Florida International University - Miami’s public research university - offers outstanding academic quality in nearly 200 bachelor’s, master’s
and doctoral degree programs and conducts cutting-edge basic and applied research in a broad spectrum of fields.

History and Growth:
FIU, one of Florida’s 11 state universities, opened for classes in 1972 with 5,667 students - the largest opening day enrollment in U.S. collegiate history. Today it has more than 35,000 students, 1,000 full-time faculty and 110,000 alumni, making it the largest university in South Florida.

Programs:
The University offers nearly 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in 19 colleges and schools: Accounting, Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science, Continuing and Professional Studies, Education, Engineering, Health, Health and Urban Affairs, Honors, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Journalism and Mass Communication, Law, Music, Nursing, Policy and Management, Public Health and Social Work.

Faculty:
Seventy-seven percent of the University’s faculty hold doctorates or the highest degrees in their field.

Research:
FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. Sponsored research funding (grants and contracts) from external sources for the
year 2003-2004 totaled $62,163,377. The University is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as Doctoral/Research University - Extensive, the highest ranking in its classification system.

Alumni:
FIU’s more than 110,000 alumni constitute the largest university alumni group in Miami-Dade County. FIU confers approximately half of all degrees now awarded by universities in Miami-Dade County.

National Recognition:
FIU is the youngest university to have been awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most distinguished academic
honor society. The School of Accounting is the largest in the country. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked FIU’s international business programs in the Landon Undergraduate School in the nation’s top 10 and in the Chapman Graduate School of Business among the top 25. The School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is ranked number 6 in the country overall and first in the country in student ratings that encompass such markers as average SAT scores.

Athletics:
FIU’s intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, the nation’s most competitive college sports division, the Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA. Sixteen sports programs are offered, including football (Division I-A), basketball, track and cross-country, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball.

Budget & Economic Impact:
The University’s 2003-04 operating budget was $533 million. FIU has 2,833 full-time employees. The University has an economic impact of more than $1.7 billion on the South Florida economy.

Campuses:
FIU has two campuses - the 344-acre University Park Campus in western Miami-Dade County, and the 200-acre Biscayne Bay Campus in northeast Miami-Dade County. The University also has an academic site in Broward County, FIU Broward-Pines Center in Pembroke Pines. A major research facility, the 40-acre Engineering Center, is located near the University Park Campus.