From Engineering to Counseling, Graduate Programs Highly Ranked by U.S. News Propel UCF Alumni to Thrive in Career

While pursuing a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering at UCF , Tommy Genova ’20MS ’20PhD worked alongside Professor Kareem Ahmed, one of the world’s foremost researchers in hypersonics and combustion. He played a leading role in designing and measuring outcomes of combustion experiments and collaborated regularly with engineering partners from GE and other companies.

Genova credits Ahmed, as well as renowned professors Jayanta Kapat and Subith Vasu, for helping to propel him to a highly successful career. He now works as the lead engineer of combustion at GE Aerospace, one of the nation’s aviation and aerospace component manufacturing companies.

“I attribute most of my success to the degree I got from UCF,” Genova says. “The technical skills I built and connections I made in my graduate studies and research have been invaluable to get me to the point I’ve gotten to in my career.

Like Genova, the U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings recognize the high quality of UCF’s aerospace engineering graduate program, which advanced seven spots and now is among the top 40 in the nation.

Overall, 13 UCF graduate programs rank among the top 50  in the nation. Among public universities, nine programs in engineering and computer science alone rank in the top 50.

UCF’s emergency and crisis management program  ranks No. 1 in the nation, counselor education is No. 9 and nonprofit management is No. 15.

UCF is the ideal home for graduate students looking to advance their careers and gain new skills in those fields and many others. In addition to working alongside world-class faculty, students benefit from the university’s location in Orlando and strong partnerships with industry.

The city is home to many leading engineering firms, a world modeling and simulation hub and the hospitality capital of the world, as well as a short drive from the Space Coast.

Orlando also is one of the most dynamic regions in the country, securing the No. 1 ranking among the 30 most populous metro areas in job growth, population growth and GDP growth. In 2024, Orlando led the nation in employment expansion, driven by thriving industries such as healthcare, tech and financial services.

A UCF education combines the strong advantages of Orlando  with world-class faculty like Ahmed, Vasu and Kapat who bring strong industry and academic experience into classrooms and research labs.

“UCF’s rise in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings reflects our strategic commitment to becoming a national leader in engineering,” says Michael D. Johnson, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Across our academic enterprise, we are investing in exceptional faculty, expanding research capabilities and deepening industry partnerships — all with the goal of preparing our students to excel in high-impact careers and to help address the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Nation’s Top Pipeline to Aerospace Industry

Advances in engineering rankings at Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University have come as the university has launched a bold faculty hiring initiative to prepare leaders for the future of industry.

UCF also has consistently been ranked by Aviation Week Network as the No. 1 provider of talent in the nation to aerospace and defense companies.

For GE, Genova is far from the only example of that strong talent pipeline. He says his division of GE has hired many UCF graduates who are making substantial contributions to the company.

“UCF has invested a lot into its aerospace engineering program, and it has shown,” he says. “There is a lot of exciting research going on that make it an attractive destination for someone interested in the aerospace field. This is not only evident from the strong growth of the program, but the increased number of UCF graduates in the field.”

“Graduate school at UCF was a challenge but rewarding. The course work was quite informative and helpful in understanding aerospace concepts at a deeper level.” — Nik Patel ’19MS, alum

Many UCF aerospace engineering graduates go on to prominent roles at NASA and — at a time when private spaceflight is rapidly growing — the nation’s leading private spaceflight companies.

Nik Patel ’19MS worked in Tarek Elgohary’s lab on his path to a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. He completed a co-op at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which led to a full-time job as flight director and mobility subject matter expert for the Mars Curiosity Rover.

“Eventually, I was recruited by Blue Origin to work on their lunar lander program as the verification and validation lead for mission operations systems,” Patel says. “I have been here at Blue Origin for three years now and we are quite excited to see the lander land in the coming future. I am now working as one of the leads on the lunar mission.”

“From the master’s classes , I learned the soft skills required to do my job. For example, balancing multiple priorities, communicating with teams efficiently and focusing on the entire system of an aerospace project,” Patel says.

