Location
Florida Tech's location is hard to beat when it comes to fun and opportunity. Campus spans 130 acres in Melbourne, Florida. The area is one of the most concentrated high-tech economies in the state and home to one of the largest high-tech workforces in the nation. Melbourne's attractive business climate is matched only by its natural resources, including the Atlantic Ocean and Indian River Lagoon, ideal for scientific study and environmental research. Orlando tourist attractions and the Kennedy Space Center are within an hour drive, and Miami is only 3 hours south. The climate is generally sunny and temperate. The average daily temperature is 72F/22C.
Campus Facilities & Equipment
Florida Tech is full of surprises. Take a walking tour of campus, and you discover more than classrooms and laboratories. The university's Evans Library, for example, contains more than volumes of scientific knowledge and research resources. It also houses the Digital Scholarship Lab, an oasis of innovation, creativity and hands-on learning, providing services such as 3D printing, data analysis and visualization and media production. On the other side of campus, students take advantage of a fully operational machine shop, and adjacent to that, the L3Harris Student Design Center, an 11,500-square-foot student project facility. Made possible by a $1 million gift from Harris Corp., now L3Harris Technologies Inc., it serves engineering and science students completing capstone design projects. The space includes a spray booth, welding stations, a 2.5-ton overhead crane, electronics rooms and a conference room for team planning and idea development. The Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences building is an $18 million facility filled with cutting-edge equipment, labs and learning spaces centered on biomedical engineering and sciences. Florida Tech is also home to one of the few stand-alone collegiate esports buildings in the country. The Esports Center is a fully furnished two-story, 5,600-square-foot venue for competitive, club and campus use and entertainment.
Florida Tech is also home to The Scott Center for Autism Treatment and the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute. Located not far from campus proper, students will find Florida Tech's waterfront Mertens Marine Center, our Applied Research Laboratory, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design (headquarters of jet dragster company Larsen Motorsports) and the university's flight training operations, FIT Aviation, located at the nearby Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Florida Tech students take full advantage of Florida weather and the campus's proximity to the beach, enjoying ample fun-in-the-sun activities, such as sailing, biking and swimming. Beyond the beach, students venture off campus to enjoy the eclectic, dynamic vibe of historic Downtown Melbourne. Minutes from campus, this local main street is filled with shops, restaurants and pubs and plays host to a variety of annual celebrations. Of course, there's more to Melbourne than recreation. Florida Tech is surrounded by high-tech aerospace, cybersecurity and engineering companies that provide students with ample internship and future career opportunities.
