Florida Institute of Technology is among the most entrepreneurial research universities in the United States, according to new rankings by Forbes.
Florida Tech’s inclusion on the top 50 list is further evidence that the spirit of discovery remains vibrant at the regionally accredited university, which was founded in 1958 to educate professionals in the nation’s space program.
The university nurtures entrepreneurship across an array of industries and professions, such as aviation, information technology and business, including through 10 Master of Business Administration degree specializations offered 100% online.
Additionally, the Center for Entrepreneurship and New Business Development at the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business supports startups and other business ventures with research, training and education. Meanwhile, Florida Tech’s Student Business Incubator brings together business and engineering students to develop enterprises that generate jobs and revenue.
“The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep here,” Florida Tech President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony J. Catanese said in a statement.
Catanese said the standards of “creativity and knowledge” set by university founder Jerome Keuper remain core principles to the present day, “when we have many ways to help our students explore and strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit within them.”
In compiling its annual ranking, Forbes compared the number of students and alumni who self-identify as business owners or entrepreneurs on the online professional network LinkedIn with their school’s total student population.
The top five most entrepreneurial schools of 2014, as ranked by the magazine, were: Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of California, Berkeley; Cornell University; and University of California, Los Angeles.
Florida Tech was ranked 33rd, finishing one spot above Harvard University.
It is the third prestigious ranking that Florida Tech has received in recent weeks. U.S. News & World Report named Florida Tech a Tier 1 Best National University for the fifth consecutive year and the Melbourne, Florida-based university was ranked one of the world’s top 200 universities in the 2014-15 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
