At Florida Polytechnic University, there are no “retreat degrees.”
Students have to either stick it out in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics program or leave. That usually bodes well for companies seeking highly qualified talent in those fields.
Soon, companies could tap into an even deeper pool of students who brave challenging coursework. Florida Poly plans to offer doctoral degrees in engineering and engineering-related disciplines in the coming years. The university currently has nine bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees (one in engineering and another in computer science).
“Our strategy [when Florida Poly was founded in 2012] was: let’s build the undergraduate program and make it really strong,” said Randy Avent, president of Florida Poly. “And then once we had a really strong undergraduate program we’ll start putting in a master’s program. Last year, we started focusing a bit on the master’s program. And this year, there’s more focus on the master’s program. Once we have a master’s program with solid core students and a good curriculum — my guess is two to three more years of that — we’ll start putting ina Ph.D. program.”
Nola Laleye
State lawmakers’ vision to create an independent STEM university out of what once was a satellite University of South Florida campus is coming to fruition. Since classes began in 2014, the student body has increased from 554 to roughly 1,620.
Expect even more growth under Stephenson. Avent said the goal will be to reach 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students in three years and over 5,000 total students within five to ten years. Graduate programs have more room for growth without the constraint of on-campus housing. The number of doctoral students specifically could reach four figures, Avent said.
Alexis Muellner
But the school will never be massive, and Avent said it will remain rigorous with its admissions. Right now, U.S. Newsand World Report said Florida Poly has an admissions rate of 47%.
“One of the things that we do is work extra hard trying to make sure that we get the right students that can handle the curriculum and that once they’re here, we support them so that they’ll be successful,” Avent said.
The median salary for a Florida Poly student one year after graduation is $55,300, the highest among all state universities, according to the State University System of Florida.
(Provided/Florida Polytechnic University)
Research dollars for Florida
Adding doctoral degrees will buttress the state’s capacity for research in critical areas. John Just, chief learning officer at Clearwater-based KnowBe4, expressed excitement about the addition of doctoral degrees at Florida Poly. He said he’d like to see more research done on cybersecurity threats to individual people. Criminals' use of artificial intelligence has only exacerbated the need, he said.
“There’s a lot of research that needs to be done on how we can use [AI] as defenders, how can we use this in our regular daily lives to help protect us against cyber threats. And then also, how can we enable technology infrastructure in nonprofit and profit organizations?” Just said.
John Curls Jr., CEO of Lakeland-based Barney’s Pumps, said Florida Poly is continuing to improve Polk County’s average IQ by adding doctoral degrees. His 115-person distribution and manufacturing company has experienced some difficulty attracting workers from USF, UCF, and other outside universities, but now has local Florida Poly engineers and programmers to draw from. The county’s growth doesn’t hurt either.
Barney's Pumps
“We’re moving forward in every direction,” said Curls Jr., who sits on the board of Florida Poly's foundation.
It can be a tough for companies to fill jobs in computer and electrical engineering, said Amy Campbell, U.S. South Regional Leader for Stantec. Especially with continued automation, it’s important to have a university like Florida Poly nearby to help fill those roles, she said.
Lakeland-based Boring Business Systems President Par Sahota said keeping Florida Poly’s graduates in the area is also crucial.
Local companies are banking on Florida Poly’s success, with some, like KnowBe4 and Boring Business, committing financially to be part of the university’s corporate network.
“We have 65,000 customers around the world and we continue to grow, so it’s a continued need for us. … The more [talent in the] pipeline, the better,” KnowBe4’s Just said.
Just said technical roles are some of the hardest for KnowBe4 to fill. Florida Poly may not have the reputation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Stanford University, but Just said it fills a key niche for technology companies across the state.
