Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Network And Systems Administrators
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Miami Dade College, Valencia Community College, Broward College, and Tallahassee Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Florida International, Nova Southeastern, The University of West Florida, and Hodges University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Miami Dade College, Florida International, Broward College, and Nova Southeastern.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider College of Business and Technology-Hialeah Campus, College of Business and Technology-Flagler Campus, Nova Southeastern, and Barry.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Eckerd, Florida Institute of Technology, Northwood University Florida, and University of Miami.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Clearwater Christian, Stetson University, Eckerd, and Florida Southern College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Miami, Florida State, Central Florida, and University of South Florida-Main Campus.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Florida International, Florida Memorial University, University of South Florida-Main Campus, and University of Miami.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Stetson University, University of Miami, Hodges University, and Bethune Cookman.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Florida Community College Of Jacksonville • Jacksonville, FL
Studying IT (completion in 2011)
• 5/4/2011
"I think I'd like to keep going with my education. The work wasn't too challenging."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | FCCJ wasn't too bad of a school, and the price was right. If nothing else it's a good place to start. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | My manager had hired other people from the same school. They're all doing pretty well. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was very affordable, plus the classes were convenient given my schedule. FCCJ is a pretty good local school. |
| Instruction | 8 | Instructors were working professionals, not academics. One of my professors actually helped me find a job. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Other people found it hard, but I liked the material. I've always found it easy to work with computers. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had to buy books, but they were okay. We got a lot of hands on time with computers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Same as any other place, I guess. Classes had set times, but at least a lot of them were at night. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | This is the only school I've been to so it's hard to compare. Computer labs had limited hours of operation. |
| Social Life | 4 | I like that it didn't have a lot of campus nonsense. It was strictly for working professionals. |
| Placement Services | 2 | They didn't really offer much. I had to take charge of my own job search. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It's a community college, so many people go on to the University of Florida or Jacksonville University. There is not much of an established network for a tech school. |
University Of West Florida • Pensacola, FL
Studying Interdisciplinary Information Technology: Networking & Telecommunications (completion in 2008)
• 6/27/2011
"UWF is a very good school - the best one I've ever been to. I tried a few other schools first. I got my AA at Pensacola Junior College (now Pensacola State College). I'm not happy with that school. After that I went to Western Governors University, but it was too fast paced so I quit."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UWF is a very good school that has a good program. I highly recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Around here my school has a very good reputation, which translates down to my major. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I think my curriculum was very relevant and up to date. I actually started in Computer Science, but all the math & physics classes didn't make much sense to prepare me for the real world. My program was available entirely online. I worked full time so that was a definite plus. |
| Instruction | 7 | All of my teachers were knowledgeable. I was already in the IT field as a Sys Admin in the Air Force for 4 years, so some of it was a breeze to me. The programming classes were something new to me, so sometimes I had trouble with those. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Some of it was kind of tough. I've never been any good at math so I had to start from the very bottom. In order for me to do the calculus and math requirements, I had to start with College Prep Math. Then I took Pre-Algebra. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's about even, but since I took a lot of online classes, a lot of my studies and work was very book-learning oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Very good flexibility. They have night classes, but I don't think they have weekend classes. In addition to the main campus, there's one in downtown Pensacola, and there's a small campus in Fort Walton Beach. This one was closer to my workplace so I took a few classes there. My program could be finished completely online, but I took some regular classes too. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The library is huge and the computer lab is nice. I never had a problem with my advisor being unavailable. |
| Social Life | 6 | Our teams weren't very good, so I never went to the games. The ladies soccer team just won the state championship so now things have picked up. I have been to some really choice parties. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Again, I didn't use these services. I've browsed their job postings for my wife, but we never contacted the career services department. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I didn't need anything from the school once I graduated. They have job services available, but I never checked them out. |
Florida Community College At Jacksonville • Jacksonville, FL
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 6/24/2011
"I really would have preferred to have gone to a school with a lot more hands on training taught by more experienced professors. I would have also liked to have learned more about network security."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think FSCJ is a good school for someone who is willing to do a lot of learning on their own. For someone who relies heavily on being taught, I don't think this is the program of choice. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I know quite a few people who have either graduated or are looking to get into the program. They all speak highly of it. In the field there isn't much of a reputation because it's just the local community college. |
| Program Quality | 5 | They are a pretty good school, but their program isn't as up to date as I would have liked. The computer/networking field evolves daily, and it didn't seem that the instructors had current experience beyond teaching. |
| Instruction | 5 | I would have liked to have delved more deeply into security. They taught the basics of network set up and administration, which I already fully grasped. Security is very important in networking. |
