Apr 19, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog and Handbook 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog and Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Division of Graduate Studies



About the Division

The Division of Graduate Studies leads the coordination, development, and management of the University’s graduate programs and students and facilitates coordination of policy, curriculum, student support and progression, and graduate admissions. The Division is led by a Director (currently the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs) and supported by the Graduate Studies Committee, which reviews and recommends policy and curriculum changes, and the Graduate Management Team, which consistes of the Division Director, academic department chairs of stakeholder departments, and the Provost. The Division works closely with the Registrar’s Office and Student Affairs to create a rigorous, high-quality graduate school experience for students, returning professionals, and industry stakeholders.

For information on graduate program admissions contact admissions@floridapoly.edu. For all other information, contact the Office of Graduate Programs at ogp@floridapoly.edu.

Key Support Offices and Personnel

The first question you probably have is whom do I talk to about what to do? There are a lot of people who can help, and many more who are willing, but it is always easiest if you know who has probably got the best answers for the questions you have.

Offices

Graduate Division / Provost’s Office

At present, the Graduate Division is located in the Provost’s suite and managed by the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs. You are welcome to stop in at any time with questions or to talk about your latest discovery. The Graduate Division monitors your progress, makes decisions around assistantships, and coordinates regularly with Admissions and Registrar on all the behind-the-scenes business to keeping you on-track and moving through the institution. The Division Director also works closely with the Department Chairs, the faculty, and the Graduate Studies Committee on a range of policy, curriculum, and scheduling matters to make sure that the programs run effectively and deliver quality education. More on the role of the Graduate Division later in this handbook.

Admissions and Registrar

You’ve met several personnel in our Admissions Office already and perhaps some in our Registrar’s Office as well. Admissions is located on the East side of Campus, and contact info is available at the end of this document. Mostly, at this point, you are past the admissions stage, but if you have some business yet to complete, particularly if you are an international student, there may be some items you’ll need to take care of with Admissions.

The Registrar’s Office is located in the IST on the Northeast corner. Contact information is also at the end of this document. The Registrar’s Office has someone dedicated specifically to assisting graduate students, who helps with registration and course transfer if that is a possibility. The Registrar’s Office is critical to your progression as it is the office where all the important forms are stored that you will need along the way and where all your grades, signatures, and final confirmation of completion of all degree requirements are housed.

Academic Departments

Your academic department is your primary “home” in the institution-this is the department that sponsors the track you are following in the degree. If you are following an interdisciplinary track like robotics, then it will be the department that your primary advisor is in.

Typically, you will start out with the department chair as your advisor. Some departments may assign you a temporary advisor until you go through the department’s process whereby students are paired with their faculty advisor based on a range of factors, but mostly having to do with alignment of research interests. More on the role of your advisor later in this handbook.

Personnel

Departmental Administrators

Zaira Medina-Rodriguez: VPAA Units, Graduate Programs, Research & Grants, zmedina@floridapoly.edu, 4-8496
Crissi Hinson: ECE and ME, chinson@floridapoly.edu, 4-8600
Karen Urnaitis: Registrar’s Office, kurnaitis@floridapoly.edu, 4-8501
Rashawnya Wesley: DSBS, CS, rwesley@floridapoly.edu, 4-8684
Dara Griffis: SAM, dgriffis@floridapoly.edu, 4-8461
Yarelis Sanchez: Student Affairs (ASC, Disabilities, Career, SGA, etc), ysanchez@floridapoly.edu 4-8589

Division Directors and Chairs

Shahram Taj, Chair, Data Science and Business Analytics, staj@floridapoly.edu, 4-8521
Shahram Taj, Chair, Computer Science, btowle@floridapoly.edu, 4-8566
Mary Vollaro, Chair, Mechanical & Environmental Engineering, mvollaro@floridapoly.edu, 4-8604
Bruce Jacob, Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering, mrashid@floridapoly.edu, 4-8667
Graduate Division: Contact Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, tdvorske@floridapoly.edu, 4-8544

