Huntsville, nestled in the Tennessee Valley, is a vibrant southern metropolis that is home to a robust economy and a high standard (and low cost) of living. Among the city’s largest employers are Redstone Arsenal; NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology; and Cummings Research Park (CRP), the nation’s second largest research park. More than 300 high-tech and research companies and 26,000 employees are located in CRP, with UAH as the park’s anchor tenant.

The metro area's 550,000+ residents are also some of the country’s most educated with one of the highest per-capita incomes. The department's faculty maintains close connections with many of these employers, offering graduating students an excellent choice of options ranging from private sector, to government, to academic employment.