Gator Design and Construction @ Santa Fe
An innovative collection of degree programs. This program allows a cohort of students to begin their coursework at Santa Fe College and gain early admission to UF.
Why GDC@SF?
Gator Design and Construction @ Santa Fe students have unique opportunities that closely bond them to each other, to the UF campus, and to their chosen field of study.
Advantages for students participating in Gator Design and Construction @ Santa Fe include:
- A close connection to the UF College of Design, Construction & Planning
- A supportive cohort of fellow students in the program
- Smaller class sizes
- Access to GDC UF advisors who will meet with them regularly at Santa Fe College
- Exposure to potential employers and faculty through information sessions, seminars, and courses
- Access to all UF services once admitted as a UF student
- Access to the UF at SF Center, a hub for UF on the Santa Fe campus
- Participation in UF College of Design, Construction and Planning events
- Participation in any of the UF student organizations (once admitted to UF)
- Participants in the Design Programs who meet minimal tracking requirements will obtain UF status after the second semester.
- Participants in the Construction Management Program who meet minimal tracking requirements will obtain UF status after the first semester.
Students are evaluated for this program after first being considered for freshman admission to UF. Students invited to this program must apply through the freshman admissions process. The deadline for freshman applications to UF is November 1st.
For more information, visit the GDC Facts and Questions page
Degree Programs Participating
Bachelor of Design, Architecture
The School of Architecture provides an excellent educational experience for students entering the profession of architecture. The primary mission of the School is to teach students the means by which they can be responsive to human needs in creating the built environment. Our students must be perceptive, skilled and inventive – capable of acting in a responsible manner in today’s profession, while continuing to learn throughout their lives so as to realize a visionary profession for the future. The most important facet of this educational mission is to instill in our students a strong social consciousness and a desire to be active participants in improving the quality of their communities.
Bachelor of Design, Interior Design
Interior Design is considered both an art and a science that involves the creation of imaginative and well-conceived spaces that serve the needs, functions, and requirements of individuals; provide a sense of place within both public and private spaces for group and individual activity; are appropriate and sustainable; and include the community, owners, users, designers, planners, and contractors as active participants in the design process. The Interior Design program educates students to be strong creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, technically skilled and able to communicate exceptionally well visually, verbally and in writing.
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Landscape Architects design outdoor spaces and carefully consider how those spaces work for people. Landscape Architecture involves planning and designing areas like parks, urban streets, and conservation areas to make them enjoyable and functional for everyone. Students enrolled in the University of Florida’s Landscape Architecture program take advantage of nationally respected and internationally recognized faculty to learn broad skills to prepare for professional practice. Subjects include history and theory, design communications, design process, construction, stormwater management, and plants and ecosystems. Students study sustainability, land use and resource planning, community design, urban design, tourism, landscape management, geographic information systems (GIS), historic preservation, landscape history, and more! Curriculum options include a professional practice internship and focused electives for individual specialization. Optional study-abroad opportunities are available, too!Â
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management
Construction management is the planning, coordination, and supervision of a project from beginning to completion. The core curriculum focuses on understanding the construction management process through a foundation of technical, managerial, and business courses. The Rinker School of Construction Management prepares students with the professional capabilities to plan, direct, and coordinate activities involved with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems.
Graduates are typically employed by general contractors, developers, home builders, heavy construction industry (oil, petrochemical, paper), and service industries (bank, mortgage company).
The Rinker School is housed in Rinker Hall, the first LEED certified building on UF campus and the 26th in Florida. Construction management students will receive hands on experience through in class labs in the Charles R. Perry Construction Yard and volunteering.
Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment
Sustainability is essential to our future; without it we will diminish the opportunities and resources available to future generations. This major focuses on the relationship of sustainability to the built environment at all scales including concern for indoor air quality, the embodied energy of building materials, and transportation and land use patterns at the community, regional, and state levels.
Students may choose to specialize in Geodesign, which uses digital technology to help designers, planners, and stakeholders make informed decisions on globalization, population growth, climate change, and increasing demands for resources.