Florida Institute of Technology
High Tech with a Human Touch
College of Engineering
Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to Florida Tech's College of
Engineering, the largest college in our University. With over 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students, and 70 dedicated faculty
members, our College is one of the most vibrant in the southeastern U.S. The College of Engineering currently offers over 45 bachelors,
masters, and doctoral degree programs and is continually ranked as one of America's top technological institutions in engineering by
the Fisk Guide to Colleges. Our small town and seacoast location in central Florida is a perfect environment for learning,
while having access to some of the world’s most sophisticated technology developers. Our close proximity to Cape Canaveral, which
houses NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, as well as major technology development companies such as Harris Corporation, Northrop Grumman,
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance and NASA, means that our students have a unique opportunity to interact with
state-of-the-art technologies while studying here at Florida Tech. Our students are preferentially recruited by these hi-tech
companies, and many enjoy internships with them as part of their educational experience. We also continue to expand programs to address
global needs in different engineering disciplines; for example this year we have launched new graduate programs in Biomedical
Engineering, Nuclear Technology, and Systems Engineering. The College of Engineering has also developed an innovative Co-Op
Education Program, which allows U.S. and international students to gain a full year of work experiance and still complete their B.S.
degree in only four years.
Perhaps the most unique experience you will have here in engineering at Florida Tech, is the ability to engage in a “hands-on” education. All of our students participate in an elaborate capstone design experience; designing and fabricating engineered systems in multidisciplinary teams. Many of our projects compete nationally, but all projects are showcased at an annual exposition dedicated entirely to capstone projects. This last year our students were ambitious and competed in seven intercollegiate competitions.
In Florida Tech’s first entry at the University Student Launch Initiative at the Marshal Space Flight Center, we won Rookie of the year, best payload and placed third overall. The Chem-E car placed 4th at the AIChE Southern regional competition in Alabama and will move up to compete in nationals. Our civil engineering students placed third in the region for their concrete canoe and won 6 trophies. The steel bridge was one of the top 10 for lightest design. The hybrid car placed 11th at the SAE hybrid competition at Dartmouth University. Our entry into the SAE Mini Baja car competition in Opelika did very well placing 23rd in a field of 100 colleges. In Michigan, the SAE formula car taught the students the importance of paying attention to details, when the failure of a small tab dropped the car out of the endurance race.
I invite you all to further explore the opportunities available here at Florida Tech, either via our website, or through targeted information you may request through our office of admissions. Please feel free to contact my office for any specific questions you may have, and imagine yourself here.
Sincerely,
Dr. Fredric M. Ham, Ph.D.