MHA Getting Started

Read your acceptance letter from the Graduate Admissions Office.  Is your residency status correct?  If incorrect, call 813-974-8800 or contact Graduate Admissions before registering.  If you wish to establish Florida residency, please read the General Classifications Procedures for more information. Note that documents supporting the establishment of legal residence must be dated, issued or filed 12 months before the first day of classes for the term for which reclassification is sought.

Refer to the International Student & Scholar Services for their specific instructions in addition to completing this checklist. Their office is located at CGS 104, 813-974-5102.

Have you completed and turned in your immunization form?  You must do this before you can register for classes.  Contact Student Health Services for more information at 813-974-4056 before registering.

Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with Students Accessibility Services to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give reasonable notice prior to requesting an accommodation. 

If you are receiving financial aid, be sure that you are fulfilling all of the enrollment requirements.  Information on scholarships and financial aid is available at the following places: the University Scholarships and Financial Aid Services website and the COPH Financial Aid website.

NetID and USF Web Portal 

All students must establish a NetID and designate their email address for all official USF internet communications. Go to Create Your Account to get your Net ID. Your Net ID is also required to access the myUSF portal which includes a variety of on-line services and access to course materials.

USF Box Account

USF Box is a service that is available to all USF account holders to enable collaboration and storage in the cloud. This service is a partnership between the university, Box, and Internet 2 that offers a simple way for our customers to store, share, and collaborate files safely. Highlights of Box include:

• 50 GB of Individual Storage
• Share & Discuss Documents with internal and external users
• Access your files across multiple platforms and devices
• Access to multiple versions of your documents without IT intervention

Click here to log into Box. Visit https://usfjira.atlassian.net/wiki/display/UHID/Box to learn more about this service.

• See the COPH Academic and Student Affairs website to view the current semester’s Class Schedule.
• Contact your advisor to discuss your coursework for the semester. See your letter of welcome for advisor contact information.
• Submit your Program of Study via Archivum.  Registration Hold will be removed within 24-48 hours.
• See the registration procedures for your degree in this guidebook or on the Academic and Student Affairs Registration page.
• Complete your registration in OASIS (access via MYUSF)

ALL faculty, residents, students, staff and other members of the USF Health Community are required to complete training for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal privacy act.

This requirement is met for all Master’s students by completion of the HIPAA assignment in the core course PHC 6756 Population Assessment: Part 1.

To obtain a Student ID Card, you can go to the ID Card Center, Student Service Building (SVC) 1032 (813-974-2357, idcard@usf.edu).  If you are an online student, you are still required to get a card, in order to access journal articles at the library and other services.  Instructions for getting an ID card can be found here.

In order to park on campus, you must have a parking permit. To purchase this permit or to see the campus map for directions, go to the Parking and Transportation Services website.

To purchase textbooks please go to the USF Bookstore Website. You may contact the USF BookStore at usf@bkstr.com and (813) 974-2631. For information about textbooks or readings for a particular course, contact the instructor by email. This information will also be available on the first day of class.

All online courses are supported by COPH Office of Educational Technology and Assessment (ETA). The ETA office in conjunction with course instructors, prepares Course-at-a-glance documents for all online courses. The CAGs assist students in learning more about the course, its requirements, course expectations, types of assessments and important testing dates for a given semester. To access these documents, go to the Online Course Listing and click on the course of interest.

Once registered, students in all online public health courses are expected to meet certain requirements to successfully participate in their courses. Failure to meet these requirements may cause problems accessing the course materials. It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the semester. For a list of technology requirements, how to access your online course website, and order course materials, visit ETA's Technology Requirements page.

The COPH Student Portfolio is a repository where students can record, store and track their courses, competencies, accomplishments and academic achievements. You will be required to record your degree competencies for graduation. You can also print out a complete record of your accomplishments when you are searching for a position. You will need your HealthNet email account in order to access your Student Portfolio.

To obtain access to the COPH Building after hours and daily access to Computer Lab A, you will need to fill out an access form at the desk in our front lobby.  Contact Mary Johnson at 813-974-7390 or mjohnso3@usf.edu.  Then you will be able to use your student ID to gain access to the building.

The Shimberg Health Sciences Library provides an excellent set of tools for research and training opportunities for students.

Hours:
Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 11 p.m.

Phone: 813-974-2243

Quiet study space is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to all students of  USF Health. The space is located at the south end of the first floor in the West Wing of  the library. This space requires your USF ID card to open doors. If your card does not work, contact Mary Johnson at 813-974-7390 or mjohnso3@usf.edu and request access permission for "MDC 1225 SHIMBERG LIBRARY 24 HOUR QUIET SPACE".

Your academic advisor will help guide you through your career with the College of Public Health. It is mandatory that you meet with your advisor prior to registering for your first semester. Make sure to bring your Program of Study that lists the required courses needed to obtain your degree. You must get this form signed by your advisor.

Although it is ultimately the responsibility of the student to be acquainted with all policies and regulations, and be responsible for completing requirements, the Advisor's role is to guide students in all aspects of their academic program and to monitor and evaluate students’ progress toward their degrees. He/she should be aware of any difficulties that students may be facing in their coursework or research experiences and should work with students in resolving these issues. It is recommended that the advisor and student understand each others expectations and that effective means of communication are established. The advisor and student are encouraged to meet at appropriate intervals to critically evaluate the student's progress.

Responsibilities

See our web page on building and lab safety to review safety procedures at COPH. You should consider downloading the USF Safe App or signing up for the AlertUSF messaging system, part of USF's Emergency Notification System. Also review USF's Emergency and Safety Management pages.