Doctoral Progression Policy (PhD, DrPH)

All applicable policies can be found in the USF catalog from the Office of Graduate Studies. All questions should be directed to the Doctoral Training Office (cophdoctoral@usf.edu)

Purpose and Intent

The USF College of Public Health is committed to student success and ensuring progression through our graduate programs, including the timely achievement of milestones. Facilitating students' academic progress toward a degree is just one of the many university initiatives aimed at helping students effectively meet their academic goals. Doctoral degrees must be completed within a seven-year timeframe.

Audience

The following progression plan is for doctoral-level graduate programs in Public Health (PhD, DrPH). This plan refers only to progression toward the degree. Please see the specific degree program for any additional requirements.

Progression Milestones

Students must maintain an overall and program grade point average (GPA) of 3.30* and produce work consistent with the standards of the USF Academic Integrity Policy to be considered in academic "good standing" and to earn a degree.
All doctoral-level students who do not have an MPH or MSPH MUST enroll in the required core courses (History and Systems and Population Assessment I) in their first fall semester. Enrollment in Population Assessment 2 must occur in the second semester unless a grade lower than a B is earned in either of the first two core courses. In this case, students must wait until they have successfully completed the first two courses before progressing to the second course.
Students must earn a grade of ‘B’ or higher in each required core and concentration course and a ‘C’ or higher in all elective courses.
Students are limited to a total of two course withdrawals (excluding withdrawals with cause or military duty).
Successful admittance to doctoral candidacy (PhD) or completion of the qualifying exam (DrPH) must occur no later than the end of the 4^th year in the doctoral program.
Students must maintain continuous enrollment by completing a minimum of six (6) credit hours over three consecutive semesters (including summer). For Doctoral Candidates (PhD), continuous enrollment is two (2) credit hours every semester. This requirement ensures ongoing academic engagement and satisfactory progress toward degree completion.
1. Courses must contribute meaningfully to the degree program and reflect progression toward established milestones. Courses taken solely to improve GPA, without relevance to the dissertation or doctoral project, do not satisfy this requirement.
2. Students who fail to meet the continuous enrollment requirement will be considered inactive and will be recommended for voluntary withdrawal or dismissal.

Holds, Academic Progress Plan, and Plan of Improvement

Doctoral students who have a GPA less than 3.3* will be placed on probation according to the Graduate Student Probation Process. A hold will be placed on their account, preventing registration until they meet with an advisor and create an Academic Progress Plan, ensuring that the student has a path to raise the GPA to the required minimum.
Students placed on academic probation must register for courses directly aligned with their degree requirements. Enrolling in unrelated or non-degree courses solely to raise the GPA is not permitted. The Academic Progress Plan must include courses that advance the student’s academic standing within the doctoral program curriculum.
Doctoral students who receive less than a ‘B’ in a required core or concentration course or less than a ‘C’ in an elective course will have a hold placed on their account, preventing registration until they meet with an advisor and create a Plan of Improvement. The Plan will be submitted to the Academic Progression Review Committee. If the committee approves the proposed plan, the student must register and repeat the course when it is offered again.
All doctoral students will participate in the annual progress report process for their program. If there is inadequate progress toward milestones or toward degree completion, a Progress Plan will be implemented, including detailed deadlines for the relevant milestones. If the student does not meet the deadlines, the student may be dismissed or asked to withdraw voluntarily.
Time limit extensions will not be granted unless there are extenuating circumstances. To be given a time limit extension, the major professor, the director of the program, and the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will provide a detailed timeline with explicit due dates (e.g., “October 3, 2023”) for the completion of all remaining milestones. If the student does not meet any of the deadlines on the timeline, the student will be dismissed or asked to withdraw voluntarily. The maximum amount of time that may be granted in a time limit extension is 2 years. No second time limit extensions will be granted.
Leaves of absence are an option for students experiencing health, family, or other challenges during their doctoral training. If a leave of absence is being considered, students should meet with their academic advisor.

Dismissal

Doctoral students who earn two (2) grades below a ‘B’ and/or ‘U’ in the required core or concentration courses, or two (2) grades below a ‘C’ and/or ‘U’ in elective courses, will be encouraged to voluntarily withdraw or be recommended for dismissal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Doctoral students who do not have a path to raise the GPA to the 3.3* minimum in an Academic Progress Plan will be encouraged to voluntarily withdraw or recommended for dismissal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Doctoral students who have violated the Academic Integrity Policy will be recommended for immediate dismissal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
PhD students who have not entered doctoral candidacy by the end of their 4th year in the program and who are not making adequate progress to degree completion according to their Progress Plan will be encouraged to voluntarily withdraw or be recommended for dismissal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
DrPH students who have not completed their qualifying exam by the end of their 4th year in the program and who are not making adequate progress to degree completion according to their Progress Plan will be encouraged to voluntarily withdraw or be recommended for dismissal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
The Sr. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Public Health will notify students who are being dismissed in writing as required by USF policy.

*For students in catalog years before 2023, the overall and program grade point average minimum is 3.0.

Appeal Process: See USF Policy 10-002: Academic Grievance Procedure for Students. Dismissal for lack of academic progress is not subject to the appeal process.