About UCF

Overview

The University of Central Florida has come a long way since its inception in 1963. It is now a thriving, multi-campus university, with more than 66,000 students and more than 200 graduate degree programs. In addition to its physical growth, UCF has become a prominent player in graduate education nationwide, offering innovative corporate partnerships, world-renowned faculty, and cutting-edge research. “About UCF” describes the University and its mission. In addition, this section describes the people and offices that makeup UCF—including university, college, and school administration.

Mission Statement

The University of Central Florida is a public, multi-campus, metropolitan research university, dedicated to serving its surrounding communities with their diverse and expanding populations, technological corridors, and international partners. The mission of the university is to offer high-quality undergraduate and graduate education, student development, and continuing education; to conduct research and creative activities; and to provide services that enhance the intellectual, cultural, environmental, and economic development of the metropolitan region, address national and international issues in key areas, establish UCF as a major presence, and contribute to the global community.

UCF offers undergraduate education rooted in the arts and sciences, providing a broad liberal education while developing competence in fields of special interest. Unique aspects of UCF’s approach are its commitment to educating students for a world in which cooperation is as important as competition; in which societal and environmental impacts of new developments are as important as their technical merits; and in which technology, the arts, sciences, humanities, and commerce work together to shape the future.

The complexity of modern society requires comprehensive graduate and professional programs. UCF provides advanced education that matches institutional strengths with evolving regional, state, national, and international needs. It supports these advanced programs by recruiting excellent students, faculty, and staff and by supplying the infrastructure that enables these programs to achieve national prominence.

Basic and applied research, as well as creative activity, are integral parts of a quality education. UCF faculty members are scholar-teachers. As such, they create new knowledge, new points of view, and new means of expression in a broad range of academic, professional, and socially significant areas. Their creativity fosters innovation as they convey their results, methods, values, and expressions to students, colleagues, and the public.

UCF works actively to build partnerships that promote the development of central Florida’s economy through carefully targeted programs of graduate study and research. The I-4 High-Technology Corridor Council, whose goal is to attract, retain, and expand high technology investment and jobs, is but the latest example of UCF’s collaboration with partners from industry, state and local government, and higher education.

Service to its community is an important extension of the metropolitan mission of the university. Public service is prominent at UCF, and the university develops partnerships with the community to enrich the educational, artistic, cultural, economic, and professional lives of those it serves in central Florida and beyond.

Education is more than classroom experience. UCF students are involved in cooperative research and participate in artistic, social, cultural, political, and athletic activities. UCF provides academic diversity by bringing to its campus national and international leaders who expose students and the community to a wide range of views and issues. UCF achieves cultural diversity by using its multi-campus facilities to serve a diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students from various races, cultures, and nationalities.

UCF is committed to the free expression of ideas, the equality of all people, and the dignity of the individual.

UCF Story

Graduate Education that Creates Opportunities

The University of Central Florida is one of the largest pre-eminent research universities in the country. Located in Orlando, one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas in the United States, UCF benefits from a diverse faculty and staff who create a welcoming environment. UCF is a university that creates and provides opportunities for students to grow, learn and succeed.

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 more than 318,000 alumni, over 66,000 students, and 7,500 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, Business Administration, Education and Human Performance, Engineering and Computer Science, Graduate Studies, Health and Public Affairs, Hospitality Management, Medicine, Nursing, 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 School of Modeling, Simulation and Training, 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, visit www.research.ucf.edu/centers.html.

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 that’s now more than 50 years old, UCF has moved rapidly from promise to academic prominence.

Campus Accomplishments

• Once again, UCF ranked 25 as one of Most Innovative Schools by U.S. News & World Report (2018).
• UCF faculty ranked 21st in the nation among public universities for the number of U.S. patents they secured and 41st in the world, according to the National Academy of Inventors.
• UCF and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reached a historic agreement establishing a permanent research facility in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on the beaches of Brevard County, one of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in the Western Hemisphere.
• Twenty-five UCF graduate programs were ranked in the top 100 in their respective fields by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of 2019. Among these are Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Counselor Education, Nonprofit Management, Optics and Photonics, Public Management and Leadership, Criminology, Public Budgeting and Finance, Industrial Engineering and Health Administration, to name a few.
• UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy was named the No. 3 graduate-level video game design school in North America by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine. 

