Higher Education

Palm Beach Atlantic University, founded in 1968, is a private, Christian university with a 29-acre campus in West Palm Beach and an Orlando campus. PBA offers 64 undergraduate degrees, as well as graduate and professional degrees in nearly 20 areas of study. The Frederick M. Supper Honors Program, as well as six Centers of Excellence, offer distinct learning opportunities that build on the university’s rigorous academics. Students consistently are accepted into elite graduate programs and surpass state and national averages on professional certification exams. Sailfish student athletes compete in 18 NCAA Division II varsity sports in the Sunshine State Conference. The 78-acre Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus provides facilities for training and hosting intercollegiate sports. As a Christfirst university, PBA affirms the values that have built American society, including religious liberty and the free enterprise system.

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn became Palm Beach Atlantic University’s ninth president on May 4, 2020. Previously, she was associate vice president for medical affairs, dean of the Carver College of Medicine, and professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and biochemistry at the University of Iowa. Prior to those appointments, Schwinn served in senior leadership roles at the University of Washington and Duke University. After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of Wooster in her native Ohio, Schwinn earned a medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she has been honored as a distinguished alumnus. A physician scientist and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Schwinn’s laboratory was funded for 27 years by the National Institutes of Health. An innovator at heart, Dr. Schwinn is excited to lead a university that produces Christian servant leaders who positively change our world.

Since opening its doors nearly 90 years ago, Palm Beach State College has been an integral player in the remarkable growth and prosperity of Palm Beach County. Its graduates—community and business leaders for generations—have impacted every industry and continue to do so today. Founded in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college, Palm Beach State has grown from three classrooms and 41 local students to five campuses and more than 40,000 students from more than 150 countries. One of the top producers of associate degree graduates in the U.S., PBSC also offers baccalaureate degrees, professional certificates, career training, and corporate and continuing education.

Through the years, Palm Beach State College has expanded its mission, programs and reach to become the Fifth-largest of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each year, more Palm Beach County high school graduates choose PBSC than any other institution. Students enroll at locations in Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Belle Glade and Loxahatchee Groves, as well as take courses online.

Palm Beach State College President Ava L. Parker leads Palm Beach County’s largest higher education institution with a strategic approach emphasizing innovation, student success, and business and community collaboration. Parker is the first female president in the history of the institution. Before joining Palm Beach State in 2015, President Parker was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s first public university focused on applied research in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. She also served for more than a decade on the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System and served on the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees. President Parker earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Florida.

Established in 1899, South University offers a flexible, supportive, and focused education. Its learning environment helps students to identify goals and then develop the expertise to achieve them. One of 11 campuses, the Royal Palm Beach campus offers degree programs in business administration, counseling, criminal justice, health care administration and management, nursing, physical therapy, psychology, public health and more.