TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With "buy one, get one free" tuition for students enrolled in STEM-related fields set to become an offering at Florida's 12 state universities, the system's Board of Governors met Tuesday to hear from tech industry leaders about just what kinds of graduates they're most interested in hiring.

The question is more than simply academic, as the board has been tasked by lawmakers with designating eight STEM programs in which upper-level courses will be tuition-free for baccalaureate students who have completed at least 60 credit hours of basic coursework during their first two years of enrollment.


What You Need To Know

  • Florida lawmakers reach deal on education bill

  • Part of bill creates a "buy one, get one free" for STEM fields

  • Move part of plan to bolsterin-state, high-tech work force

The BOGO tuition policy, passed during this year's legislative session, is designed to bolster an in-state high-tech workforce that many industry leaders have complained isn't nearly as large as it should be.

"Hiring local talent over here from Florida helps out, but we don't have enough of that, so building and retaining more talent, more software engineers, who can help drive IT software programs in Florida can help out," Ashish Gupta, the chief information officer of NextEra Energy, told the BOG's Task Force on Academic and Workforce Alignment.

"There are not enough people available, and very often we have to pay relocation costs to get people from other states - and by the way, which is getting difficult now totally because of the real estate market over here," he said.

Gupta and other executives told board members that computer-savvy graduates with knowledge of business administration are particularly desirable candidates, information that could ultimately shape the contours of which degree programs make the BOGO eligibility cut.

The board will have to move quickly on its implementation of the BOGO program: lawmakers have mandated that it take effect beginning this fall.