The Florida Institute of Technology , is a private doctoral/research university in Melbourne, Florida. Florida Tech has five academic divisions with emphases on science, technology, engineering and mathematics . The university's 130-acre primary, residential campus is located near the Melbourne International Airport and the Florida Tech Research Park; it is about 50 miles from Kennedy Space Center and 75 miles from Orlando.The university was founded in 1958, as Brevard Engineering College, and has been known by its present name since 1966. In 2013, Florida Tech had an on-campus student body of 4,633, almost equally divided between graduate- and undergraduate-level students, with the plurality of them focusing their studies on engineering and the sciences. Across the 2012-2013 academic year, the university served approximately 16,000 students in total.Florida Tech is ranked among the best national doctoral-granting universities in the US and the world's best universities. The university has more than 60,000 alumni, including a National Teacher of the Year recipient, director of a NASA center, five astronauts, several astronaut candidates, the first female four-star general, two other four-star generals and nearly two dozen other generals, a 1992 Olympic medalist, a major league pitcher and others that serve as scientists, engineers, pilots, and managers in many high-technology enterprises.HistoryThe Florida Institute of Technology was founded as Brevard Engineering College by Dr. Jerome P. Keuper in 1958. In 1961, the university moved its location to Melbourne, Florida. During the 1960's additional classroom and laboratory buildings, a library, the Denius Student Center, Hedgecock Gymnasium, Gleason Auditorium and several dormitories were constructed. The university was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1964. The university officially changed its name to Florida Institute of Technology in 1966.