MPH Deadlines, Forms and FAQs

For changes of Advisor or Concentration, student need only submit the COPH petition for Change form

COPH Petition for Change of Advisor, Concentration, Department or Degree Program form. Complete the top portion of the form and submit to COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office.

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With the approval of their graduate degree program, students may, but are not guaranteed, transfer of graduate-level structured coursework from regionally accredited institutions; this includes USF System Institutions. These courses must have grades of B or better to be eligible for transfer of credit. To ensure compliance with Institutional Enrollment Requirements (Residency), up to a maximum of 49% of a given graduate degree program’s minimum hours may be transferred; these hours are reflected in the individual degree program listings in the USF Graduate Catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment for that degree program. For doctoral programs, this percentage is based on the post-baccalaureate minimums. No coursework may be transferred that was completed five or more years prior to enrollment in the graduate degree program.

Acceptance of transfer of credit requires approval of the student’s academic advisor, Graduate Program Director, College Dean or designee, and the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies or designee. The graduate degree program / department will be responsible for evaluating, approving, and initiating the transfer using established criteria to ensure academic integrity of the coursework. This must be completed and submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies preferably in the first semester, but no later than the second semester the student is enrolled in the graduate degree program. Credits obtained from USF System Institutions will be calculated into the GPA at USF and will be noted on the transcript as the grade earned. Credits from other regionally accredited universities are not calculated into the GPA at USF. Also see Course Currency Policy in Section 5 - Course Information.

A student may drop a course(s) during the following times:

• During regular registration and the drop/add periods (first five days of classes). No entry of the course(s) will appear on any permanent academic records and full refund of fees is due for course(s) dropped within those periods.
• Between the second and tenth week of the semester (except for summer sessions - see the Summer Schedule of Classes for dates). Registration fees and tuition must be paid for the course(s) and the academic record will reflect a “W” grade for the dropped course(s).
• Following the tenth week deadline if the request meets one of the following exceptions: 
  • Illness of the student of such severity or duration to preclude completion of the course(s) as confirmed in writing by a physician (M.D.).
  • Death of the student or death in the immediate family (parent, spouse, child or sibling) as confirmed by documentation (death certificate, obituary) indicating the student’s relationship to the deceased.
  • Involuntary call to active military duty as confirmed by military orders.
  • A situation in which the University is in error as confirmed by an appropriate University official.
  • Other documented exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the student which precluded completion of the course(s) accompanied by explanatory letter and supporting documentation.

Courses may not be dropped after the last day of classes except in cases of University Administrative error.

You can drop a course in the OASIS system up to the final drop date without academic penalty. See the COPH Schedule for dates.  After the final drop date the form required for this action is a USF Graduate Petition available in the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office.  Please see our staff to assist you.  Petitions submitted will take 2-3 weeks to process before a change in the OASIS system is noted.

Any student who is not in good standing at the end of a semester shall be considered on probation as of the following semester. The college or program may also place students on probation for other reasons as designated by the college or program. Notification of probation shall be made to the student in writing by the department, with a copy to the College Dean. At the end of each probationary semester, the department shall recommend, in writing, to the College Dean one of the following:

1. Removal of probation;
2. Continued probation; OR
3. Dismissal from the degree program.

Students on probation may only enroll in graduate courses (5000‐7000 level) that are part of the approved degree program requirements as specified in the Graduate Catalog. Students with a GPA below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters will be prevented from registering for courses without the permission of the College Dean. The College Dean will notify the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies in cases of academic dismissal. To be readmitted, the student will need to reapply for admission, meeting the admission criteria in place at the time. For information on the Automated Probation Process go to  http://www.grad.usf.edu/inc/linked-files/probation-procedure.pdf.

All courses, with the exception of those approved for transfer of credit, should meet the time limit specified for the degree and be academically relevant as determined by the faculty in the graduate degree program. Courses used for the graduate degree requirements can be no more than ten years old at the time the degree is conferred.

In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10) (g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances:
http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-10-045.pdf.

After a student has completed his/her registration on the date assigned, he/she may add a course(s) during the drop/add week (i.e. through the fifth day of classes) through the OASIS system. Courses may be added with instructor approval and verification up to the last day to withdraw without academic penalty. See Academic Deadlines for deadlines. Courses may not be added after the deadline to withdraw without academic penalty or retroactively except in cases of University Administrative error.

Please see our staff to assist you during the first week of classes to add a course in the OASIS system. To petition to add a course after add/drop week the form required for this action is a USF Graduate Petition available in the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office. Petitions submitted will take 2-3 weeks to process before a change in the OASIS system is noted.

For a listing of the most current, approved course descriptions refer to the USF Course Inventory available online at http://ugs.usf.edu/course-inventory or in the course description listing in the Graduate Catalog.

You can view the syllabi for previous courses taught at: https://documents.health.usf.edu/display/COPH/8+Course+Listing.

Any course that is 5000 level or higher. Some courses have similar course titles but are different levels. It is expected that the 4000 and 6000 courses will have distinct syllabi demonstrating different depth and breadth of the subject matter as reflected in the course requirements. The courses presuppose different audiences, and the intention is to offer them at distinct levels. 

A student who wishes to sit in on a class to review the course material may do so; however, the student is not allowed to take exams, earn grades, or receive credit. The student’s status for that class is an audit and his/her presence in the classroom is as a listener. Audit status must be obtained only during the first five days of the term by filing an Audit Form and a date-stamped permit from the college/department on the campus where the course is being offered, with the Registrar’s Office. IN-STATE fees are assessed for all audit courses. Procedure and forms for requesting to audit are available on the Registrar’s website.

Graduate students may not take courses in the major on an S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) basis unless courses are specifically designated S/U in the Catalog. Students may take courses outside of the major on a S/U basis with prior approval of the course professor, major professor or advisor, and the Dean of the College in which the student is seeking a degree. The student may apply a maximum of six hours of such credit (excluding those courses for which S/U is designated in the Catalog) toward a master’s degree. Directed Research, Thesis, and Dissertation courses are designated as variable credit and are graded on an S/U basis only. Before a student begins work under Directed Research, a written agreement must be completed between the student and the professor concerned, setting forth in detail the requirements of the course.