FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

School of Extended Studies–Virtual Campus
Melbourne, Florida

Florida Institute of Technology is an accredited, coeducational, and independently controlled and supported university. It is committed to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and research in the sciences, engineering, technology, management, and related disciplines as well as to providing the challenges that motivate students to reach their full academic and professional potential. Today, more than 4,700 students are enrolled, with more than 3,300 students on the Melbourne campus and the others at Florida Tech's off-campus graduate sites. All off-campus students and more than 1,000 on-campus students are enrolled in graduate programs. Florida Tech offers 140 degree programs in science and engineering, aviation, business, education, humanities, psychology, and communication. Doctoral degrees are offered in twenty disciplines, and more than sixty master's degrees are offered.

Distance Learning Program

University College consists of five divisions, including Distance Learning, Extended Studies, Florida Tech Consulting, Partnership Programs, and Applied Research. Extended Studies began in August 1972 as Off-Campus Programs, when 42 students enrolled in a master's degree program in electrical engineering at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. From that modest beginning, the graduate programs have grown to more than 1,425 students per year enrolled in thirty degree programs. Since that beginning in 1972, nearly 16,000 Florida Tech master's degrees have been conferred on off-campus candidates representing the military services, federal and local government, and a wide variety of businesses and industries.

The mission of distance learning's Virtual Campus is to extend the opportunity to pursue high-quality educational studies to those who are unable to access traditional resident-based programs. The Virtual Campus offers complete degree programs and certificate programs in a distance learning environment, using today's advanced technology.

Delivery Media

With Blackboard as the learning management system, courses are offered via the Internet. Text information is supported by audio and video clips. Interaction between instructors and students is provided through e-mail, synchronous chats, and asynchronous threaded discussions.

Programs of Study

Degrees offered online include the Professional Master of Business Administration (P.M.B.A.), with concentrations in acquisition and contract management, e-business, human resource management, or information systems; the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.); and the Master of Science (M.S.) in acquisition and contract management, computer information systems, human resources management, logistics management, management (with concentrations in acquisition and contract management, e-business, human resources management, information systems, logistics management, or transportation management), materiel acquisition management, systems management (with concentrations in information systems (through University Alliance) or operations research), project management (with concentrations in information systems or operations research), and operations research.

Programs require a set of core requirements and a set of electives, with some programs and courses requiring the completion of specific prerequisites prior to enrollment. All courses are 3 semester hours.

Additional details may be found at http://segs.fit.edu/academics/. Course prerequisites are available at http://www.fit.edu/catalog/.

Graduate certificate programs are offered online in the following areas of study: business management, contract management, e-business, human resources management, information systems, logistics, materiel acquisition management, program management, quality management, systems management, and transportation management. Each certificate program requires the completion of five 3-hour courses.

Recently added degree programs include an M.S. in space systems and an M.S. in space systems management. Details are available at http://segs.fit.edu/academics.

Student Services

Library service is provided via remote access to all internal holdings and electronic databases through http://www.lib.fit.edu. Access is provided to registered students via a personal identification number and password for certain restricted databases.

Recommendations for the purchase of computers and related equipment are available at http://ec.fit.edu/cdl/dlfaq.html.

Academic advising is provided through e-mail, fax, or telephone contact on a request basis.

Distance learning students are eligible to use the University's career placement services.

Credit Options

If the courses constitute a logical part of the student's program, up to a maximum of 12 semester hours of transfer credit from regionally accredited institutions may be transferred to Florida Tech (for one master's degree only). Transfer credit from foreign universities is considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to certain limitations.

Some courses presented by certain military schools, plus the resident courses of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, have been evaluated by Florida Tech, and specific courses have been found acceptable for transfer to designated degree programs without charge to the student. Information about the specific courses found acceptable and the Florida Tech equivalents is available from University College in Melbourne.

Faculty

Florida Tech is an organization that values and encourages intellectual curiosity and is committed to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and research. Virtual Campus courses are taught either by faculty members who hold doctorates or terminal degrees in their respective fields or by qualified adjunct faculty members. Each faculty member is devoted to building relationships with their students to motivate them to reach their full academic and professional potential.

Admission

Admission to graduate study is granted to highly qualified applicants. Successful applicants for the master's degree programs have received a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or its international equivalent. As a general rule, an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 is required for regular admission. Individual academic units may have higher minimum standards.

Tuition and Fees

As of 2006–07, the per-credit-hour tuition rate is $455. There is no application fee for students applying to the Virtual Campus.

Financial Aid

As a general rule, a graduate student must be enrolled half-time (at least 5 credit hours per term) as a regular student in a degree program and must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen to qualify for federal and/or state financial aid. Financial aid forms are available through the University's Office of Financial Aid.

Applying

Application information is available on line at http://segs.fit.edu/admissions/apply.html. Applicants must sign and mailan affidavit attesting to the accuracy of the application to the University's Graduate Admission Office. Official transcripts are required from all colleges/universities attended.

CONTACT

University College
School of Extended Studies–Virtual Campus
Florida Institute of Technology
150 West University Boulevard
Melbourne, Florida 32901
Phone: 912-634-6336888-225-2239 (toll-free in the U.S.)
Fax: 912-634-7783
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://segs.fit.edu