- UF’s new Jacksonville campus launched two engineering master’s degrees this fall.
- The master’s programs will strengthen the tech workforce, particularly for working professionals seeking master’s degrees.
- The UF Jacksonville campus opened with nearly 160 students across five UF colleges enrolled in classes.
For the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, the new Jacksonville campus provides a springboard for new graduate programs designed to strengthen the tech workforce, particularly for working professionals seeking master’s degrees.
Nearly 160 students from five UF colleges and eight programs have enrolled in classes at the Jacksonville campus this fall. In addition to engineering, the new campus offers classes from the Warrington College of Business, the College of Design, Construction and Planning, Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine.
Students from engineering’s Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, or ISE, were among the first to attend class in Jacksonville — and the first to seek in the new Master of Science in Engineering Management degree, known as MSEM. It offers in-person classes to working professionals pursuing their master’s degree.
“The program was specifically selected to meet Jacksonville’s rapidly growing high-tech sector. Students can now take a top-tier advanced training program in-person without having to leave the region,” said Shantih “Tee” Spanton, Ph.D., associate director of ISE Jacksonville Graduate Program.
Throughout the two-year degree program, MSEM students will complete business and advanced technical courses to become leaders in technology-driven industries.
“Jacksonville is experiencing significant industry and workforce growth, and our new program is designed for that environment — combining modern engineering management with data analytics, decision-making, smart manufacturing and leadership to prepare professionals to navigate increasingly complex technical and organizational challenges,” said Jorge A. Sefair, Ph.D., ISE associate professor and associate chair for Graduate Studies.
Late last month, the Jacksonville campus also hosted an orientation for engineering students enrolled in the new Master of Science in Computer Science degree program, known as MSCS. Part of the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, or CISE, this degree program features concentrations in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
The 30-credit MSCS program is offered to part-time and full-time students and is primarily designed for working professionals.
“I am thrilled to have such a strong engineering footprint at our new campus in Jacksonville,” said UF Engineering dean Mark Tehranipoor, Ph.D. “Our new master’s degrees will establish the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering as a leader in strengthening Florida’s tech workforce. With the world’s attention fixed on AI and cybersecurity, these programs, including our new Master of Science in Engineering Management degrees, are an exceptional fit for Jacksonville, particularly for working professionals seeking a world-class engineering education.”
Engineering’s presence in Jacksonville creates a direct bridge between cutting-edge academic innovation and the area’s rapidly growing tech, healthcare, financial, public transportation and infrastructure sectors.
“By bringing UF’s top-tier computing, AI and cybersecurity curriculum directly to Jacksonville, we are giving local professionals and aspiring technologists immediate access to world-class training in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data systems,” said Daisy Zhe Wang, Ph.D., professor and director of the Jacksonville CISE program.
The UF Jacksonville campus is at 801 W. Bay St., with construction of new facilities beginning in 2027. Ultimately, the campus will inhabit the historic LaVilla neighborhood next to the Jacksonville Terminal Station.