Established in 1963 as Florida Technological University, UCF offers high-tech research in:

Optics
Lasers
Communications
Simulation
Alternative energy
Materials
Distributed learning

UCF has developed, in partnership with industry, world-class centers and institutes that focus on these strengths and more. UCF employs 900 full-time instructional faculty and more than 2,800 support staff and professional employees.

UCF is delivering on its promise of becoming America’s leading partnership university through relationships on local, national and international levels. While a significant amount of the $66 million in sponsored research UCF generates annually is provided by industry along Florida’s High-Tech corridor, state and federal funding is achieving record levels and centers such as the Florida Eastern Europe Linkage Institute assist in facilitating UCF links with new international partners. UCF keeps regional, state, national and international needs in the forefront when recruiting top students, faculty and staff and developing the infrastructure to achieve global prominence in selected areas of research. Partnership with the Central Florida Technology Incubator and UCF’s Small Business Development Center solidifies the university’s local connections and assists UCF researchers in transferring technology to the marketplace.

UCF is classified as a Level 2 Research University by the Carnegie Foundation. According to MIT Technology Review’s 2000 annual survey of U.S. universities and their quest for intellectual property, UCF ranked in the top 50 universities in technological strength. UCF is also ranked in the top 100 institutions in the country in the number of enrolled National Merit scholars.

UCF offers 76 baccalaureate programs, 57 master's programs, 3 specialist programs and 19 doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Engineering and Computer Science; Health & Public Affairs and the School of Optics/CREOL and the School of Hospitality Management.

UCF is home to the following State Centers of Excellence:

Florida Solar Energy Center
Institute for Simulation and Training
Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers

UCF is also home to:

Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC)
Florida Space Institute
National Center for Forensic Science
Center for Discovery of Drugs and Diagnostics
Center for Advanced Transportation Systems Simulation

UCF’s location in the heart of the state’s most rapidly growing technology cluster has led to a unique affinity with the businesses that comprise the growth and continued quality of students poised to run these businesses, the university is a proven leader in promoting and developing high-tech growth in central Florida.

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