UCF Story
- Graduate Education that Creates Opportunities
- Centers of Excellence
- Pride in Accomplishments
- Degrees of Distinction
- International Impact
- Strength in Diversity and Inclusiveness
- Partnerships and Community Service
- Orlando and Beyond
- Pardon our Dust
- Virtual Campus
- History in the Making, UCF Athletics
- Central Florida—A Great Place to be
- UCF—A Time of Opportunity
Graduate Education that Creates Opportunities
The University of Central Florida is one of the largest and fastest growing research universities in the country—and it is located in one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas in the United States—Orlando, Florida. UCF is the university that seeks opportunities, creates opportunities, and brings them to fruition. UCF ranks second among Florida's state universities in total enrollment and ranks eighth in graduate enrollment in the nation.
As central Florida's higher-education partner, UCF plays a major role in the region's fast-paced growth through its community and corporate partnerships; its research programs; and the talents of its 145,000 alumni, 46,000 students, and 9,200 faculty and staff. As a metropolitan research university, UCF is committed to innovative community partnerships, world-class research with local impact, and the integration of technology and learning.
Centers of Excellence
UCF's colleges include Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Computer Science, Health and Public Affairs, Hospitality Management, and Optics and Photonics.
The university's internationally renowned colleges, centers and institutes include the College of Optics and Photonics/CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers), the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC), the Biomolecular Science Center, the Institute for Simulation and Training (IST), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), the Nanoscience Technology Center, the National Center for Forensic Science, the Florida Space Institute, and the Florida Photonics Center of Excellence. For additional information regarding these centers and institutes and other research programs, go to www.research.ucf.edu/centers.
Pride in Accomplishments
The reputation of any educational institution is best reflected in the accomplishments of its students, faculty, and alumni—and for a university just over 40 years old, UCF has moved rapidly from promise to academic prominence.
- U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF as one of America's Best Graduate Engineering Colleges in 2006.
- UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science is a leading college for women; 22 percent of its graduates are women.
- The UCF Technology Incubator was named the 2004 Technology Incubator of the Year by the National Business Incubation Association. The incubator has helped more than 70 start-up companies.
- The 2005 fifth annual Women's Research Event recognized Dr. Jannick Rolland, Associate Professor of Optics, for her contributions to the advancement of science. Dr. Rolland's current research project is "Head Worn Displays," a device resembling eyeglasses, but functioning as an informative tool for the user.
- UCF's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders educates more students in speech-language pathology than any other institution in the US, with a current enrollment of 201 part- and full-time students.
- College of Optics and Photonics/CREOL professor Nabeel Riza was the sole winner of the International Commission for Optics Prize—one of the top international awards for scientists under the age of 40.
- The late Jonathan Mednick, a film direction and production assistant professor, posthumously won an Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction (Reality) Program for "American High," a PBS television series.
UCF
is the only university in the country offering through the Industrial Engineering
Department a master's degree in racecar engine technology (precision engineering)
with a
focus
in
high-performance
engine optimization. The program received national recognition in The Wall
Street Journal, USA Today, and Business Week On Line.
- The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology ranked UCF's Ph.D. program first in the nation in research productivity.
Since 1985, archaeology professors Arlen and Diane Chase have been uncovering Maya secrets at Caracol, an ancient city located deep in the jungle of Belize. Their work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, and on PBS and provides unsurpassed insight for students enrolled in the Master's in Liberal Studies and the Maya Studies graduate certificate programs.- Theatre majors Reginald Jernigan, Mareeko Finney, and Mick Chapell won first place, out of 23,000 entries, in the national Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Great American Student Screen Test competition.
- The College of Education and the Rosen College of Hospitality Management boast a 100 percent employment rate for its graduating students.
- More than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in the College of Business Administration, making it one of the largest in the nation.
- Molecular Biology and Microbiology professor Mark Muller has discovered that a protein, called MKRNI, is critical to stopping the uncontrolled division of tumor cells that cause cancer.
- In 2005, two University of Central Florida scientists developed a new way to find and remove mercury from polluted water. Chemistry professors Florencio E. Hernández, Ph.D. and Andres Campiglia, Ph.D. can now quickly and inexpensively detect even trace amounts of the pollutant which can be used to create water filters and reclaim contaminated water.
- Dr. Barbara Murray, Associate Professor for the Educational Leadership graduate program was elected to the Brevard Public School Board, District 2 in the 2006 election.
Degrees of Distinction
With 1,235 full-time faculty, the university offers 95 bachelor's degrees, 96 master's degrees, three specialist degrees, and 27 doctoral degrees as well as 75 graduate certificate programs.
