Florida Tech, Patrick Space Force Base partner to offer master's degrees for military personnel

Coming full-circle in a sense, the Florida Institute of Technology will start offering master's degree programs this fall behind the gates at Patrick Space Force Base for military and civilian personnel.
"We were founded in the same year as NASA: 1958. And our original mission was to serve as a night school for missilemen, as the Cape Canaveral technicians needed master's degrees in the early days of the Space Race," Florida Tech President John Nicklow said.
"Scientists and engineers came together in that year to launch that very important work. The mission soon evolved to encompass military service members. And as Kennedy Space Center grew, and Patrick grew and evolved, so did Florida Tech," Nicklow said.
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Nicklow spoke during a June 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony at Patrick's Education and Training Center, where the Melbourne-based university has set up classrooms and support facilities. The four degree programs: Master of Science in acquisition and contract management, Master of Science in space systems, Master of Science in space systems management, and Master of Business Administration.
"All incredible things, as you look at Patrick Space Force Base and the unique professionals that we have here, being able to continue their educational experience to further build on their repertoire, their skill set," said U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Bulson, Space Launch Delta 45 deputy commander.
"Whether it's within the Department of Defense, or coming back to the local community when they're done with their service," Bulson said.
Nicklow and Bulson plan to expand Florida Tech's offerings in the future, based on need and demand. Student enrollment projections remain in "the discovery phase," they said.
Florida Tech's institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, is expected to approve the Patrick instructional site this summer. The Melbourne university's faculty members and instructors will commute to the beachside Space Force base and teach eight-week classes in hybrid (in-person and online) fashion.
Don Platt, associate professor of space systems and director of Florida Tech's Spaceport Education Center in Titusville, will oversee operations.
During a December FLORIDA TODAY interview, Nicklow and Space Force Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba said the university and STARCOM — or Space Training and Readiness Command headquarters — were exploring an educational partnership.
STARCOM is in the process of moving from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to Patrick, eventually bringing more than 450 military and civilian personnel to Florida's Space Coast. The St. Johns River Water Management District has issued a stormwater management system permit for two future modular buildings for STARCOM personnel on base.
Brevard Engineering College — today's Florida Tech — hosted its first classes on Sept. 22, 1958, inside three rented classrooms at Eau Gallie Jr. High School. That building is now West Shore Jr./Sr. High. The university earned the NASA-themed nicknames "Missileman U" and "Countdown College" during its formative years.
Five Florida Tech graduates became NASA space shuttle astronauts: Suni Williams, Joan Higginbotham, Kathryn Hire, George Zamka and Frederick Sturckow. Another alumnae, Ann Dunwoody, became America's first female four-star general in the U.S. Army.
"I really appreciate the words on the history of the university. It's really amazing to continue that legacy in a different way," Bulson told Nicklow during a tour of Florida Tech's new educational space.
"You know, it feels like we're getting back to our roots in some way by doing this. It's a little bit different, but it's who we are," Nicklow replied.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 'Missileman U' Florida Tech to offer degrees at Patrick Space Force Base

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