Helping Students through UCF Counselor Education Program

Emily Ferrand ’20 graduated from the counselor education program  with a focus on school counseling. The program now ranks No. 9 in the country after moving up three spots this year.

Ferrand says she learned a lot in the graduate program, particularly from senior lecturer Stacy Van Horn and Associate Professor J. Richelle Joe. Ferrand has worked five years at Horizon West Middle School, including three years as the school’s lead counselor.

“UCF knows how to produce really solid counselors. The professors are really supportive, and they don’t shy away from giving feedback, which is really important,” Ferrand says. “If I’m not doing something well, then I want someone to let me know that, so I can continue to grow and become a better counselor.”

“I’m still friends with some of the people in my master’s program, and I see them flourishing as counselors, too. It’s a really great program, and I would always recommend it to anyone who asks,” she says.

UCF has also been recognized as a top 40 Best Education School, improving 30 spots in 5 years.

UCF Emergency Management Remains No. 1 in the Nation

Lauren Gros ’22 is an alumna of the master’s in emergency and crisis management program, which equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to practice as highly trained emergency management professionals.

The emergency management program at UCF continues to rank No. 1 in the nation, with graduates who have outstanding training and knowledge courtesy of highly skilled faculty.

“The program’s stellar reputation and national ranking made it an obvious choice for pursuing these goals,” Gros says. “One of the highlights was working at Seminole County Emergency Management, an opportunity made possible by the university’s strong connections.”

Gros now works as a professional staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has emergency management as part of its jurisdiction.

“UCF equipped me with a robust foundation in emergency management and public administration, which I apply daily in my career,” Gros says. “I’d enthusiastically recommend UCF to anyone considering a career in emergency management.”

Other UCF programs ranked highly in the public affairs category include:

• Nonprofit Management — No. 15
• Public Management and Leadership — No. 21
• Public Finance and Budgeting — No. 27
• Public Affairs — No. 46

Three Health Programs Rank Among Top 50 Nationally

When Jeff Schmidt evaluated where he wanted to pursue his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, he focused on programs’ academic excellence, cost and location.

UCF ranks No. 42 in the nation for graduate physical therapy programs. The cohort graduating in 2024 had a 100% employment rate.

“It was clear UCF met all of those criteria,” he says. “During the interview process I realized a fourth item would be just as important: the faculty. It was immediately clear how caring, supportive, down-to-earth the UCF DPT faculty are. This really resonated with me, and I knew right away I wanted to be a part of this program. I could see myself growing significantly as a student and as a person over the next three years under their guidance — and I was absolutely right.”

Today, Schmidt is a senior physical therapist at AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab. He treats patients with neurologic conditions at a rehabilitation clinic and also serves as a mentor within AdventHealth’s neurologic residency program and a clinical instructor for DPT students. He also collaborates with his Ph.D. mentor Ethan Hill and the UCF Strategies for Therapeutic Rehabilitation and Optimization for Neuromuscular Growth (STRONG) Lab to examine the effects of blood flow restriction on resistance and walking training for people with multiple sclerosis.

“The UCF DPT program is highly ranked because of its exceptional faculty, rigorous curriculum, clinical focus and emphasis on research,” Schmidt says. “In my experience working with UCF DPT students and new graduates, their readiness to excel in the physical therapy field is evident. This is a direct result of the program’s commitment to facilitating academic and professional excellence.”

UCF’s healthcare management program ranks No. 41 in the country, and speech language pathology is No. 48.

Matt Atkins ’20 ’22MHA earned a bachelor’s in health services administration and master’s in health administration. He credits his UCF education with helping him become executive director of Spring Haven Senior Living in Winter Haven, Florida — where he successfully leads of a team of more than 100 people who care for more than 200 residents.

“I have had an extensive relationship with the faculty that didn’t just end once I walked across the stage at commencement,” he says.  “The biggest thing that sets [UCF’s faculty] apart, [which] is obvious as soon as you walk into a classroom and start interacting with [them], is they’re all about developing their students and impacting their future.”