams. The state-of-the-art Panther Aquatic Center features competition and recreational pools for Florida Tech’s swimming teams and the campus community. Off Country Club Road are practice courts for men’s and women’s tennis. On the south end of campus is the F.W. Olin Sports Complex, which includes the Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field (baseball), the new Varsity Training Center and Panther Field (all sports), Rick Stottler Field (soccer) and Nancy Bottge Field (softball).
Florida Tech's two spaces dedicated to the visual arts are overseen by the Director of University Museums. The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, is located on campus, and the Foosaner Art Museum (formerly Brevard Art Museum) is located five miles north of campus in the historic Eau Gallie Arts District (EGAD). The campus Funk Center displays rotating exhibitions of traditional textile arts, fashion and design history, and modern and contemporary fiber art. The Foosaner Art Museum houses a permanent collection of over 3,000 objects and presents exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The Foosaner complex also includes the Renee Foosaner Education Center, a fine arts studio for pottery, printmaking, painting and drawings courses, and the 100-seat Harris Community Auditorium.
Undergraduates as well as graduate students take part in research activities that support local, state and national agencies and industry. These efforts include beach erosion, lagoon and ocean health and artificial reef monitoring, lightning, rocket propulsion systems, energy and alternative fuels, alternative vehicles, high temperature materials, software security and malware, and projects which may involve meteorology, particle physics, rocketry, astronomy, aeronautics and real-world marketing.
Indian River Lagoon Research Institute; Fatigue Management Institute, Harris Institute for Assured Information, Human-Centered Design Institute, Institute for Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Cross-Cultural Management, Institute for Energy Systems, Institute for Marine Research, Institute for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Institute for Research on Global Climate Change, Sportfish Research Institute
Center for Aviation Human Factors, Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control, Center for Entrepreneurship and New Business Development, Center for Ferrate Excellence, Center for High Resolution Microscopy and Imaging, Center for Organizational Effectiveness, Center for Remote Sensing, Center for Software Testing, Education and Research, Collaborative International Research Centre for Universal Access, College of Engineering Center for Space Commercialization, Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for General Aviation, Florida Center for Automotive Research, National Center for Hydrogen Research, National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance-Research, Scott Center for Autism Treatment, Wireless Center of Excellence, Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center
Major Research Laboratories
Applied Research Laboratory, Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Dynamic Systems and Controls Laboratory, Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory, Microelectronics Laboratory, Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory, Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, Wind and Hurricane Impacts Research Laboratory; Aerospace Systems and Propulsion Laboratory, Cognition Applied Research Laboratory
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE, STUDENT SUCCESS
Engineering and science undergraduates, with students from other disciplines, participate in a required culminating research project. Most of these projects are displayed at the annual Northrop Grumman Engineering and Science Student Design Showcase, held each spring in the Clemente Center. All students earning bachelor’s degrees in the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems exhibit their required projects prior to graduation in the summer field projects symposium.
Across the 2012-13 academic year, Florida Tech served approximately 16,000 students.
FALL 2013 Enrollment Snapshot
4,633 main campus; 1,011 extended campus
On Campus Enrollment Breakdown
College of Engineering 55.34%
College of Science 15.07%
College of Aeronautics 8.42%
College of Business 10.28%
College of Psychology and Liberal Arts 9.68%
No College Designated 1.22%
STUDENT BODY (Melbourne Campus Undergraduate Only)
Male-female 73%-27%; 91.6% of new full-time freshmen had 3.0 or above high school GPA; SAT I average for freshmen is 1150, compared to national average of 1010.
69.06% of all students come from the United States, representing 47 states; 38.49% of these are from Florida;
30.94% of all students come from 101 other countries
On-campus undergraduate student-faculty ratio 9:1; 245 full-time and 107 part-time faculty on Melbourne campus; 90% of full-time teaching faculty have Ph.D. or terminal degrees appropriate to their fields.
More than 60,000 alumni in over 120 countries, our alumni are as diverse as they are successful. They include five astronauts who have flown on the Space Shuttle, the first female four-star general in U.S. military history, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in rowing, a two-time major league baseball world series winning pitcher, a National Teacher of the Year recipient and a member of the LPGA tour. The current CEO of Carmax Inc. is a panther as is the chief executive officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. Thousands of our graduates serve as scientists, engineers, pilots, managers and researchers in companies and organizations around the globe.