Education

From public and private pre-K through high school, magnet schools and charter schools, to vocational training and post-secondary education, St. Lucie is ready and able to train and educate our workforce of the future.

Major Colleges and Universities

There are seven major educational institutions with over 150,000 students that are accessible to the region and engage in a wide variety of academic programs.

Indian River State College (www.irsc.edu) is located on five campuses throughout the region and offers 150 programs leading to Bachelor’s Degrees, Associate Degrees, Technical Certificates and Applied Technology Diplomas. The institution has earned recognition for excellence in education both statewide and nationally and promotes initiatives such as STEM-related education, entrepreneurship, sustainable energy and building construction technologies. Florida State University College of Medicine, located on IRSC’s main campus in Fort Pierce, provides third- and fourth- year clinical training through affiliations with local health institutes.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando has over 59,000 students – the second largest university enrollment in North America. Each year UCF graduates over 1,000 engineers in multiple disciplines, over 3,000 business-related majors, and over 600 biology/biomedical majors. The school has strong ties to the aerospace industry with research in areas such as simulation and training, photonics, lasers and optics, materials and nanotechnology, and biomedical sciences.

The Florida Institute of Technology in nearby Melbourne has a primary focus on engineering and selected sciences and supports research in both ocean and aerospace engineering.

Florida Atlantic University has 30,000 students with its main campus in Boca Raton. It operates the renowned Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in St. Lucie County. The university is engaged in substantial research related to the marine environment, ocean engineering and the resources and benefits that can be derived from the ocean.

The Florida State University College of Medicine was established in June of 2000 to educate and develop exemplary physicians who practice patient-centered health care, discover and advance knowledge, and are responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority and underserved populations. The Fort Pierce Regional Campus of the FSUCOM, established in 2007, is the 6th regional campus.

For nearly 40 years, Keiser University has been a trusted educational resource for Florida’s leading industries, developing the workforce talent necessary for employees to advance within their professions, businesses to prosper in tough and thriving economic times, and for the State to lead in the international marketplace.  The degrees offered by Keiser University are strategically aligned with the needs of Florida’s and the global economies.

The University of Miami located in Coral Gables with over 15,000 students has a strong focus on research. U.S. News and World Report have ranked the undergraduate program and Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in the top 50. The $350 million research and development budget supports many different areas such as marine and atmospheric sciences as well as the stem cell institute.

The Florida International University is committed to entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity. The public research university prepares their students for a global career. The research facilities available span to all areas of study such as advanced material engineering, geographic information systems and ecotoxicology. Masters and doctoral programs are available in many different areas allowing for advanced education.  The FIU Center for Translational Science at Torrey Pines in Port St. Lucie is a state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to the rapid translation of fundamental science discoveries into real treatments for human health.

St. Lucie County School District Technical Training

The St. Lucie County School Board (www.stlucie.k12.fl.us) offers a wide range of technical education courses to prepare their students for future careers. Some of the programs offered are listed below.

Business and Marketing:

  • Accounting Operations
  • Business / Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • International Business
  • Promotional Enterprise

Education

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Teacher Assisting

Digital Media:

  • 3D Animation
  • Applied Cybersecurity
  • Digital Design / Digital Media / Multimedia Design
  • Digital Video Production
  • Game Simulation / Animation / Visual Design
  • TV Production

Information Technology:

  • Java Development and Programming

  • Microsoft Academy

  • Networking

  • Oracle Database Programming

  • Technical Design

  • Web Development

Engineering:

  • Aerospace Technologies
  • Automated Manufacturing Technology
  • Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair
  • Carpentry
  • Engineering Technology

Health and Environmental Science:

  • Allied Health

  • Industrial Biotechnology

  • Project Lead the Way / Biomedical Sciences

Agriculture / Veterinary:

  • Agritechnology
  • Veterinary Technology

Miscellaneous

  • Criminal Justice
  • Logistics