An Introduction to Colleges & Universities in Fort Lauderdale

By April L. Karbowsky
Editor & Staff Writer - FortLauderdaleEducation.com
August 16, 2005

Fort Lauderdale is located approximately 23 miles north of Miami and 42 miles south of Palm Beach and is the seventh largest city in Florida. The Atlantic Ocean, New River and many inland waterways give the city of Fort Lauderdale miles of coastline and, due to this, the city is called the "Venice of America."

The variety of cultural activities in the city is broad – people can view top-notch performances at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, tour the Flamingo Gardens & Wray Botanical Collection, or check out the spectacular waterways of the area with the Sea Experience Glassbottom Boat Tours. History lovers will find plenty of opportunites as well. The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum presents the life and customs of a Seminole tribe from the area and the Old Fort Lauderdale Village & Museum offers a unique insight on the development of the city from 1870 to 1930.

Once known primarily as an ideal location for tourists, the city is now drawing a diverse range of new companies to the area. An fabulous climate coupled with efforts on the part of local government to make the area more business friendly have resulted in a surge of corporate expansion or relocation. Top companies in Fort Lauderdale include AutoNation, Republic Services, Inc., DHL/Airborne Inc., Spherion, and BFC Financial. Industries affected by this growth include manufacturing, film and television production, insurance, finance, marine, real esate, high technology, and avionics/aerospace.

As a result of the area's economic growth and business development, more workers are needed in general and workers with advanced educations are the most sought after. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, in 1990 figures show that 6.59% of the city's population had earned an Associate's degree, 12.41% a Bachelor's, and 6.37% had Master's degrees. By 2000, those numbers had increased to 7.49% with an Associate's, 15.85% with Bachelor's degrees, and 8.70% of the individuals surveyed had earned a Master's degree. While the increases are small, they demonstrate that residents are realizing the need to obtain some level of higher education to meet the needs and qualifications for jobs in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

Going to School in Fort Lauderdale

To meet the educational demands of Fort Lauderdale businesses, individuals are turning to area schools to further their education. The city has seven private colleges and universities, one public college, and twelve professional schools within the city limits to choose from:

Private Colleges & Universities

• American Intercontinental University – South Florida
• City College
• DeVry University - Keller Graduate School of Management
• Florida Atlantic University
• Keiser College
• Nova Southeastern University
• University of Phoenix – Fort Lauderdale

There is a very interesting and broad range of topics for students to major in at schools in Fort Lauderdale, some of which include: Legal Assisting, Computer Science, Medical Assisting, Mental Health, Nursing, Culinary Arts, Video Game Design, Phlebotomy, Computer Animation & Design, Fire Science, Crime Scene Technology, Paralegal, Aquatic Engineering, Homeland Security, Massage Therapy, Radiology, Information Technology, Business Administration, Law, Dentistry, Engineering, Criminal Justice, Visual Communications, Instructional Technology, Broadcasting, Emergency Medical Services, Hospitality, Oceanography, Journalism, Dramatic Arts, Economics, Education, Interior Design, Physical Therapy, Ultrasound, Marketing, Zoology, Women's Studies, Statistics, Dietetics, Accounting, Fashion Marketing & Design, and Psychology.

Costs

Often, students will find that tuition costs can vary widely depending on the type of school and the level of study that they select. For example, public institutions usually have lower tuition costs than private institutions. As an example, the tuition for students earning a bachelor's degree at Broward Community College, a public, state-funded school is approximately $1,890 per year for residents of Florida and roughly $6,840 for non-residents. Nova Southeastern University, a privately run institution, offers a Master's degree in Computer Information Science that has a rate of $425 per credit hour for residents ($500 for non-residents), or $12,750 before any ancillary fees are added. Career and technical schools can have widely varying tuition costs as well. The Certified Nursing Assistant program at the Coral Ridge Nurses Assistant Training School costs approximately $6,400 while attending ATP Flight School will costs students $39,995 to earn a pilot's license in the school's 90 Day Fast Track or Self-Paced programs. Students should be sure to calculate the costs associated with rooom & board, travel, books, supplies, and fees that are applied by schools to get a total picture of the financial outlay needed for their particular educational needs.

Financial Aid

Often students find that they need to obtain monetary assistance to go to school. Student loans and tax savings programs are helpful, though often not enough given the high tuition costs that can be incurred. Scholarships and grants (which are based on financial need) should be considered as well and future students are encouraged to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which helps in determining their eligibility for such assistance.

Other scholarships and grants have to be sought out by students. For example, scholarships specific to students attending school in Fort Lauderdale are as follows:

• Florida Student Assistant Grant : This state grant is available to Florida residents and the award amount may vary between a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $1,592 per academic year.
• Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program: This is a scholarship with three levels: Florida Academic Scholars Award, Florida Merit Scholars Award, and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award.
• Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program: This program makes it possible for students to receive tuition reimbursement at a rate not to exceed $78 per semester hour (excluding special fees).
• Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship Program: The full amount of the scholarship is $3,000 annually, however the institution may prorate its scholarship allocation equally among all eligible initial, renewal, and reinstatement students.
• William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant: Award amount is specified by the Florida Legislature each year in the General Appropriations Act.

To get more information on these and other sources of financial aid for Florida students, check out the Office of Student Financial Assistance at the Florida Department of Education.

Internships

Gaining hands-on experience in the field of study is one of the most important things that any student can do to enhance their education and increase their chances of finding a good job once they've graduated. The diversity of business types in Fort Lauderdale offers many good internship opportunities for students of the area. For example, students pursuing a career in aircraft repair can intern through a joint program with Broward Community College and Hamilton Sundstrand Worldwide. Students at Nova Southeastern will find internships in Coastal Policy, Anesthesiology, Nursing, and Pharmarcy, and the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine has interships available in Acupuncture.

To find more information about internships in Fort Lauderdale, students should check with the career center of their institution, contact the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce for listings of local companies so they may be contacted directly, or check out sites such as Yahoo! HotJobs or MonsterTrak where they can find current listings for internships in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Employment in Fort Lauderdale

For many years, the tourism industry has been the largest segment of Fort Lauderdale's economy. This trade is still very strong and as a result, companies that support this field offer many job opportunities. For example, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport employees nearly 31,500 people either at the airport itself or through related businesses. Passenger traffic is expected to increase by 75% by the year 2015 bringing plenty of new jobs opportunities along the way. The manufacturing and technology sectors are flourishing, driven in part by military-related spending and a booming construction industry. Other growing industries include marine manufacturing and repair, retail, financial services, and healthcare - all providing strong markets for future graduates.

Summary

Fort Lauderdale is a wonderful place for students to earn their education, with an excellent climate, diverse cultural activities, and a solid and growing base of businesses to explore for both internship opportunities and for jobs upon graduation.