Year of foundation: 1963
Approx. number of students: 54,000
Period of study: Mid August-Mid December; Early January-End April
MCI partner since: 2006
The City
Orlando is a major city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the United States Census Bureau the estimated population of the city is approximately 230,000; and of the metropolitan area, 2,054,000. Originally the center of a major citrus-growing region, Orlando is now best known as the home of amusement attractions, including the Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld. These destinations helped make Orlando the third most visited American city among travelers in the year 2007. Since the establishment of destination tourism in the 1970s, the local economy has diversified, and today the region is the center of operations for companies servicing Central Florida.
The University
University of Central Florida (UCF) is the largest university of Florida. MCI Tourism students study at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The college is renowned as one of the finest schools of hospitality in the United States. The Rosen College of Hospitality Management offers three undergraduate degrees and two graduate degrees.
The campus is designed to imitate a resort-style feel with elegant Spanish-inspired architecture and landscaping, various areas of the college are dedicated in name to major donors to the college including the Disney Dining Room, Universal Orlando Library, Darden Auditorium, and the state-of-the-art Anheuser Busch Beer & Wine Lab.
In 2005 the University opened two on-campus housing buildings, able to hold 400 residents and 8 resident assistants (one per floor). The student apartment community includes an outdoor pool, community center, outdoor grill area, and key-card only access into the building. The campus is under the law enforcement jurisdiction of the UCF Police Department which provides 24 hour security for the campus including the apartment community.