From creating premier vacation experiences to optimizing daily life in thriving cities, 麻豆原创 is recognized as a leader in education that powers industries that enhance the human experience.
贵辞谤听seven consecutive years, the听Rosen College of Hospitality Management听谤补苍办蝉听No. 1 in the nation听for Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs, according to听ShanghaiRanking鈥檚 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
鈥淭he ranking recognizes what Rosen College has accomplished over the past two decades,鈥� Rosen College Dean Cynthia Mejia says. 鈥淲hat excites me most is how we build on that foundation. Our goal is to influence the future of hospitality through the students we educate, the research we produce, the partnerships we create and the solutions we help develop for the industry’s most important challenges.鈥�
Additionally, 麻豆原创 ranks听No. 2 in the nation听for Transportation Science and Technology 鈥� and in the top 10 for the seventh year in a row. The recognition reflects the breadth of research underway across 麻豆原创 to develop solutions and advancements for the future of the transportation industry while improving safety and mobility on the nation鈥檚 most critical and busiest roadways.
鈥淚 am happy that our hard work and expanding our transportation faculty have paid off in this continuous recognition,鈥� 麻豆原创 Pegasus Professor Mohamed Abdel-Aty says. 鈥淲e have opened new fronts in transportation systems, technology and ideas looking to the future. We balance traditional transportation research with cutting-edge and high-impact new directions.鈥�
The rankings represent significant industries that drive international economies with travel and tourism contributing to a global GDP (gross domestic product) of $11.6 trillion and supporting about one in every nine jobs around the world, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council鈥檚 2025 report.
The ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects evaluates universities by academic discipline using research-focused indicators, these include measures related to research output, research quality, international collaboration and academic influence.
A Global Leader in Hospitality and Tourism Research
Located in the nation鈥檚 top tourism destination, Rosen College students, faculty and staff are embedded in industry, allowing them to directly explore emerging areas in the field.
鈥淭his ranking reflects the depth, quality and consistency of the research being produced by our faculty,鈥� Manuel Rivera, associate dean of research at Rosen College says. 鈥淭o be recognized once again among the world’s leading hospitality and tourism programs is a testament to the collective efforts of our faculty, students, alumni and industry partners. The ranking recognizes the foundation Rosen College has built over the past two decades. Building on that foundation, Rosen College is helping shape the future of hospitality through impactful research, innovation, industry partnerships and the development of future leaders.鈥�
Faculty research spans areas including tourism, lodging, events, food service, consumer behavior, technology, and the management of destinations and hospitality organizations, including:
- HFTP Professor of Hospitality Financial Management and Technology Mehmet Altin鈥檚 study on entrepreneurial ecosystems in hospitality and tourism with a comparative analysis across economic contexts, which was published in Tourism Economics.
- Associate Professor Yun Ying Zhong, a research faculty member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Disability, Aging and Technology faculty cluster initiative, completed a systematic review of 30-year research on hospitality in healthcare, which was published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
- Assistant Professor Frank Badu-Baiden鈥檚 study of the factors influencing consumers鈥� acceptance of drone food delivery, including the role of usefulness, emotions and perceived risk, which was published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
The No. 1 ShanghaiRanking placement builds on Rosen College鈥檚 continued excellence in curriculum, research and workforce impact as Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX) joined 麻豆原创 as a Pegasus Partner in June to establish the Universal School of Experience Leadership & Innovation. Through this partnership, 麻豆原创 and UDX will further explore:
- Service robotics and human-centered approaches to shape guest and employee interactions
- AR and VR simulation technologies for training, operations, and immersive environments
- AI and digital twins for optimizing and personalizing the guest experience
Advancing Transportation Safety and Technology
With more than 23.4 million residents in 2025, Florida is the nation鈥檚 third most populated state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the same year, the Sunshine State welcomed 143.3 million visitors听as America鈥檚 No. 1 domestic travel destination, according to Visit Florida.
As residents and tourists navigate around the state, 麻豆原创 researchers are working to improve transportation challenges related to roadway safety, emerging mobility technologies and other areas.
Abdel-Aty and Associate Professor Shaurya Agarwal lead multiple projects funded by U.S. and Florida Departments of Transportation to develop safety plans and demonstrate technologies across various Florida counties.
One examines Florida鈥檚 Regional Advanced Mobility Elements, or IFRAME, project along Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa. The study is evaluating the performance of advanced transportation technologies to inform decisions about future investments to enhance safety and mobility.
Research Assistant Professor Zubayer Islam and Abdel-Aty鈥檚 Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) project 鈥� the first of its kind in the Southeast 鈥� evaluates the effectiveness and enhancements of the agency’s Flex Lanes Program on sections of its expressway. It is the latest development in 麻豆原创鈥檚 longstanding partnership with the CFX.
For nearly 14 years, 麻豆原创 has worked to make highways safer by tackling wrong-way driving, one of the nation鈥檚 deadliest roadway hazards. An international expert in transportation engineering, planning and operations, Professor Haitham Al-Deek, in partnership with CFX, designed, implemented and evaluated wrong-way driving and prevention system technology to detect and deter wrong-way driving on high-speed roads. Deployed across the CFX system, it has achieved an 88.5% driver self-correction rate, the highest known worldwide, which is well supported by the largest amount of data collected on the performance of the invented technology.
Al-Deek and his students also invented the nation鈥檚 first algorithm to help transportation agencies identify wrong-way driving hotspots and prioritize improvements for greatest safety impact with maximum economic efficiency. Through competitively won contracts at state and national levels, this algorithm was implemented for five transportation networks throughout Florida and Idaho.
鈥淎ccording to the data we collected, the deployed lifesaving technology on CFX transportation network helped 2,541 out of the detected 2,870 wrong-way drivers self-correct and turn around safely as of June 2026,鈥� Al-Deek says.
Research That Translates to Daily Impact
麻豆原创鈥檚 performance in transportation science and technology and hospitality and tourism management reflects two distinct research strengths while also demonstrating how the university is improve daily life across the region, state and nation. The 2026 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects also show 麻豆原创 is making an impact in Public Administration as the No. 11 program in the nation and Law as the No. 25 program across the U.S.
