Janelle Irwin Taylor
In an effort to keep up with market demand for talent, Florida Polytechnic University will this year offer three additional engineering degree programs.
The three new degree programs include environmental engineering, engineering mathematics and engineering physics.
Job demand in environmental engineering fields are expected to grow 15 percent from levels in 2016 to those anticipated in 2026, according to Projections Managing Partnership, a national job forecasting group.
With local governments throughout the state and Tampa Bay facing problems with water and sewage infrastructure, industry experts expect a shortage of environmental engineering professionals in Florida as demand increases and state universities struggle to produce enough graduates to meet that demand.
“The addition of three new degrees supports our University’s mission to educate students in STEM disciplines in order to support the industries in Florida,” said Terry Parker, Provost and Executive Vice President of Florida Poly.
Classes begin Aug. 21 in all degree fields including those added this year.
Students in Florida Polytechnic’s new environmental engineering program will work closely with the Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute to develop long-term projects to boost learning throughout the curriculum.
The engineering mathematics program will combine math theory with scientific computing and practical engineering and sciences to identify solutions to current real-world problems. That program will offer students education to increase their knowledge and understanding of math, critical thinking and problem solving.
The engineering physics program uses principles of physics as part of the analysis and evaluation in engineering problems related to sustainability, medicine and nanotechnology. The program will focus on three areas including the physics of space, energy and sustainability and medicine.
The physics of medicine degree is a premed tracks.
“Many students are interested in multiple STEM disciplines and want to ‘wait and see’ where their interest really lies,” Parker said. “By providing more choices, we serve our technically focused student body better, and have a stronger impact on industry by producing highly skilled, desirable graduates.”