| How Difficult | 1 | It was very easy for me to complete my studies. It could have just been because I already had a firm grasp of networking, but I didn't feel it was hard for myself or for others around me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I'd say it was pretty average. Although there was quite a bit of "lab time," there was also a lot of book learning/paper testing involved. There weren't many hands on tests, which I would have liked to have seen. The field is evolving and is very hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There are very few classes in the computer science/IT field. There really isn't flexibility with when the classes are offered. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I felt that there were pretty decent computer/tech facilities. The resources (switches, servers, etc) available to the IT/IS department were adequate. |
| Social Life | 5 | It was a split community/state college. There wasn't much spirit, but that was to be expected. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I had no luck with their job placement or career assistance. I have been the Network Admin of my department throughout my studies (because of past experience and certifications) and only went to school to further my career. It has done nothing for me. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I recently graduated, so I don't have firsthand experience of this. Friends that I know that have also completed studies at FSCJ really have no connection with FSCJ after graduation. |
Saint Leo University • Saint Leo, FL
Studying International Studies (completion in 1993)
• 6/26/2011
"I am fairly satisfied with my school, although I wish I had chosen a more realistic major."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would suggest possibly trying to go to a more renowned school. For example, a larger state university might offer more opportunities like jobs and internships. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | My school is not known for being the greatest. It is a very small, isolated campus and it does not have that much recognition in the national university circuit. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school had a very detailed program. The professors helped the students to really gain an understanding of the subjects. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of the teachers used different, unconventional ways to teach. I feel as if I was prepared for the world outside of college. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It was not that difficult. Basically, the only challenge were long essays or assignments. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It really depended on the professor. Sometimes we would engage in exercises or activities and other times we would focus solely on the text in our books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There were many different classes offered. I was allowed to change my major at any time, as well. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The facilities were decent. They were very average in size, and there was not a lot of technology available. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was very popular at school. Although I did not participate in school events, I attended many independent social gatherings. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I did receive some help getting jobs on campus, but it was very slim. I ended up getting a job around the local area. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There is a strong alumni network. Even though I am not involved, I still receive lots and lots of material from the alumni organization. |
University Of Florida • Gainesville, FL
Studying Electrical Engineer (completion in 2007)
• 6/25/2011
"Alumni connections are great. Education was exceptional."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My career couldn't be any better. I feel very well qualified for my current position due to my academic learning from my school. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | My university ranks in the top 40 of engineering schools in the US. It also has a familiar name. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The University of Florida is known for their robotics competition and newly built nanotechnology research building. The school is also very large, so getting the most help is easy. |
| Instruction | 7 | The program allowed a variety of courses that could be taken. You could choose your own specific discipline. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The course load demanded a lot of time for homework and problem solving. Not much memorization is required. Just a lot of blood, sweat and tears. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Labs were provided for certain courses. Being a major research institution meant a lot of theory and book work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | It's pretty limited to M-W-F courses. Not many courses are offered late in the evening. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Computer lab space was always available. Teaching assistants were always available for help. |
| Social Life | 10 | UF was known for its active social culture. Many intramural sports programs and cultural clubs were available. |
| Placement Services | 10 | A lot of career resources are available. They offer resume writing tips and job search engines. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I was offered a position due to my alumni status. Being an alumni of a certain school certainly has its perks. |
University Of Central Florida • Orlando, FL
Studying Management Information Systems (completion in 2008)
• 7/5/2011
"I gave it a seven because I did have a great time. I did not give it a 10 because there was a lot of frustration in those 4 years at UCF."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | No, I would not. I only say this because the major is no longer offered by the school. If it had been, I would have gladly answered yes. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I believe UCFs MIS program has a good reputation because of the instructors they have chosen to teach it. Several of the instructors have referred students to jobs and several companies come back each year to look for students. |
| Program Quality | 7 | At the time I attended the school I would give it a 7. Although now I would rate it much lower since they have recently gotten rid of the program. |
| Instruction | 8 | I had several teachers that had real world experience before going into the class room, and some that were still working those jobs. They were a great help and part of the reason I successfully made it through the program. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I rated it a 7 because I felt like at times it was extremely difficult when dealing with the nitty gritty side of computers. But at times I also felt like it was easy when we were learning about basic computer functions and communication. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Again, this varies on your program. Some majors expect you to know more coming into the program than others. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It varies on your program. For example, business majors offer more online classes than some of the other programs. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | UCF stands for Under Construction Forever. Not really, but it's a good way to describe the campus. They are always remodeling and improving. |
