鈥淚 want students to come to UCF knowing they can participate in an industry that鈥檚 about to take off, no matter what field they鈥檙e interested in. This is the place to launch the next stage of your career.鈥� 鈥� Greg Autry, 聽UCF’s associate provost for space commercialization

A national leader in online education, and the top supplier of talent to the nation鈥檚 aerospace and defense industries, UCF launched a in Spring 2026. It aims to meet the expanding needs of the booming industry on Florida鈥檚 Space Coast and around the world. Graduates will emerge ready to shape a fast-growing, high-impact global industry, applying their skills across aerospace, commercial space, government, startups and emerging tech.

鈥淲e have world-class researchers, direct connections to the space industry and the very best location,鈥� says Greg Autry, creator of the pioneering program and associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at UCF. 聽鈥淚 want students to come to UCF knowing they can participate in an industry that鈥檚 about to take off, no matter what field they鈥檙e interested in. This is the place to launch the next stage of your career.鈥�

The space MBA merges the university鈥檚 excellence in both space and online education to develop forward-thinking leaders ready to shape the future of the space sector. This part-time, fully online graduate business program spans 24 months and blends core MBA courses with four specialized electives in space entrepreneurship, governmental and commercial space finance, space leadership and the global space domain. With its flexible, asynchronous format, students can learn from anywhere on Earth 鈥� or even in orbit.

At the forefront of this future-ready pathway is Zaheer Ali, a new instructor in the College of Business, and program director of UCF鈥檚 space commercialization and strategy initiative. He spent more than a decade at NASA and previously led space efforts across the defense and national security enterprise.

“The space industry isn鈥檛 the future. It鈥檚 happening now. Our new space MBA will put talent at the center of that movement.鈥濃�� Paul Jarley, UCF College of Business dean

Ali is ready to guide the next generation of space business leaders at SpaceU 鈥� and he鈥檚 hoping to recruit students from every major to find their place in space.鈥淚鈥檓 here helping build what I think is the greatest program in the world for space

business,鈥� Ali says. 鈥淥ur students are 鈥� given direct access to leaders in every aspect of space, creating a space network for them that will be unmatched by graduates of any other program.鈥�

Through more than 25 years of providing highly ranked online degrees, UCF is a trusted source for innovative academic programs and pathways, and is recognized among the nation鈥檚 leaders in online education. Courses across more than 130 fully online degree programs are led by world-class faculty with extensive industry and academic experience, equipped to prepare students to succeed in their

careers and advance their fields. 鈥淭he space industry isn鈥檛 the future. It鈥檚 happening now. Our new space MBA will put talent at the center of that movement,鈥� says Paul Jarley, dean of the College of Business, which houses the program. As the business school at Florida鈥檚 Technological 海角直播, our goal is not just to fuel the talent pipeline, but to help shape the market 鈥� even if it鈥檚 in space.

In this newly created role, Ali will help drive development and implementation of a strategic roadmap aimed at strengthening UCF鈥檚 role in space commercialization. 聽 This includes expanding UCF鈥檚 network of industry partnerships and collaborating with state leaders and the State 海角直播 System to develop the talent needed to sustain and advance Florida鈥檚 leadership in the space sector.

鈥淧rofessor Ali is a pioneer in space leadership education,鈥� says Greg Autry, associate provost of space commercialization and strategy at UCF. 鈥淗e goes above and beyond as an educator working hard to help his students network and build successful careers in the space industry.鈥�

Ali will work closely with Autry and continue his work should Autry be confirmed as chief financial officer at NASA.

Ali also will contribute to the ongoing development of educational programming that aligns the college鈥檚 mission to prepare the next generation of space-focused business leaders with industry needs. Last week UCF launched the online space MBA as a premier program for professionals looking to advance their careers in the rapidly growing space economy.

鈥淚t is an honor to join the team at UCF to help launch the first true space MBA,鈥� Ali says. 鈥淕iven UCF鈥檚 origins as a workforce development partner for NASA, its history as premier research and applied technology institution, and its location near the Space Coast, we are perfectly positioned to become the world leader in education for space and create the leaders who will take humanity into a new age of exploration and opportunity. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the College of Business and UCF community as we truly become Space U.鈥�

Ali has held executive roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he led global strategy for high performance computing and advised numerous space startups, including Pulsar Space, Magdrive, Parsimoni, ThinkOrbital, Paterson Aerospace and Space Railway. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as space innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, the future of work and enterprise agility.

Earlier in his career, Ali served as senior manager at the Universities Space Research Association, leading efforts in aviation data science, AI, quantum science and nanotechnology for NASA Ames. He was a senior member of the project management office for NASA鈥檚 Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, overseeing software development, safety and quality, laboratory buildouts and international science ground operations.

He has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics from the 海角直播 of California Berkely and an executive master of global management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

The Online Space MBA starts Spring 2026 with a Dec. 1 application deadline. For more information about the program, visit .