Colleges in Tampa

Tampa is a major port city on Florida’s Gulf coast. A city of over 300,000 residents, it anchors a much larger metropolitan area with a population of over four million people encompassing the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Tampa offers residents many entertainment opportunities. It is the home of professional sports teams including the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the MLB Tampa Bay Rays, and the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2008, Forbes named Tampa as the fifth best outdoor city in the country. With easy access to the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa residents enjoy sport fishing and some of the world’s finest beaches. Every year on the last Saturday in January, Tampa hosts the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in remembrance of the areas rich history. Tampa is home to the Florida State Fair in mid-February and the college football Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. 

Educational and Career Opportunities in Tampa 

Tampa colleges and universities train students for a variety of careers. Student who choose to attend colleges in Tampa are rewarded with a high quality education in a semi-tropical setting with many opportunities for outdoor recreation and participation in the arts. Tampa is the nation’s seventh busiest seaport, handling imports of products from all over the world along with many cruise ships. MacDill Air Force Base, located just south of Tampa, is one of the area’s largest employers. Besides the seaport and military base, Tampa is also the regional headquarters or several companies, including OSI Restaurant Partners, TECO Energy, WellCare Health Plans, and Raymond Jones Financial. Tampa colleges offer programs to prepare students for careers in these and many other industries and occupations. Graduates of colleges in Tampa are well prepared for work leading the economy into the coming decades.