BS in Environmental Science

What is a BS in Environmental Science?

As an interdisciplinary academic field, environmental science includes the study and application of ecology, physics, chemistry, geology, atmospheric science, geography, oceanography, and natural resource management. Every scientific discipline you can think of has a direct relationship to environmental science because the environment is all around us. Getting an environmental science degree provides a wealth of career opportunities that have global importance.

Students can specialize in coastal engineering, hydrographic engineering, marine vehicles (naval architecture), marine materials, and corrosion and underwater technology.

Whether you want to solve complex environmental problems, advocate for environmental protection, or become the leader of a nature center or school, an environmental science degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in science with hands-on experience in environmental research and problem-solving.

Why Pursue a BS in Environmental Science at Florida Tech?

Florida Tech is considered one of the top environmental science schools for its curriculum and tight-knit educational community. The learning environment is personalized with small classes where first-year students are encouraged to volunteer in any of the research labs. Qualified students are encouraged to participate in relevant research.

Field trips to local waterways, water treatment facilities, air pollution monitoring sites, environmentally sensitive and protected lands, the Indian River Lagoon, and the Atlantic Ocean are part of our students’ overall experience and what makes Florida Tech one of the top environmental science schools.

Distinguished Faculty, Small Classes — Personalized Attention

Our environmental science professors are well-versed in current developments in their own areas of expertise and environmental issues of concern, conducting research in water, air, and soil environments. The faculty is made up of environmental scientists, oceanographers, ocean engineers, and meteorologists who genuinely care about the success of students. Florida Tech gives students local, regional, and global environmental issues to solve such as offshore oil spills, sea-level rise, and natural resource management.

Living in the Heart of a Diverse Ecosystem

Florida Tech is the perfect place for an Environmental Science degree. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America. In addition, students have access by a short car trip to the Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness designated as a World Heritage Site.

The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, environmental science degree majors build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Sigma Xi (a scientific research society), the Marine Technology Society, intramural sports, student government, and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations. Summer field projects and faculty-based research also enhance the Florida Tech experience.

The new Florida Tech Environmental Club is a group of students looking to better the campus and surrounding ecosystems by finding new ways to be environmentally friendly. They hold educational events and recycling drives to promote interest in “green” living.

It All Started With 37 Cents

Florida Tech was founded in 1958 as "Brevard Engineering College." It all started as an idea in the mind of Jerome P. Keuper, a visionary physicist working at Cape Canaveral.

As university lore would have it, Keuper expressed his desire to create a scientific and technological university to a friend over drinks at a local pub. Overhearing the conversation, a fellow patron pushed 37 cents in change across the bar and said, “There’s your first donation, Jerry. Now, go and build that college.”

So, Keuper did. And what started with 37 cents as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program is now a comprehensive national research university recognized worldwide for excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

Core Values

• Research for the Benefit of All Humankind
• Education for a Lifetime of Success
• Global Citizenship for a Better World

Mission Statement

Florida Institute of Technology’s mission is to provide high-quality education to a culturally diverse student body in order to prepare students for entering the global workforce, seeking higher-education opportunities, and serving within their communities. The university also seeks to expand knowledge through basic and applied research and to serve the diverse economic, cultural, and societal needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

In support of this mission, we are committed to:

• Promoting student development by fostering and sustaining a productive institutional culture of assessment that leads to the continuous improvement of academic and administrative programs
• Developing an organizational culture that values and encourages intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and shared purpose among faculty, students, and staff, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors
• Recruiting and developing excellent faculty to become leaders in their respective fields and internationally recognized scholars
• Achieving recognition as an effective, innovative, technology-focused educational and research institution
• Recruiting and retaining an excellent, highly select, and culturally diverse student body
• Continually improving the quality of campus life for all members of the university community
• Providing personal and career growth opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students and members of the faculty and staff
• Securing and maintaining professional accreditation for all appropriate programs

We Are Florida Tech

What we are is a private, coeducational, residential, research-intensive, doctoral-granting university located in Melbourne on Florida’s sunny “Space Coast.” But who we are is so much more. We are a community of researchers, scholars, and learners hailing from all around the world. We are engineers, aviators, innovators, leaders, educators, athletes, and astronauts. We have the brains of rocket scientists and the hearts of Panthers. We are Florida Tech.

We Are Relentless

Florida Tech is a university of leaders and learners—a diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are united in the relentless pursuit of greatness.

We Are International

Students from more than 90 countries worldwide choose to live and learn at Florida Tech, making us a truly global university. When we say #YouAreWelcomeHere, we mean it.

We Create The Future

One of the primary tenets of Florida Tech’s mission is advancing science and technology for the benefit of Earth and all of its inhabitants. So, that’s what we do.

We Have Panther Pride

You may feel it the first time you visit the campus, the day you graduate, or at some point in between. But when you do, you’ll see that Panther Pride is more than school spirit. It’s a family.

We Make Connections

Florida Tech is proud to be part of the Brevard County community and welcomes its neighbors to explore the many personal, professional, corporate, and cultural opportunities we have to offer.

We Are STEM

There's a reason Florida Tech is known as Florida's STEM University™. To put it simply: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are in our DNA. This makes STEM a driving force behind who we are, what we do, and why we exist.