Charge on: UCF is awarding 9,000 degrees during graduation weekend

UCF graduation (UCF)

Florida’s largest college, the University of Central Florida, is giving out more than 9,000 degrees during this weekend’s commencement ceremonies that run through Saturday.

The number of degrees is setting a milestone for the Spring semester during the six graduation ceremonies at Addition Financial Arena, the school said.

“Overall, UCF anticipates awarding nearly a third of all degrees in STEM fields — with 16% of all degrees coming from the College of Engineering and Computer Science,” the school said in a press release.

“Of all degrees, the College of Sciences will award 27%, with fields like digital media, chemistry and physics. The College of Business will award 13%, including disciplines such as finance and accounting. The College of Community Innovation and Education will award 12%, representing majors like education, health informatics and emergency management.”

Commencement speakers include several business and education leaders, including Robert Jones, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Karen Irwin, President and Chief Operating Officer for Universal Orlando Resort.

UCF is making a difference educating the state’s job force and filling in-demand fields, the school said.

“At the University of Central Florida, every dollar invested yields remarkable returns — both for students and for the state’s economy,” school spokesman Chad Binette wrote in a piece highlighting two seniors who studied aerospace engineering and biomedical sciences.

“Their degrees will come with a strong return on investment for them and the State of Florida — UCF produces high-quality degrees at the lowest cost per degree of any institution in the State University System.”

Binette touted the 70% of UCF graduates finishing without school debt.

The school is known for its affordable DirectConnect to help students from two-year state colleges transfer to UCF to finish their bachelor’s degrees. Some students also get scholarships and more than half of UCF students receive Pell Grants, the school said.