Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University
Harnessing technology in creative ways to fuel partnerships and propel Florida's economy.
Florida — specifically Central Florida — is home to America’s Space Coast, the world’s hub for modeling, simulation and training, and an epicenter for computer science and engineering. The state has established a thriving tech economy that is poised to grow — currently the No. 4 tech workforce in the nation with a goal of reaching the top three by 2030.
To achieve that, Florida needs top talent. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is stepping up to meet those needs.
Here in Orlando, we're leveraging our metropolitan location and proximity to industry to create strategic partnerships. Through our focused integration of engineering and technology across disciplines, we create an exceptional talent pipeline and career pathways for our students.
UCF Is Producing Top Talent for Florida
To answer the talent demands of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow, the state has invested more than $40 million in UCF to recruit 150 new faculty members and educate more than 25,000 engineering and technology students annually.
Why UCF? Among Florida’s state universities, we produce one in four of all engineering graduates (State University System of Florida). As an R1 metropolitan research university, our educational curricula are future-focused, with 11 engineering programs in the top 50 among public universities, including aerospace, industrial and computer engineering.
PROVIDING TALENT FOR
SPACE, AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
Since our founding to support the Space Race, UCF has continued to produce skilled graduates for the industry. From hands-on training and experience to internships with leading companies, we’re actively working with industry leaders to provide students with a top-quality education from America's Space University.
With NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) about 35 miles away, more of its interns come from UCF than any other university. In fact, almost 30% of KSC employees — and more than 25% of Lockheed Martin’s Orlando employees — earned UCF degrees. That’s why, for six years in a row, UCF was named the nation’s No. 1 provider of talent to the aerospace and defense industries.
PROVIDING TALENT FOR
MODELING, SIMULATION AND TRAINING
Our School of Modeling, Simulation and Training (SMST) is a global leader in graduate education. UCF was the first in the nation to offer a master’s degree in the field, and the only university to integrate six other colleges into students’ learning experience. SMST houses our nationally recognized Institute for Simulation and Training and is strategically located among more than 125 tech-driven companies in Central Florida Research Park.
With a $1.155 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a new graduate certificate program will focus on strengthening UCF’s pipeline to the rapidly growing digital twin industry in Central Florida and beyond.
PROVIDING TALENT FOR
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
The same experts leading industry-shaping research in the lab are teaching our students in the classroom. UCF is the first public university to offer a master’s degree in computer vision, and we rank No. 8 in the nation for computer vision programs — ahead of MIT and Georgia Tech (CSRankings.org).
Florida’s cybersecurity field alone needs more than 30,000 skilled workers to fill open roles (Cyberseek). UCF is stepping up to meet that need. Our world-renowned collegiate teams often triumph over peers, even tech professionals, in competitions across the country.
We are reimagining higher education through the lens of engineering and technology, empowering our people to pioneer multidisciplinary solutions that will create a better future and transform higher education as we know it.
UCF Is Positively Impacting Florida’s Economy
Florida’s tech economy is now worth an estimated $79.9 billion. To help the state reach the top three tech workforces in the nation by 2030, UCF is building upon strong industry relationships in meaningful ways to further drive student and research outcomes, and support broad-based prosperity.
Almost 50% of UCF alumni stay and work in Central Florida, supporting Orlando as the No. 9 fastest-growing tech hub in the nation and directly contributing to our region’s economic vitality.
IMPACTING THE ECONOMY OF
SPACE, AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
Florida is home to more than 2,000 aerospace and aviation companies, and hosts nearly all of the nation’s leading contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense. Florida is expected to see 20% projected growth in the aerospace engineering industry and 15% projected growth in mechanical engineering by 2032 (Projections Central). UCF is ready to provide that highly skilled workforce.
IMPACTING THE ECONOMY OF
MODELING, SIMULATION AND TRAINING
Recognized as the modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) capital of the world, Orlando secures about $7 billion annually in MS&T contracts. Here, a 500-acre technology district called NeoCity will establish a hub for semiconductor reshoring, benefitting aerospace, engineering and other industries nationally. UCF has been working on a digital twin component of NeoCity to help optimize manufacturing efficiency and reliability.
IMPACTING THE ECONOMY OF
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
As Florida’s No. 1 university for computer and information science research expenditures — among the top 6% nationally — UCF’s faculty continue to drive discoveries and development in emerging cyber technology. To be a leading AI research provider and workforce supplier, we also established the Artificial Intelligence Initiative (Aii) and will hire nearly 30 new AI-focused faculty members bringing expertise from a variety of industries.
As Florida’s premier engineering and technology university, UCF is in a unique position — both geographically and strategically — to rise to the state’s challenges. Since our founding in 1963, UCF has become one of Florida’s largest suppliers of in-demand talent — fostering new generations of engineers and technological innovators to lead the charge where industry needs it most.
This content was paid for and created by University of Central Florida. The editorial staff at The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.
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