Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida. As the largest university in the Miami region, FIU
enrolls over 32,000 undergraduates, over 5,000 graduates, and internationally-recruits a faculty of 1,144. Since opening its doors in 1965, FIU has quickly become an outstanding school with a law school, a $400 million budget, and a medical school set to begin operating in 2008.
In 2000, FIU received the highest research university ranking by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as well as a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, making FIU one of only 78 universities nationwide to hold both distinctions. According to
US News & World Report, FIU is ranked among the top 100 public national universities, even though it is the youngest of the group. FIU has over 190 bachelor, master, and doctorate dgeree programs in 20 schools and colleges. Its most well-known programs are in
business administration,
accounting,
engineering,
hospitality management,
creative writing,
architecture, and
management information systems. Recently, the University opened a campus in Tianjin, China with a Hospitality Management program.
FIU's
athletic teams are the Golden Panthers, and they participate in the NCAA Division I as well as the
Sun Belt Conference in all 11 sports except men's soccer, which competes in the Conference USA. FIU won two NCAA Division II national championships in men's soccer, and made an appearance at a Division I 1996 national championship game. FIU's major rival is Florida Atlantic University.
The FIU athletic department has produced several professional and Olympic athletes, including Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and National Basketball Association players. Other alumni include two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Liz Balmaseda, actor Andy Garcia,
Mystic River author Dennis Lehane, and Miami mayor Manny Diaz.
