PhD Advisors and Committees
Throughout your PhD, you will rely on the advice and expertise of your advisors, mentors, and committee members.
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The Major Professor serves as the student's advisor and mentor. Students should confer with their concentration to confirm the internal process and timeline for the selection and appointment of the Major Professor. The student must identify a major professor and receive that person's agreement to serve as major professor. The selection of the Major Professor must be approved and appointed as soon as possible, but no later than the time the student has completed 50% of the program. Students must have a major professor in order to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a Major Professor cannot be identified or in the event a Major Professor is unable or unwilling to continue serving on the student's committee, the student is responsible for finding another Major Professor. Students who are unable to find a replacement Major Professor should confer with the Program Director for available options. If no other options exist the student may be requested to voluntarily withdraw from the program or may be honorably withdrawn in good academic standing. The student and Major Professor should plan a program of study which, when completed, will satisfy the degree requirements specified. A copy of this program, signed by the student and professor, should be maintained in the student's academic file. Major Professors must meet the following requirements:
The membership of graduate faculty will be based upon criteria developed within the appropriate program and approved at the college level. These criteria must be forwarded to the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies. In the event a Major Professor leaves the University (i.e. for an appointment at another university, due to retirement, etc.) and the Major Professor is willing to continue serving on the student's committee, the Major Professor then becomes a Co-Major Professor on the committee and another faculty is appointed as the other Co-Major Professor. It is important that one of the Co-Major Professors be accessible on the university campus for the student to make satisfactory progress on the dissertation. In the event a Major Professor is on temporary leave (e.g. sabbatical, research, etc.); the Major Professor shall coordinate with the Program Director to facilitate the needs of the student. In some instances a student may choose to have two professors serve as Major Professor. In this situation the faculty are approved as “Co-Major Professors” and jointly serve in that role. Consequently both faculty must sign approval on paperwork pertaining to the student's processing (i.e. committee form, change of committee form, admission to candidacy, etc.) (Co-)Major Professor(s) of the Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Responsibilities |
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| title | Dissertation Committee |
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Some Colleges have a Program Committee comprised of graduate faculty, who advise the student from admission up to doctoral candidacy, when the formal Doctoral Dissertation Committee is formed. As soon as an area of research is determined and a major professor is selected, a Doctoral Dissertation Committee will be appointed and approved for the student. The Major Professor will request approval of the Doctoral Committee from the Dean of the College and, as needed, the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies. The Doctoral Committee will approve the student's course of study and plan for research, supervise the research, grade the written comprehensive qualifying examination, read and approve the dissertation for content and format, and conduct the dissertation defense.
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The Doctoral Committee is responsible for:
- approving the student's course of study
- grading the written comprehensive qualifying examination
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Doctoral Dissertation Committees will
- approve the plan for research
- supervise the research
- read and approve the dissertation, and
- conduct the dissertation defense.
Composition
The Doctoral Dissertation Committee will consist of at least four members
- three must come from the academic area (i.e. discipline) of the student
- at least one external member (from outside the Department, School, or equivalent, hosting the doctoral program, but may be within the academic discipline)
Faculty holding joint or adjunct appointments in the degree-granting academic unit (i.e. Department or equivalent) cannot be external members on a student's committee.
Member Definition
All graduate faculty, as defined by the University and the College, and approved by their college, are assumed by the Office of Graduate Studies as qualified to be a member of and/or supervise a committee. Persons desiring to serve on a Doctoral committee who are not defined as Graduate Faculty (i.e. visiting faculty, professionals, etc.) by the University and the College must submit a curriculum vitae and be approved by the Concentration, College, and Office of Graduate Studies, for each committee.
Committee Members must meet the following requirements:
- be graduate or affiliate graduate faculty, as defined by the University
- have the background and expertise that contributes to the success of the student.
In addition to the requirements specified in the Graduate Faculty definition, committee membership will be based upon criteria developed within the appropriate program or department and approved at the college level. These criteria must be forwarded to the Dean of Office of Graduate Studies.
Approval
Once a committee has been determined, a Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form needs to be completed by the student and submitted to the Committee Members for original signature. Check with the College for instructions and forms. To insure uniformity of excellence across the colleges, the (Co-)Major Professor(s) of Doctoral Dissertation Committees will need to submit a current curriculum vitae (equivalent to an NIH Bio, approximately two pages long with the last three (3) years of scholarly activity included) with the committee appointment form to the College Dean or designee. This approval is in addition to the approval from their concentration chairperson. (Colleges and concentrations may institute additional requirements for membership on Doctoral Dissertation Committees.) Once approved, the original form and the approved Curriculum Vitae (CV) are placed in the student’s file. An approved and current Form must be on file in the program/college before graduation may be certified. Doctoral Dissertation Committee Forms need to be processed as early in the program as possible, but no later than the semester prior to graduation.