Notable Research

• UCF scientist Sudipta Seal, whose research has led to groundbreaking therapeutic applications in regenerative nanomedicine, has been chosen as a 2018 inductee into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. He holds more than 60 patents for an array of discoveries including multi-functional nanomaterial additives for aerospace nanoenergetics and his research in power plant fly ash waste has created unique chemistry of ash particles with nanostructures that can be used to clean up oil spills.
• The National Science Foundation awarded UCF more than $20 millions to manage and operate the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. UCF researchers Raymond Lugo and Yan Fernandez lead the research portion of the project, while UCF partners UMET and Yang Enterprises, Inc. will focus on the educational outreach and IT and maintenance of one of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes.
• UCF Pegasus Professor Debra Reinhart was named the 2018 Gordon Maskew Fair Award recipient. The national award honors the very best leaders in environmental engineering or environmental science based on their conduct, achievements and significant contributions to the control of the quality of the world’s environment. Reinhart is the first UCF recipient and the first woman to be honored since the awards began in 1971.
• UCF chemistry professor Fernando Uribe-Romo has discovered a way to trigger the process of photosynthesis in a synthetic material, turning greenhouse gases into clean air and producing energy all at the same time. His work has generated interest across the world and led to a Tedx talk.
• Two UCF math majors were selected for highly competitive Research Experience for Undergraduates grants from the National Science Foundation. The students put their math skills to use in unique ways by working with College of Arts and Humanities faculty. The students are Evan Waldmann who is headed to Harvard University and Hanna Reed who is headed to University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They will work with faculty there over the 2018 summer.

Degrees of Distinction

With 1,682 full-time faculty, the university offers 92 bachelor’s degrees, 84 master’s and MFA degrees, three specialist degrees, and 34 doctoral degrees as well as 80 graduate certificate programs and the Doctor of Medicine program.

The list of prominent alumni gets longer with each graduation ceremony. A sampler of notable alumni includes Kevin Beary, former Sheriff, Orange County, Florida; Juanita Black, president, Mental Health Association of Central Florida; Jim Atchison, President and CEO, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment; John C. Bersia, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer; Phil Dalhausser, Olympic Gold Medalist, volleyball; Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004; Cheryl Hines, actress; R. Glenn Hubbard, former chair, U.S. Council of Economic Advisors; George Kalogridis, president, Walt Disney World Resort; Mark Miller, country music singer/songwriter, Sawyer Brown band; William W. Parsons, Jr., Director, NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center; Angel Ruiz, president and CEO, Ericsson North America; Nicole Stott, space shuttle astronaut; Daniel Tosh, standup comedian/television host; and Al Weiss, President of 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 Hispanic/Latino (18%), African-American (12%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (12%) students and represents 64 of Florida’s 67 counties, all 50 states, and 145 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 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, University of South Florida and the University of Florida that now involves more than 25 local and regional economic development organizations, 14 community colleges and thousands of companies.

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

• The Downtown Orlando Campus will open with 7,700 students in Fall 2019.
• The John C. Hitt Library expansion happening in three phases will include an automated book-retrieval system, additional open shelving for materials, 24-hour study rooms and space for researchers to collaborate, the first phase is slated for late spring 2018.
• Trevor Colbourn Hall will house the new Graduate Student Center, is set to open Fall 2018.
• UCF’s iconic Reflecting Pond is under repair after summer hurricanes caused the renovations. Students will notice when the Pond opens back up that LED lights that change colors reopened in Spring 2018.
• Student Union Expansions will be completed by Fall 2019 with increase space and seating from 315 to 750 and by Summer 2018 offer new eats from Steak & Shake, Panda Express, Qdoba, Which Wich, Chilis and Huey Magoo’s. 

Virtual Campus

UCF’s virtual campus UCF Online is leading the way in the integration of technology, teaching, and learning. Twenty-five graduate degrees and 30 certificate programs are available online, in addition to many individual graduate-level courses. Essential student services, such as parking, course registration, and textbook purchases are also available online.

For more information on UCF’s online programs, visit www.ucf.edu/online.

UCF Athletics

For the fourth consecutive year, UCF student-athletes are graduating at a higher rate than any other NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision public institution in the nation.

UCF has an overall success rate of 94 percent - the highest among US public institutions and the highest in the state of Florida.

UCF Knights football became the 2017 Peach Bowl champions and finished the season undefeated with a 13-0 record.

UCF Knights cheer team places second at UCA Nationals.