| Social Life | 8 | UCF has all of those things. The only reason I did not rate it a 10 is because we are not winning national championships or anything. But event wise, yes, there is always something campus related to do. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I rated them an 8 because I used their services and found a Co-Op rather quickly. It was not difficult at all and I recommend using them still to this day. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Although UCF does have a large number of alumni, and several different ways to network, I rated it a 5. I gave it this rating because I haven't personally used these resources so I cannot vouch for them. |
Florida Technical College • Deland, FL
Studying Network Administration (completion in 2011)
• 7/14/2011
"I'm glad I got done with the courses so soon, but I'm mad that I feel like I didn't get what I paid for. I feel like they cheated me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Some people may already know a lot of stuff, so it would be much faster for them to just take the program this way. But if the person doesn't know anything about computers, then this is the wrong program for them. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | The school just recently acquired a few more schools that will accept FTC's credits. I Think 5 schools recognize FTC as a school now. I think that says enough. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The classes were accelerated so I got the 2 year degree in 18 months. The school was pretty cheap and wasn't as hands on as they let me to believe at first. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teacher was a really nice guy and knew his stuff really well. Since there was no hands on work it was basically 3 hours a night of us listening to him read the book wondering why we paid so much for someone to read books to us. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It's a pretty challenging course for people who aren't ready to dedicate themselves to the job. It's not something that can all be learned overnight as there is new stuff to learn that comes out everyday. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The only hands on training we got was one month of a router simulation program. Maybe some command prompt, too. Other than that, it was 3 hours per night of a guy reading a book to us. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer day and night classes. Its usually 4 hours a night of class so if you can't make the mornings, you can come at night. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The whole time I was in the class, the day students and I (I was night) were fighting for free space on the computer. The last month in the class they finally upgraded them. Operating system on the computers were all trial versions. |
| Social Life | 1 | The people at the school were scumbags and some of the people I honestly thought were just homeless people. Horrible people live in that area and some attend that school. |
| Placement Services | 3 | If you nag them they will help eventually, after giving an attitude of course. See, when we went for help, They told us that we were supposed to get packages about that a long time ago. Neither of us got them. They just don't pay attention to the students. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Basically their way of alumni networking was just to make friends. They said talk to other students and they will be our network. Other than that they didn't help. |
ITT Technical Institute • Tampa, FL
Studying Computer Network Systems (completion in 2004)
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I currently go to ITT Tech and I'll have the BS Computer Network Systems degree in 3 months. It's been interesting to say the least. The classes started out huge and got smaller and smaller and smaller and now there's only a handful of us that are graduating together. The instructors, for the most part, were bad. There are some that know their stuff and some that don't, and that's probably the same anywhere you go. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | The administration there is careless. I've changed my email address so many times and yet they still managed to use my old one, so I receive no notifications via email. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The first two quarters were promising, but the third one was an utter waste of time. It might have been me, but I did not learn a thing |
| Instruction | 5 | The program itself is decent, however it is ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH YOUR TIME OR MONEY. The teachers know a little more than you, while many of them know NOTHING. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Some teachers are good while some are just EPIC terrible. I've had teachers that give you a break every 30 minutes of class....why? Because they are TERRIBLE at teaching. I would be lying if I said I didn't learn anything, because I did learn a lot. However, a CNS degree or ANY computer related degree from ITT is not universal. I would recommend people saving A LOT of money by just simply getting an A+, N+ and/or S+ certification. I could have learned SO MUCH MORE if the teachers just cared a little about their jobs! |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | ITT Tech claims to be very "hands-on" and that is what made me want to go there. I thought that may have been the case when I sat in my first class and right away we ripped open a desktop, tore everything out, and put it back together. But this is not true. I was there to see first hand. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | You don't get to make your class schedule, and they even signed me up for Saturday classes when I told them NO SATURDAYS, NO NIGHTS... But each quarter, what did I have? Saturdays and Nights. I contacted them and told them exactly what my representative told me and then I end up with my representative calling me. I suggest recording any conversations with your rep if you choose to attend this school. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | They've done a good job getting rid of the bad instructors but they need to make another sweep. Make sure you keep all your financial documentation or else you'll find yourself knee deep (not that I've had any trouble), but I've heard this from other students. |
| Social Life | 2 | The Information Systems Security program at ITT is going through a revamp, a very poor revamp. Before what they had done was take their online courses and offer them on campus. This was terrible for me. The current plan for the revamp is to get new instructors and then have virtual labs as well. Hopefully it is better than the current program. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They had job placement assistance, but I found a job on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There was no alumni support. No class parties. It was a joke. |
Valencia Community College • Orlando, FL
Studying Associate Of Arts (completion in 1997)