Changes to Committee
Changes to a Doctoral Dissertation Committee must be submitted on a Change of Committee Form. Check with the College for instructions and forms. Original signatures of faculty being added to the Committee, along with the approval signature of the (Co-) Major Professor(s), must be on the form. Faxed signatures are acceptable. Faculty who are removed from the Committee are not required to sign the form, provided that the (Co-) Major Professor(s) has signed. In such instances the signature of the (Co-) Major Professor(s) indicate(s) approval of the change, as well as acknowledgement and approval of the change by the removed member. Any non-faculty being added to a committee must submit a CV for approval. If a faculty member is being added as a Co-Major Professor, or if there is an appointment change to the Major Professor position, a CV must be included for the faculty member who is being added to that position. Change of Committee Forms should be submitted for approval as soon as the change takes place. Changes to a Committee are official only once approved and filed by the program and college. An approved and current Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form must be on file before graduation may be certified.
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Work with your Faculty Advisor to plan your program
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is granted in recognition of high attainment in a specified field of knowledge. It is a research degree and is not conferred solely upon the earning of credit or the completion of courses. It is granted after the student has shown proficiency and distinctive achievement in a specific field, has demonstrated the ability to do original, independent investigation, and has presented these findings with a high degree of literary skill in a dissertation. This degree requires a minimum of 55 credits beyond the masters degree.
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(See also the USF Graduate Catalog at www.grad.usf.edu/policies_Sect7_full.php#resp)
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Any previously taken post-masters coursework to be applied to the doctoral degree must be transferred into the doctoral program. For information on transfer of credit see: www.grad.usf.edu/policies_Sect7_full.php#transfer. Also see the Graduate Course Transfer form at www.grad.usf.edu/inc/linked-files/transfer_course.pdf. |
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The doctoral degree is earned on the basis of advancement to doctoral candidacy status and satisfactory completion of the dissertation. The minimum number of credit hours to earn the doctorate is 55 post-masters, including dissertation. The minimum number of credit hours required for each individual doctorate program is noted in the degree requirements section of the Graduate Catalog for that program listing. Programs with formally approved concentrations must have core major requirements that all students must successfully complete. Students must comply with general enrollment requirements and also institutional residency requirements. All doctoral students must have at least one gradable (A-F) graduate course taken at USF to satisfy the GPA minimum requirements. No undergraduate course may be used to satisfy the gradable minimal course requirement for the doctoral degree. Lower level undergraduate courses may not be used to satisfy doctoral degree program requirements, but may be taken to meet specific prerequisites. All graduate courses taken as a graduate student at USF count in the overall GPA, whether or not they count toward the minimum hours for the degree. |
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Doctoral degrees must be completed within seven (7) years from the student's original date of admission for doctoral study. All courses applied to the doctoral degree must be completed within seven (7) years, including courses taken
There is no time limitation for courses from a completed master's degree used toward a doctoral degree. For students who are readmitted, see Readmission Policy. Typically a student will reach candidacy within four years, but this may vary per discipline. Time Limit Extensions Requests must include:
Note - for the time limit extension procedures, if the time limit extension will cause courses taken within the degree program to be older than 10 years, then a request for course concurrency may be required or the courses may be invalidated toward the degree requirements, per the time-limit policy. If approved, the time-limit extension also applies to courses applied toward the degree, with the exception of those transferred in or from completed degree programs. However, programs may require additional or repeat coursework as part of the condition of the time-limit extension. For requests exceeding a year of additional time, the Office of Graduate Studies will audit the student’s progress each semester to ensure that the plan of study is adhered to and that progress towards degree completion is occurring. Students who exceed the time limitations may have their registration placed on hold until a request for extension has been approved. Only one time-limit extension request is permitted. Students who are temporarily unable to continue the program should submit a Leave of Absence Request, which extends the time limit for the duration of the approved Leave for up to two years (see the section on Leave of Absence in the Enrollment Requirements section.) Note - Time Limit Extensions are valid for a maximum period of two (2) years from the date of request. For more information and guidance, contact the Office of Graduate Studies. |
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| title | Enrollment Requirements |
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Institutional Enrollment Requirement
The majority of credits toward a graduate degree must be earned through instruction offered by the home institution (e.g., USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg, USF Sarasota-Manatee) granting the degree. For information about the minimum number of credit hours required for the degree refer to the degree requirements in the program listing. Students are responsible for consulting with their degree program coordinator for information on courses that may be taken outside their graduate degree program, as well as the Transfer of Credit Policy for course transfer eligibility requirements. Although equivalent courses may be offered at other institutions (including within the USF System), they may not satisfy degree requirements.
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2011 - 2016 Competencies
Current Competencies (beginning fall 2017)
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Also see the PhD Guidebook Homepage for important information on this degree, and the USF Graduate Catalog, Public Health PhD section |
The PHD in Public Health offers the following concentrations:
- Biostatistics
- Community and Family Health (Offers specializations in Maternal & Child Health, Health Education)
- Environmental and Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Genomics
- Global Communicable Disease
- Health Services Research (Health Policy and Management)
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