In downtown Miami, where Northeastern will open its 14th campus in fall 2023. The campus will focus on technology, finance and health. Photo by Ryan Parker via Unsplash.
Northeastern University's 14th campus will open to both graduate students and Experienced Associates for Master's or eA2M, degree completion program students for the fall semester of 2023 in the sunny and technologically thriving city of Miami.
The Miami expansion follows the existing network domestic and international campuses which include Northeastern's experiential learning model.
Current campuses include Boston; London; Oakland, California; Toronto, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia? Seattle? San Francisco; Silicon Valley, CA; Arlington, Va.; Portland, ME; Charlotte, NC; Nahant, MA; and Burlington, MA.
Based in the Wynwood neighborhood, the Miami campus will focus on the technology, finance and health sectors. The eA2M program paves the way for dedicated students to access higher education at the heart of a global technology industry.
Maria Alonso was named CEO and regional dean of the Miami campus in February. An established leader with over 25 years of experience in banking, marketing, social responsibility and community engagement, Alonso is committed to leading Northeastern's community expansion into Miami's technology industry.
Alonso shared more information about the Miami campus in an interview with The News.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
HN: What specific graduate programs will the Miami campus offer and how many students is it expected to host?
Alonso: As the latest campus to join the global community system, we received approval from the state of Florida for more than 20 degree programs last fall. We will launch this fall with five programs: two master's programs in product management and computer science, and three experiential associate to master's degree programs in information technology and data analytics, finance, and management accounting. We are very excited to have these programs as they will allow us to provide extra support to lifelong learners returning and transitioning to school. We are particularly excited about the master's degree in computer science aligned program. There is a lot of momentum and growth in tech companies here, so this program will allow people who have a bachelor's degree in other fields to turn and change careers into tech. We expect to start with about 100 students this fall.
HN: What is the timeline for the expansion?
Alonso: It's a compressed timeline — we received approval from the state of Florida in 2022, our plan is to enroll students in Fall 2023, and from there continue to grow our program offerings and enrollment as well as partnerships with industry groups. In 2025, we will offer a master's degree in biotechnology and bioinformatics and will also work towards being able to welcome international students to our campus within the next year or so.
HN: What was the process of deciding on Miami as the next in Northeastern's global network of campuses?
Alonso: There was an extensive due diligence process on the potential expansion in Miami, led by President Aoun and Mary Ludden [assistant teaching professor in master of science project management]. It consisted of conversations with Miami stakeholders such as elected officials, philanthropic leaders, and other higher education colleagues who really had a better understanding of the Miami landscape and exactly how our unique experiential learning model could add to it.
Miami is in a very exciting time. I'm a lifelong Miamian and the energy that is seen right now is palpable. The truth is that we leverage our power and our power has to do with our geography. We have a diverse population, a vibrant community and a remarkable quality of life. All of these features are working for us and now all the growth we are experiencing in our economy makes it a particularly exciting time.
HN: What are some details of the government and industry collaborations and research that will take place on campus?
Alonso: Northeastern has over 3,000 industry associates. We are excited to grow these partnerships and develop new ones that will be useful on the Miami campus. We are already working with higher education in Miami, mainly grants from the Center for Comprehensive Computing, or CIC. Through a grant to a local higher education institution, CIC's goal is to infuse programs with best practices that ultimately lead to increased representation of women in IT and technology.
We are also in the early stages of meeting with government and local colleagues to explore research opportunities in areas such as coastal sustainability, experiential artificial intelligence, resilience and cyber security. Our goal is to build neighborhoods that align with the vision of Northeastern's academic plan to impact the world and fuel lifelong learning.
HN: What do you hope to bring to campus as dean?
Alonso: I am excited to be a part of building this campus and the impact this campus will have on students, staff and faculty. I hope to bring my passion and industry experience to the benefit of our students.