• 10/4/2011
"I got want I needed out of it. An A.A. Not the most useful thing in the world, but that's not the school's fault."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I don't know if they have tech classes or if they are any good. In general, it was a good school and I would recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I didn't specialize in anything. It had the reputation for being much cheaper than the University in my area yet still provided a decent education. I would agree. |
| Program Quality | 5 | My school had absolutely nothing to do with my current job. Unrelated. I do have several related certs but I took them on my own - my school was not involved. |
| Instruction | 7 | It was a good school for a community college. I thought the teachers and classes were good. I don't really have any other schools to compare it to. |
| How Difficult | 3 | The classes weren't hard, but scheduling was. Paying for it was as well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some was book oriented, some was hands on. It depended on the topic. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | They were pretty on the ball to have online classes way back then. Also, since I worked all the time, teachers were willing to work with me on assignments. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Good, not great. I wasn't on campus much. |
| Social Life | 1 | I was not social. I didn't even like to talk to people in class. |
Santa Fe Community College • Gainesville, FL
Studying Computer Engineering Technology (completion in 1996)
• 10/20/2011
"No college, in my mind, can prepare you for the real world environment. Overall, however, I think SFCC prepared me for the career path I am on. The program taught me how to find information, rather than just teaching me a laundry list of networking tools or administration commands."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | This really depends. I'm not familiar with the current state of the program now. It has been nearly 20 years since I was at SFCC, so a lot of things could have changed. Assuming a similar environment, though, yes, I would recommend it for anyone looking at a tech field career. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I don't think SFCC is really 'known' for their EET program. It did have a good matriculation agreement with Florida A&M at the time, for a BSEET. I'm not certain if that is the case any longer |
| Program Quality | 7 | The program provided a base in logic, computer programming, and network theory. This prepared me for employment in the IT or electronics industry and provided the foundation for where I am today. |
| Instruction | 9 | The quality of instruction at SFCC was fairly high level. It was interesting and engaging. |
| How Difficult | 6 | I don't view the program as being extraordinarily challenging. I had been an electronics/computer enthusiast before enrolling, however, and the program was quite interesting to me, so that probably made it seem easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The particular program I was in was very hands on. Most every technical class had a lab counterpart that had demonstrative content. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | When I went to college there really was no 'distance learning.' Therefore, all classes were standard 'seat based' classes. There really was no flexibility in that environment. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | SFCC had an average library at the time. Classroom space was adequate, and internet access was fairly prevalent, even for the early 1990s. |
| Social Life | 4 | There were a few sports teams. For the most part, being a smaller school, these were secondary, however. |
| Placement Services | 5 | SFCC had fairly decent placement and career research labs at the time. I remember going through several of the career matching services, but I really don't recall a whole lot about it. I remember the personality & career matching (I'm an INTP type) and the career path it suggested fit pretty well with the long term career I've been in. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | To be honest, it is a small school. There is no 'alumni support' that I am familiar with. |
Keiser College • Sarasota, FL
Studying Network Administration (completion in 2000)
• 3/16/2012
"The school was satisfactory in that it did its job, but it was misleading when they were describing the availability of positions open in your particular field. It was also a bit on the expensive side so the financial aid department was rather effective and streamlined."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | There are other schools out there that can offer the same degrees and majors at a fraction of the cost. I would recommend someone attend if they are looking for a modern state of the art facility, since they have, within recent years, built a new school. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I can only assume that it is still offering the course - I haven't had the need to be involved with them in recent years. They are still advertising classes in my local area which would indicate a continued need or interest in the programs they offer. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The school had a well structured curriculum. The resources were made available for adequate testing. |
| Instruction | 7 | The quality of instruction was fine for the classes offered. The drawback was during my classes the Microsoft platform was in the beginning stages of changing from NT to Server 2000 which made a lot of tests obsolete in a matter of months after getting the degree. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The work load was manageable during evening classes. The classes themselves were relatively easy to grasp. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A lot of our learning was done hands on by using the systems that we had to purchase for the classes. An equal amount of book work needed to be done in order to understand how to do the hands on portion. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | They offered both day and evening classes, which made it convenient for full time employment. I don't recall whether or not they offered weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Initially there was no testing program onsite, but that was remedied shortly after by creating an official test site on location which made it more convenient for taking the Microsoft and additional CompTIA tests. We had to purchase our own systems for classrooms, however the labs, advisors and study groups offered were readily available. |
| Social Life | 1 | The only social experience at that time was one on one person interaction. There were no athletic programs, parties or organized events. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I recall a small list of companies that we were given to contact for employment. Not the greatest placement assistance that I would have liked. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Contact information was gathered for both students and professors for additional support throughout career. The facilities remained available after graduation to continue researching new technologies that were becoming available. |
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