- CISE launched a Master of Science in Computer Science with AI and cybersecurity concentrations at the UF Jacksonville campus.
- The 30-credit MSCS program is primarily designed for working professionals.
- UF Jacksonville is a partnership between UF, the City of Jacksonville and the State of Florida.
The Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering — known as CISE — officially has a Jacksonville footprint.
Last month, the University of Florida’s new downtown Jacksonville campus hosted the first orientation for students enrolled in the Master of Science in Computer Science degree program. The orientation signaled the official launch of UF’s Jacksonville MSCS degree program, which features concentrations in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Welcoming students to the orientation were Daisy Zhe Wang, Ph.D., professor and director of the Jacksonville CISE program; Jennifer Reid, MBA, associate director of the program; and Sarah Crespi, DBA, academic advisor for the program.
Also on hand to speak to students were local tech industry representatives Chris Freedman from OnDefend and Ben Webster from NLP Logix.
UF Jacksonville is a partnership between UF, the City of Jacksonville and the State of Florida. The multidisciplinary campus will offer graduate programs from five UF colleges: the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, the Warrington College of Business, College of Design, Construction and Planning, the Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine.
Run through CISE, the 30-credit MSCS program is offered to part-time and full-time students and is primarily designed for working professionals.
“By bringing UF’s top-tier computing, AI and cybersecurity curriculum directly to Jacksonville, we are giving local professionals and aspiring technologists immediate access to world-class training in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data systems,” Wang said. “This presence creates a direct bridge between cutting-edge academic innovation and Northeast Florida’s rapidly growing tech, healthcare, financial, public transportation and infrastructure sectors.”
The inaugural student orientation was the culmination of months of outreach and events in the run-up to classes. Over the summer, a series of open houses at local coffee shops and civic events — as well as virtual recruiting events — connected potential students with the resources to successfully enroll in the program.
The campus is currently at 801 W. Bay St., with construction of new facilities beginning in 2027. Ultimately, the campus will inhabit the historic LaVilla neighborhood next to the Jacksonville Terminal Station.