The list of prominent alumni gets longer with each graduation ceremony. A sampler of notable alumni includes John Bersia, Pulitzer-Prize winner, Orlando Sentinel; Juanita Black, president, Mental Health Association of Central Florida; Frank Caldeiro, astronaut, NASA; D. Lee Constantine, Florida State Senator; Richard Crotty, mayor, Orange County (FL.); Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004; R. Glenn Hubbard, former chair, U.S. Council of Economic Advisors and Al Weiss, President Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
International Impact
UCF's growing cadre of international students adds both diversity and global connections to its central Florida community. More than 130 countries—most notably India, China, Canada, Vietnam, Jamaica, United Kingdom, and Colombia—are represented in the student body, and faculty research is taking place in areas ranging from South America to the Arctic polar ice cap.
UCF has study and research agreements with 98 institutions in 36 countries—providing learning and research opportunities for students and faculty in countries ranging from the Udmurt Republic to South Africa. The university's Eastern Europe Linkage Institute alone maintains educational and research partnerships with 20 institutions in nine countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, and the United States. The student experience abroad does not stop in the classroom with opportunities available for students to travel internationally.
Strength in Diversity and Inclusiveness
Increasing diversity and inclusiveness is one of the central goals of UCF. The university is particularly proud of an aggressive minority recruitment plan, and minorities now account for nearly 20 percent of the faculty.
The student community includes Hispanics (10%), Blacks (8%), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (11%) and represents 64 of Florida's 67 counties, all 50 states, and 136 countries.
Partnerships and Community Service
One of UCF's main objectives is to be America's partnership university. Hundreds of joint projects are in place with community organizations and government agencies at all levels and corporations—ranging from collaborative research in nanoscience to neighborhood nursing clinics.
Two major partnerships target the region's most prominent business sectors. The new Rosen College of Hospitality Management will increase the university's already significant commitment to the area's tourism and hospitality sector. High-tech interests are being well-served by the Florida High Tech Corridor partnership—an initiative of UCF and the University of South Florida that now embraces nearly 9,500 companies and more than 160,000 employees.
Orlando and Beyond
In addition to its 1,415-acre main campus in Orlando, UCF has area campuses in Daytona Beach, Cocoa, and Clermont; centers in Deland, Palm Bay, Melbourne, Kennedy Space Center, Downtown Orlando, South Orlando, Kirkman Road, and Lake Mary; and instructional sites in Deltona, Flagler, New Smyrna, Osceola, Celebration, Leesburg, Chiefland, Lecanto, and Sumterville giving students throughout central Florida the chance to take classes, pursue degrees, and interact with faculty and staff.
Pardon our Dust
UCF has 64 construction projects either planned or underway for the main campus, totaling more than $782 million. Included in these projects are the Bright House Networks Stadium, Parking Garage V, the Wayne Densch Athletic Sports Complex and Convocation Center as well as several building renovations and the addition of several new classroom buildings and technology labs.
Virtual Campus
UCF's Virtual Campus is leading the way in the integration of technology, teaching, and learning. Ten graduate degrees and twelve certificate programs are available online as well as many individual graduate level courses. Critical student services, such as parking, course registration, and textbook purchases are also available online.
For more information on UCF's online programs, visit www.online.ucf.edu.
History in the Making, UCF Athletics
The 2006 season marked the closing of a chapter in the history of UCF football when the team played their final game in the Orlando Citrus Bowl. Beginning with the 2007 season, the team will be playing their games on campus at the Bright House Networks Stadium.
The 45,000-seat on-campus Bright House Networks Stadium will be in the new intercollegiate athletics complex in the north end of the East Orlando campus, scheduled to be completed before the fall 2007 season. This exciting new complex includes the Convocation Center, which also is scheduled to be completed in fall 2007; the Nicholson Fieldhouse; the Wayne Densch Sports Center; other athletics fields; student housing; and retail space that will include restaurants and shops.
Central Florida—A great place to be
UCF is located 13 miles east of downtown Orlando, 45 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Kennedy, and 100 miles from Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico. The area boasts world-class shopping and dining, lakes, golf courses, jogging trails, nature preserves, and parks.
UCF—A Time of Opportunity
The time is now for UCF—one of the fastest growing, metropolitan research universities in the country and a catalyst for economic development in central Florida. Significant in size, excellent in academics, and prominent in accomplishments, the University of Central Florida is one of Florida's leading educational assets.
The University's culture of opportunity is driven by the diverse people it attracts, its Orlando environment, its history of entrepreneurship, and its youth, relevance, and energy.