Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has five campuses across Florida in the cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and in Fort Pierce at the Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institution.

Opening in 1964, the university is part of a 12 campus State University System of Florida and serves South Florida over more than 100 miles of coastline.

There are some 10 colleges with more than 180 degrees on offer, which include: arts and humanities, the sciences, medicine, nursing, accounting, business, education, social work, architecture, engineering, and computer science.

Moreover, FAU is classified by The Carnegie Foundation for its Advancement of Teaching as a research university. As a result, it has made notable partnerships with major research institutions across the country, such as The Scripps Research Institute, and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.

As a result, the university is home to two centres of excellence, which are: The Centre of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology and The Centre for Ocean Energy Technology.

Nicknamed The Owls – FAU’s 18 sports teams compete in NCAA’s Division I. The university has attracted coaches such as Howard Schnellenberger, Matt Doherty, Rex Walters and Mike Jarvis. Over the past few years, the teams have garnered a number of accolades for their efforts.

In an effort to increase the university’s standing, FAU has raised their admission standards, increased funding for research, established partnerships with other academic institutions and built new facilities such as an on-campus sports stadium and a new College of Medicine.

There are a variety of organisations for students to enjoy – from sports to music. Some of its most popular clubs include sailing, ultimate frisbee, a jazz group, political organisations, chess and video game clubs.

Notable alumni include Frank T. Brogan, the current Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Philip Zimmermann, Jr., the creator of the most widely used email encryption software in the world called Pretty Good Privacy, and Steven Swanson, an American engineer and retired NASA astronaut.