Higher Education
Those seeking advanced degrees beyond grade school will find more than 35 colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning across Greater Fort Lauderdale and the South Florida market. These include both state and private institutions offering associate, bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs, including 11 with MBA degrees. Many institutions also offer certificate or custom training programs that focus on workforce development and the needs of Broward employers.
This is Broward College Florida Atlantic University Nova Southeastern University
Broward College
Broward College is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in Greater Fort Lauderdale, with 4,000 full- and part-time staff serving more than 56,000 students annually. With campuses throughout the region, it is the principal provider of undergraduate higher education for county residents, while attracting scholars from throughout the U.S. and more than 175 nations. Broward College is a critical source of skilled talent for healthcare, manufacturing, technology and other disciplines. The school is continuously honored as an institution of excellence. In 2023, Broward College was named to the prestigious Aspen Institute College Excellence Program following it being a five-time Top 10 Aspen institution, and was named a finalist again in 2024. The college’s Broward UP program delivers workforce education courses, along with career readiness and support services to overcome employment challenges.
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is a designated Hispanic-serving institution that serves over 30,000 students. With more than 170 degree programs, FAU has six regional campuses and is the lead state university serving Broward County, with three partner campuses. The Davie and Fort Lauderdale locations share campuses with Broward College and offer students upper division undergraduate coursework. The Davie campus offers graduate and professional programs in business, education, nursing, and science. FAU’s Fort Lauderdale campus offers degree programs in architecture, graphic design and multimedia studies and is home to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Fort Lauderdale for seasoned adult learners. The SeaTech campus in Dania Beach serves as a research and educational center for the FAU Ocean and Mechanical Engineering undergraduate and graduate programs. It also hosts one of the FAU Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center laboratories and the Air Emissions Characterization and Control Laboratory operated by the FAU Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering. The university recently launched its FAU Health initiative in partnership with Broward Health with a goal of establishing premier academic medicine for the region.
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University is the nation’s seventh-largest independent university with 21,000 students, more than 190,000 alumni, a 314-acre Fort Lauderdale-area campus, and regional locations around Florida and the Caribbean. A “majority-minority” institution, “NSU” has a presence in nine countries around the world. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, graduate, doctoral and first-professional degrees in more than 150 programs, including NSU’s College of Allopathic Medicine (M.D. College) and its Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O. College). Located adjacent to the campus, the 165-bed HCA Florida University Hospital offers training and research opportunities for NSU healthcare students, medical professionals and professors. NSU is Florida’s largest private research university and is classified as a university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
