MAST@FIU opens its doors


Following in the highly successful Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy magnet model, today 100 more high schools students in Miami-Dade County have  access to the rigorous curriculum at MAST@FIU.

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This morning FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg and Miami-Dade County Public Schools(M-DCPS) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho opened MAST@FIU located at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in North Miami Beach. M-DCPS School Board Vice Chair Martin Karp and senior leaders of the two institutions attended the event.

MAST@FIU is the only four-year high school on a university campus in Miami-Dade County.

“The goal is to combine the best of our public schools and our public university and offer it to some of our brightest students,” said Rosenberg. “At FIU, we graduate more minority students with science, technology, math and engineering degrees than any other university in the country. This is another way to expose great students to the university environment and to build our pipeline of students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects.”

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MAST@FIU emphasizes the sciences and leverages leading FIU faculty in the School of Environment, Arts and Society, communication and research to enrich the students’ learning experience. This partnership supports the state objectives to have more highly-qualified STEM graduates in Florida.

“MAST@FIU responds to an increasing demand for more focused math and science instruction at the high school level,” said M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “This partnership serves us well because our students have access to FIU faculty who are leading experts in a variety of fields.”

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The inaugural class is comprised of 9th graders who attend classes on the FIU campus. A dedicated facility on the campus is being planned, the school is expected to add one grade level every year for the next three years. MAST@FIU is a fully digital; upon arrival, students received a laptop for schoolwork. Students will also have access to Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment class opportunities. The school serves the Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Aventura areas.