Nova Southeastern University

In pursuit of defining the Nova Southeastern University of tomorrow, President George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. collaborated with faculty members, deans, staff, alumni, student leaders, community members, and the board of trustees to create a single-shared vision based on eight core values. The Vision 2020, Mission, and Core Values will collectively guide NSU into the future.

By 2020, through excellence and innovations in teaching, research, service, and learning, Nova Southeastern University will be recognized by accrediting agencies, the academic community, and the general public as a premier, private, not-for-profit university of quality and distinction that engages all students and produces alumni who serve with integrity in their lives, fields of study, and resulting careers.

The Mission of Nova Southeastern University, a private, not-for-profit institution, is to offer a diverse array of innovative academic programs that complement on-campus educational opportunities and resources with accessible distance learning programs to foster academic excellence, intellectual inquiry, leadership, research, and commitment to community through engagement of students and faculty members in a dynamic, life-long learning environment.

The heart and soul of NSU is our academic power. The university has earned national and international reputations for the quality of its more than 150 degree programs. Few other universities span NSU’s range of education on a single campus—from an award-winning early childhood education center to a respected college prep school, from innovative undergraduate degree programs to master’s and doctoral programs in law, medicine, nursing, dentistry, business, oceanography, psychology, education, computer and information sciences, and more.

All of this academic power is brought to you by exceptional, always-accessible faculty members who are committed to your success. They maintain an open-door policy when it comes to helping you, and the support NSU gives them to teach in new ways—in and out of the classroom and research lab—means that you’re on an academic exploration, always grounded in real-world experience and focused on outcomes.

Classes are small, so your professors get to know you, your strengths, and the areas where you may need a little extra help. And since our faculty members are active in their fields, both in research and with professional connections, you will learn from the people who not only know the real world, they’re helping to shape it.

Life on campus at Nova Southeastern University is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. You’ll be amazed at the many things we have to offer, like modern and comfortable dorm rooms, the amazing Don Taft University Center, NCAA Division II sports, an abundance of student activities, convenient on-campus dining, hangouts like Starbucks and Einstein Bagels, plus a close-knit campus community where people welcome you with open arms.

You get all this, plus the sunny, South Florida lifestyle, which means you’ll be able to enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer. Of course you’re only a 15-minute drive from the beach. But there’s always something to do on campus, too - like the annual Anything That Floats Raft Race, Community Fest, homecoming week activities, and Shark sporting events.

It is said that college is a place for self-discovery. And, that’s fine for most colleges. But, NSU is more than a place for students to find themselves. Because so many of our students know where they are headed, this is a place where they unleash their potential. This is a place where they become leaders.There is no question about a clear path to success.The school that got its start with 17 students knows a little something about ambition. We’re grounded in the real world with things like internships, discoveries, research, values, answers, and clarity.

Nova Southeastern was founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida during a time of historic social and cultural change. Looking back, 1964 was the perfect time for a small university with a handful of students and some revolutionary ideas to take shape.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And if it weren’t for a group of businessmen who met regularly for this meal, Nova Southeastern University might not be here today. Known as The Oatmeal Club, these civic-minded pioneers gathered in the early ’60s, determined to develop an innovative educational concept—an MIT of the South, with a twist.

Today, NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education's criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico.

NSU has always had an innovative, unique approach to education. NSU offers a personal, nurturing atmosphere. But NSU is also an exciting university – young, bold and forward thinking. With so many traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities, NSU is the ideal place to reach your potential.