At Florida Tech, the low student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes foster close collaboration, mentorship, individual creativity and leadership—and ensure personalized attention and support for each student.

This close-knit environment often gives students opportunities to participate in cutting-edge studies—experiences often reserved for graduate students at larger universities. This hands-on involvement enhances both academic learning and career preparation, offering an unparalleled undergraduate experience.

Florida Tech’s expert faculty are passionate about teaching and dedicated to providing top-notch instruction and practical experience for undergraduate students.

They bring groundbreaking research into the classroom, giving students firsthand insights into animal behavior and cognition. Their work explores topics such as decision-making in nonhuman primates, social behavior, face recognition, behavioral economics and animal welfare, advancing our understanding of both animals and humans.

Students get to know their faculty and work closely with them throughout their studies. Whether they're participating in research projects, seeking career advice or simply looking for academic guidance, they'll find that our faculty maintain open-door policies, are approachable and always happy to help.

Animal behavior and cognition students gain rare and distinctive hands-on research experience through coursework and faculty-led research.

The Florida Tech Animal Research Outpost, located at Brevard Zoo's Animal Cognitive Research Center, gives undergraduates unparalleled opportunities to study exotic animals up close. The zoo's center was designed with faculty input for voluntary behavioral studies within the zoo’s Spider Monkey Complex. Spider monkeys share some important behavioral traits with humans and chimpanzees but have not been studied as thoroughly, making them an exciting focus for research.

Florida Tech’s innovative undergraduate Roach Lab lets students design and conduct independent research using a novel animal model, the cockroach. These simple, yet surprisingly fascinating, creatures help students explore cognitive abilities, such as associative learning, as well as the evolutionary origins of social behaviors, like group decision-making. With little existing research in this area, students have the opportunity to contribute novel findings—and possibly even publish their work.

These experiences provide invaluable skills for careers in animal behavior and research, setting students apart as they advance in the field.

Built into the degree program, animal behavior internships provide real-world, hands-on experience focused on animal training, husbandry or public education. Working in professional care and research settings, students apply their knowledge while exploring the ethical and practical aspects of working with animals.

Florida Tech students have gained valuable experience at top facilities, including:

• Brevard Zoo
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Dolphins Plus Bayside (Key Largo)
• EPCOT
• Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
• Lemur Conservation Foundation
• MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium (dolphin research program)

This structured, experiential training helps students build essential skills and connections in animal behavior, preparing them for careers working with animals in research, conservation and applied settings.

Ensuring animals can behave naturally is best for the animals and leads to more accurate and meaningful research. In the animal behavior and cognition program, we prioritize both animal welfare and high-quality insights.

For example, at the Brevard Zoo Spider Monkey Complex, several of the monkeys were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. They now live in a habitat designed with input from Florida Tech faculty to reflect their natural fission-fusion social structure, enhancing their quality of life because they can choose who in their social group to associate with and when. Participation in behavioral research is voluntary and cognitively enriching, which supports their psychological well-being.

When it’s time to kick back and relax, we’re just over the causeway from 72 miles of beautiful beaches, a short trip away from the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks and minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, North America's most biodiverse estuary.

But you won’t have to travel far for rest and relaxation. We also have a rich campus life, with intramural and collegiate sports, over 200 campuswide student organizations and clubs and a wide variety of social activities.

Florida Tech’s summer field courses are exhilarating, hands-on opportunities that provide participants with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, practical training for work in natural habitats and a résumé boost for internships and job opportunities.

Students study animal life around coral reefs in Puerto Rico, marine mammals in the Pacific Northwest or field biology and evolution in the Galápagos Islands.