About Florida Tech

2011–2012 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 Extended Studies Sites

 

FOUNDED

In 1958 to provide advanced education for professionals working in the space program at what is now Kennedy Space Center.

 

LOCATION

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

• The only independent, technological university in the Southeast

• A Barron's Guide “Best Buy” in College Education

• Listed 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

• Dedicated the Foosaner Art Museum in Melbourne in 2011

• Doctoral program in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology rates 2nd in nation for quality as rated by students

• Named 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’ starting and midcareer salaries ranked at the top of the list in PayScale.com’s 2011 College Salary Report

• On Parade Magazine’s A-List in Engineering

• The university’s Ortega 0.8-m Telescope is the largest research telescope in Florida

• Ranked #6 in U.S. News & World Report’s “10 Universities Producing the Most Interns”

• Listed 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

 

FINANCES

Total University Budget $179,281,000

 

Sources of Income

Tuition and Fees 82%

Gifts, Grants and Contracts 9%

Auxiliary Enterprises 9%

 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT COSTS PER YEAR

Tuition

Science and Engineering $34,430

Other Disciplines $31,370

Room and Board $9,930

Books (estimate) $1,200

 

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

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 (FTRP), at Melbourne International Airport, is a concrete response to the needs of industry collaborating with Florida Tech. At the research, science and technology park elements for innovation, development and economic growth partner with business and the community.  The FTRP is the Space Coast’s next great gateway for progress.

  • Sustainable research park
  • Intermodal transportation links to sea, land, air and space
  • Major business incentives
  • Convenient support services
  • Site infrastructure already in place
  • Strong university, business and governmental partnerships
  • Substantial research base

 

EXTENDED STUDIES SITES

(Nathan M. Bisk College of Business)

Huntsville, Ala.; Orlando, Melbourne, Rockledge and Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Aberdeen Proving Ground and Patuxent River, Md.; Picatinny Arsenal and Lakehurst, N.J.; and Fort Lee, National Capital Region and Hampton Roads, Va., and The Virtual Campus.

 

ONLINE LEARNING

The university gives working professionals the opportunity to earn degrees through 65 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.

 

EVANS LIBRARY

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.

 

TECHNOLOGY

Residence halls are wired to access campus information services and the various national and international networks and resources, including Internet, Internet 2 and National LambdaRail (NLR). Florida Tech is a member of the Florida LambdaRail, providing the most advanced and high-capacity academic network.

Public access computer labs, including an Applied Computing Center (ACC) in the library, supplement many specialized academic unit labs. The ACC houses fifty-four computer work stations. Sixty-nine fully equipped and laptop-ready multimedia classrooms and laboratories further enhance the student learning experience.

Built into the university’s newest academic buildings are some of the latest electronic and communications technology. Most campus buildings and gathering areas are configured with wireless network access, providing a roaming footprint and enabling students with notebook computers to connect to the network wherever they are.

Students may also take advantage of an online student information system. Self services range from course registration, access to academic records and financial services.

 

CAMPUS LIFE

Close to 1,700 Florida Tech undergraduates reside on campus. The newest residence halls, Harris Village, opened on the south campus in 2008. The three-building complex features 382 beds for sophomores through seniors. Their 111 apartments 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 21 intercollegiate sports. From Greek life to the College Players theatrical organization, students are actively involved in the life of the campus community.

 

ATHLETICS

Florida Tech Athletics now consists of 21 intercollegiate sports, a competition cheerleading team and the Panther Pep Band. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, 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. Men’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s swimming will compete for the first time in the 2011-12 season. Football will kick off its inaugural season in the Fall of 2013.

The Panthers are a member of NCAA Division II. Of its 21 sports, 16 participate in the Sunshine State Conference. Men’s lacrosse will be a member of the Deep South Conference when it begins play in spring 2012. Football will compete in the Gulf South Conference when it begins play in fall 2013. In addition to its programs, the University offers a competition cheerleading team.  

Panther teams have held national championships in men’s rowing and men’s soccer. Daniela Iacobelli 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 2010-11 season, four teams and one individual appeared in their respective NCAA Division II postseason tournaments. Women’s soccer won its first South Region championship and advanced to the Final Four. Men’s rowing competed in the world-renowned Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, England. Individually, 10 student-athletes garnered All-American status last year.

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 brand new, state of the art Panther Aquatic Center features competition and recreation pools for Florida Tech’s swimming teams and the campus community. Off Country Club Road are recently resurfaced practice courts, utilized by men’s and women’s tennis. On the south end of campus is the F.W. Olin Sports Complex, which includes Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field (baseball), Rick Stottler Field (soccer) and Nancy Bottge Field (softball).

 

THE ARTS

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) 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.

 

RESEARCH

INSTITUTES AND CENTERS

RESEARCH INSTITUTES: 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.

RESEARCH CENTERS: 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, 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

MAJOR RESEARCH LABORATORIES: Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Dynamic Systems and Controls Laboratory, Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory, Microelectronics Laboratory, Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center, Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory, Vero Beach Marine Laboratory, Wind and Hurricane Impacts Research Laboratory

 

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE, STUDENT SUCCESS

Undergraduates as well as graduate students take part in research activities that support local, state and national agencies. These efforts include beach erosion, lagoon and ocean health and artificial reef monitoring; lightning, energy and alternative fuels, alternative vehicles, software security and malware; and projects which may involve meteorology, particle physics, rocketry, astronomy, aeronautics and real-world marketing.  

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.

 

ENROLLMENT

Across the 2010-11 academic year, Florida Tech served 14,649 students.

Enrollment Breakdown

College of Engineering 28.1%

College of Science 8.8%

College of Aeronautics 3.6%

College of Business 43.6%

College of Psychology and Liberal Arts 14.3%

No College Designated 1.6%

 

STUDENT BODY

Male-female 54%-46%;

81% of new full-time freshmen had 3.0 or above high school GPA;

SAT I average for freshmen is 1151, compared to national average of 1011.

 

Geographic profile:

85% of all students come from the United States, representing all 50 states;

31% of these are from Florida;

15% of all students come from 106 other countries.

 

FACULTY

Undergraduate student-faculty ratio 9:1;

224 full-time and 85 part-time faculty on Melbourne campus;

90% of full-time teaching faculty have Ph.D. or terminal degrees appropriate to their fields

 

ALUMNI

More than 50,000 alumni, including a National Teacher of the Year recipient, director of a NASA center, five astronauts who have flown on the Space Shuttle, several astronaut candidates, the first female four-star general, two other four-star generals and nearly two dozen other generals, a 1992 Olympic medalist and a major league pitcher.

Thousands serve as scientists, engineers, pilots, and managers in many high-technology enterprises and major airlines.