Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida
Distance Learning Program
The Extended Campus at the Florida Institute of Technology has reached out to career professionals since 1972 and has awarded more than 9,000 master's degrees in management, engineering, and science. Since 1995, it has also offered online distance learning programs. Graduates include corporate and government leaders, top-rank military officers, and five astronauts.
Ten graduate programs and eleven graduate certificate programs are available completely online. Online enrollments exceed 700 per semester.
Using 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 and among students is provided through e-mail, synchronous chats, and asynchronous threaded discussions.
There are 14 full-time and 20 to 30 part-time faculty members in the distance learning program. More than 95 percent possess a doctorate in their teaching discipline or in a field closely related to it.
Library service is provided via remote access to all internal holdings and to several electronic databases through http://www.lib.fit.edu. Access is provided to currently 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, and telephone contact on a request basis.
Distance learning students are eligible to use the University's career placement services.
Programs of Study
Programs currently being offered include a 36-hour professional Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) with concentrations available in contract and acquisition management, information systems, human resource management, and e-business; a 36-hour Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.); a 33-hour M.S. in acquisition and contract management; a 33-hour M.S. in human resources management; a 33-hour M.S. in logistics management; a 33-hour M.S. in management, with concentrations available in acquisition and contract management, human resources management, information systems, logistics management, transportation management, and e-business; a 33-hour M.S. in materiel acquisition management; a 33-hour M.S. in systems management, with concentrations available in information systems and operations research; a 33-hour M.S. in project management, with concentrations available in information systems and operations research; and a 33-hour M.S. in operations research. All programs require a set of core requirements and a set of electives. Some programs require the completion of specific prerequisites prior to enrollment. Some courses in the programs require prerequisites. All courses are 3 semester hours. Details on each program of study may be found at http://segs.fit.edu/academics/. Course prerequisites may be found at http://www.fit.edu/catalog/.
Graduate certificate programs may be obtained in the following management areas: business, contract, e-business, logistics, human resources, information systems, program, systems, quality, transportation, and materiel acquisition. Each certificate program requires the completion of five 3-semester-hour courses. The curriculum consists of one required course and four electives chosen from a specified list.
Programs being developed in 2004-05 to be delivered online include the M.S. in space systems, the M.S. in space systems management, and the M.S. in computer information systems. Details on these new programs will be available at http://segs.fit.edu/academics.
Applying for Distance Education
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for regular admission to graduate studies. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 may be granted provisional admission with additional supporting materials. Applicants not initially qualifying may enroll as continuing education students and take up to four graduate courses for academic credit. Special rules apply to students admitted as continuing education students.
Graduate students may transfer a maximum of 12 graduate credit hours to a Florida Tech master's degree program. To be eligible for transfer, the courses must have been taken for graduate credit at a regionally accredited university within the past six years and have been completed with a grade of A or B. A limited number of military schools have been evaluated by the American Council on Education and the school's faculty and are recommended for some transfer credit award.
Application is available online through http://segs.fit.edu/admissions/apply.html. Applicants must sign and mail an affidavit attesting to the accuracy of the application to the University's Graduate Admission Office. Official transcripts are required from all colleges/universities attended. Students may be provisionally authorized to attend one academic term while their admission documents are being collected and submitted for evaluation.
Costs
As of 2003-04, the per-credit-hour tuition rate was $375. The application fee was $50.
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 non-U.S. citizen to qualify for federal and/or state financial aid. Specific information is available through the University's Office of Student Financial Assistance. Graduate students should file prior to March 20 to ensure timely processing and must reapply for financial aid each year. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the Office of Student Financial Assistance to continue receiving financial assistance.
For Additional Information
Extended Campus for Distance Learning
School of Extended Graduate Studies
Florida Institute of Technology
150 West University Boulevard
Melbourne, Florida 32901
912-634-6336
888-225-2239