Academic Affairs Administration & Staff

Terry Parker, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, tparker@floridapoly.edu, 4-8500
Melissa Vazquez, Director of Academic Affairs, mvazquez@floridapoly.edu, 4-8500
Tom Dvorske, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, tdvorske@floridapoly.edu, 4-8544
Kathryn Miller, Vice Provost of Student Affairs, kmiller@floridapoly.edu, 4-8640
BenMatthew Corpus, Vice Provost of Admissions and Financial Aid, bcorpus@floridapoly.edu.
Andrew Konapelsky, University Registrar, akonapelsky@floridapoly.edu, 4-8526
Kevin Calkins, Director of Institutional Research, kcalkins@floridapoly.edu, 4-8545
Nicole Tardiff, Director of Sponsored Programs, ntardiff@floridapoly.edu, 4-8585
Kelly Morgan, Office of Disability Services, kmorgan@floridapoly.edu, 4-8770
Kristin Stokes, Associate Director of Campus Wellness Management, kstokes@floridapoly.edu, 4-8641
Julia Myers, Associate Director of Student Success and Retention, sbrandt@floridapoly.edu, 4-8876

Human Resources

Ashley Douberly, Administrative Assistant, douberly@floridapoly.edu, 863-874-8821
Rico Despiau, Coordinator, fdespiau@floridapoly.edu, 863-874-8507, LTB-1144

Technology Services

HelpDesk: helpdesk@floridapoly.edu, 863-874-8888 (on campus 4-8888)

Program Offerings & Requirements

The Division of Graduate Studies coordinates and manages all aspects of the University’s graduate programs from admissions decisions to final thesis approval. The Division collaborates and coordinates with academic departments to identify, develop, and implement degree program offerings, new program tracks and courses.

Graduate Programs


The Division of Graduate Studies crosses all disciplinary boundaries to support the quality, consistency, development, and delivery of master’s-level degree programs designed to enlarge upon the foundational skills found in preparatory bachelor’s programs and advance study into cutting-edge research and development fields. 

Florida Poly offers two master’s degree each with multiple program tracks with either thesis or project options for rounding out the plan of study.

The Master of Science in Computer Science includes in-depth study in two broad program areas:

  • Computer Science
  • Data Science

The Master of Science in Engineering includes program tracks in the following areas:

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Engineering Management
  • Robotics

Admissions Requirements

Admission decisions are based on consideration of the applicant’s academic records, letter of interest, resume and letters of recommendation. The following are the admissions requirements:

  • A bachelor degree in Engineering or a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited university
  • A minimum GPA of 2.7 in the last 60-semester credits attempted
  • Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for applicants with GPA less than 3.25. The GRE may be waived by the Graduate Student Advisor for applicants with a GPA of 3.25 or higher
  • A letter of interest
  • Two letters of recommendation.

Special Note: The following tracks have been discontinued effective with this catalog: Robotics, Electronic, Communication, and Control Systems, Big Data Analytics, or Logistics Analytics. Students admitted to the Graduate program prior to August 21, 2019 and who declared their intent to pursue one of these tracks are permitted to do so but should anticipate some course substitutions.

Graduation Requirements

  • Completion of 30 credits of approved graduate courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
  • Meeting any deficiencies identified by the Graduate Student Advisor.
  • Compliance with all other university graduation requirements.

Program Outcomes

The following are program outcomes for the Master of Science in Engineering.

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Engineering Degree, students are expected to know and be able to do the following by the time of graduation:

  1. an ability to acquire and apply knowledge using appropriate, discipline-based learning strategies drawn from relevant research
  2. an ability to develop methodology of the proposed body of research that produces solutions and further inquiry;
  3. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems of single or multidisciplinary nature by applying principles of engineering, science, mathematics, and analytics; and
  4. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation with a systematic approach, analyze and interpret data, and use foundations of engineering to draw conclusions.

 

The following are program outcomes for the Master of Science in Computer Science.

  1. Demonstrate mastery in analyzing complex problems and applying knowledge of computer and/or data science to formulate solutions. 
  2. Communicate computer and/or data science information clearly and effectively through presentations and technical writings to both expert and non-expert audiences. 
  3. Demonstrate critical evaluation of recent research literature. 
  4. Identify a novel relevant research problem in a chosen computer and/or data science research field, perform the literature survey for the problem, create a plan to solve the problem, carry on the plan, and defend the research.
  5. Understand the appropriate practices in the different fields of computer science and their ethical implications.