Florida Tech was established in 1958 for the purpose of providing continuing education for NASA's Kennedy Space Center, located forty miles north of the school.  This relationship with NASA has been has been a constant at Florida Tech. In 1962, astronaut Gus Grissom was awarded the school's first honorary doctorate, and, currently Florida Tech has three former astronauts on the faculty. Recently, a memorial to the Challenger crew was dedicated on the campus and a new dormitory complex was named in honor of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia.  This complex includes seven residence halls, each of which have been given the names of a Columbia crewmember.  The University has a long history of funded research and innovative partnering with NASA and the local aerospace industry.

As Brevard County, also known as the Space Coast, has grown, Florida Tech has grown.  When the school opened in 1958 the student population numbered 225.  Currently, there are 5,000 students enrolled at Florida Tech and the University has over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.  This young university has continued to grow and develop along with the communities of Eastern Central Florida. Florida Tech has spent the last fourteen years on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the nation’s best national doctoral universities.

In step with Florida Tech as a university, the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Program has grown dramatically since its inception. The I/O Psychology program began in 1986 as a Personnel Psychology Program, which was started by Dr. Richard Elmore in collaboration with the FIT School of Business. Soon after, Dr. Arthur Gutman assumed the role of program chair. In 1990, the program was changed to an I/O Psychology Masters program and in 1998; the Ph.D. program in I/O psychology was instituted. At that time, one new faculty member was added, increasing the number of faculty to 3. 

Currently, we are the 3rd largest program in the country in terms of number of students, and the number of faculty has since grown to six (with 2 new faculty joining us in 2006).  In a study published by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, both the Masters and Ph.D. programs were ranked in the top 10 programs in I/O psychology in the country in student satisfaction.  In addition, Florida Tech hosted the 2005 Industrial Organizational/Organizational Behavior (IOOB) student conference, traditionally held by the best programs in the nation. 

Our culture has continued to develop as one that values educational rigor, practical experience, integrity, friendship, and fun.  To provide a well-rounded education, the I/O program focuses on academic and practical experience by working with organizations in the community and with many of the other programs within the university.