Central Florida—A great place to be

UCF is located 13 miles east of downtown Orlando, 45 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Canaveral, and 100 miles from Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico. The area boasts world-class shopping and dining, amusement parks, lakes, golf courses, jogging and biking trails, and nature preserves.

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 location, its history of entrepreneurship, and its youth, relevance, and energy.

Facts

About the University

• Status: One of 12 of Florida’s public universities
• Location: In metropolitan Orlando area, 13 miles east of downtown Orlando
• Carnegie Classification: Comprehensive Doctoral; Research Universities - Very High Research Activity
• Number of Graduate Programs: 34 Doctoral, 84 Master’s, 80 Graduate Certificates, 3 Specialist Programs, and 1 Professional Program (Medicine)
• Overall Student Enrollment in Fall 2017: 66,180
• Graduate Enrollment in Fall 2017: 8,721, including 1,996 doctoral, 5,892 master’s, 416 certificate, 51 specialist, and 366 nondegree-seeking students
• Class Offerings: Courses offered in Arts and Humanities, Business Administration, Education and Human Performance, Engineering and Computer Science, Graduate Studies, Health and Public Affairs, Hospitality Management, Medicine, Nursing, Optics and Photonics, and Sciences are offered at night, online and at UCF’s regional campuses.

About UCF Graduate Students

• Graduate Student Characteristics, Fall 2017
  • Doctoral - 55 percent full-time students, 45 percent part-time students 
  • Master’s - 40 percent full-time students, 60 percent part-time students
  • Gender - 59 percent female, 41 percent male
• Average Age of Graduate Students. Fall 2017: 32 years old
• Ethnicity of Graduate Student Population, Fall 2017
  • White, Non-Hispanic - 53.2 percent
  • African American, Non-Hispanic - 11.6 percent
  • American Indian or Alaskan Native - Less than 1 percent
  • Asian - 12.4 percent
  • Hispanic/Latino - 17.7 percent
  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander - Less than 1 percent
  • Multi-racial - 2.1 percent
  • Not specified - 2.9 percent

Financial Support for Graduate Students

• Assistantships - Each year over 1,500 graduate students are awarded graduate assistantships that provide financial support for their graduate education. 
• Fellowships - Over 2 million dollars in support was awarded to doctoral and master’s students.
• Tuition Remission - University fellows and graduate students appointed on full-time assistantships (20 hours per week) receive full resident (in-state) tuition remission. Students appointed on half-time assistantship appointments (10 hours per week) receive remission of one-half of the resident (in-state) tuition. All nonresident university fellow and graduate assistants with appointments totaling 20 hours per week are charged a “differential out-of-state fee” of $0.00.
• Health Insurance - The College of Graduate Studies provides health insurance coverage for all university fellows and graduate assistants with appointments totaling 20 hours per week.

Research Activities 2017

Academic research fuels the innovation economy and UCF is an integral part of statewide efforts to attract, retain and grow high technology companies in Florida. UCF’s programs in engineering, optics, and photonics, and simulation and training, biomedical science, computer science and nanoscience are among the best in the nation. In 2017 UCF researchers received $148.7 million in contracts and grants, the largest percentage of funds coming from the federal government, which has a vested interest in advancing knowledge and fueling America’s innovation pipeline.

Research faculty are the strength behind the development of new technologies. UCF’s incubation and entrepreneurship programs help turn those technologies into companies, which in turn help those companies put products on the market.

• Total Research Awards - $148.7 million
• Total Federal Awards - $73.97 million
• Total State Awards - $33.76 million
• Total Industry Awards - $41.06 million
• Patents - UCF holds more than 989 U.S. Patents

UCF Centers and Institutes Research

• Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) - $1.18 million
• Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) - $3.66 million
• Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) - $14.33 million
• Florida Space Institute - $9.8 million

College Research

• Education - $15.2 million
• Engineering and Computer Science - $33 million
• Health and Public Affairs - $8.45 million
• Medicine - $11.01 million
• Optics and Photonics (CREOL) - $11.71 million
• Sciences - $16.8 million

State of Florida Board of Governors

University of Central Florida Board of Trustees

University of Central Florida Administration

Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Office of the Vice President for Community Relations

Office of the Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Services (SDES)

Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the College of Graduate Studies

Vice Provost for Division Teaching and Learning and Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies

Office of University Relations

Division of Communications and Marketing