MHA FAQs

Students should discuss any change to their program with their faculty mentor before requesting a change. Change of Faculty Mentor requests may be made through the Archivum system and is an online process. 

For USF policy on Dropping a Course please refer to the USF Catalog. See USF Academic Standards and Grades Policy for more information.

You can drop a course in the OASIS system up to the final add/drop date. After the final drop date the form required for this action is a USF Graduate Petition. Form should be completed and sent to COPH Academic and Student Affairs cophpermits@usf.edu for final signature and processing.  Petitions submitted will take 2-3 weeks to process before a change in the OASIS system is noted.

For USF policy on Adding a Course, please refer to the USF Catalog. See USF Academic Standards and Grades Policy for more information.

To petition to add a course after add/drop week the form required for this action is a USF Graduate Petition. Late add petitions received after the first 10 weeks will require a personal statement. Form should be completed and sent to COPH Academic and Student Affairs for final signature and processing. Petitions submitted will take 2-3 weeks to process before a change in the OASIS system is noted. If you have additional questions please feel free to email cophpermits@usf.edu.

1. Complete Application to Degree and USF Graduation Survey on Oasis
   1. Application to Degree (Completed on Oasis - accessed via MyUSF)
2. Follow the /wiki/spaces/COPHHB/pages/16576348163in the COPH guidebooks
3. Check USF Health email for any updates. We will not correspond through other email addresses.
4. Submit your application on time! Any application received after the deadline will not be accepted. See Important Deadlines.

To change a grade in a course, the student will need to contact the course instructor for review. If the instructor wishes to change the student’s grade he can do so using the e-grades submission function in Canvas. E-Grades are only available at specific points during the semester, specifically, when grades are due. The window for midterm and final grade submission, and consequently e-Grades tool availability, is determined by the registrar's office.

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: Policy 10-045.

The College of Public Health does not permit students who are pursuing masters or doctoral degrees to use the degree acronym after their names and a small "c" for candidate. In other words students are not permitted to use MPHc, MSPHc, MHAc, PhDc, or DrPHc. If students, after successfully completing all comprehensive exams (core and concentration) for the master degrees or the qualifying exam for the doctoral degree wish to put after their name the words "master degree candidate" or "doctoral degree candidate*" – we allow this. The use of the degree acronym and small "c" creates confusion for faculty, employers, and other individuals who are reviewing students' CVs and other materials. It creates a situation wherein a student appears to have earned a degree when such is not the case. As a degree-granting College, we do not allow this.

Please see USF policy regarding Transfer of Credit.

Yes you may. You need to see your advisor and explain what course(s) you would like be substituted. You may begin and complete the process in Archivum. Please click here to see the steps of starting and completing the process.

For USF policy on Dropping a Course please refer to the USF Catalog. See the Academic Calendar and USF Academic Standards and Grades Policy for more information.

You can drop a course in the OASIS system up to the final add/drop date. After the final drop date the form required for this action is a USF Graduate Petition. Form should be completed and sent to COPH Academic and Student Affairs cophpermits@usf.edu for final signature and processing. Petitions submitted will take 2-3 weeks to process before a change in the OASIS system is noted.

For USF policies regarding Academic Good Standing and Probation please refer to the USF Catalog.

For information on the Automated Probation Process go to USF's Academic Probation Procedure. 

Yes. But be careful of time to degree.

Master's and Ed.S. degrees must be completed within five (5) years from the student's date of admission for graduate study. Courses taken prior to admission to the USF graduate major, for example as non-degree seeking or from other institutions, must be transferred in prior to graduation (preferably before the end of the student's second semester). Master and Ed.S. degrees (including concurrent degrees) that require course work in excess of 50 credit hours may be granted a longer time limit by the University Graduate Council.

Time Limit Extensions
In the event that a student nears the end of the time limitation as specified above, but the student needs more time to complete the degree, the student may submit a request for an extension using the Time Limit Extension Request Form, available on the Office of Graduate Studies Forms webpage.

Requests must include:

• the reasons for the delay in completion,
• the anticipated time needed for completion,
• endorsements from the graduate faculty advisor, graduate major, and College Dean or designee,
• a detailed plan of study denoting the pathway to completion and timeline for the the remaining requirements for the degree

Note — for the time limit extension procedures, if the time limit extension will cause courses taken within the major 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 applies to courses applied toward the degree, with the exception of those transferred in or from completed majors. However, majors may require additional or repeat coursework as part of the condition of the time-limit extension. 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 major 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 and 813 974-6505.

Students who do not meet the enrollment requirements will become inactive. Once inactive a student will have to be readmitted or reinstated. Students should contact their advisor to determine the course of action.  See the USF Readmission Policy.

Please see USF policy regarding Transfer of Credit.

Please contact the COPH registration and scheduling team.

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 major. Courses used for the graduate degree requirements can be no more than ten years old at the time the degree is conferred.

For a listing of the most current, approved course descriptions refer to the USF Course Inventory available online or in the course description listing in the Graduate Catalog.

You can view the syllabi for previous courses taught. Refer to the Course Listing for course titles.

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. 

For USF Auditing policies, please refer to the USF Catalog.

The form required for this action is a Course Audit Form. Please send signed form to COPH Academic and Student Affairs cophpermits@usf.edu for date stamp and processing.

Please refer to the USF Catalog for Satisfactory (S)/Unsatisfactory (U) course policy.

No. Transfer work transfers credit hours only. No grades are transferred, therefor not affecting your GPA at USF. This does include non-degree courses that were taken at USF, if it was taken at USF it will go towards your GPA.

You should contact the graduate advising team via email at COPH-Grad@usf.edu. You can also contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Public Health at 813-974-6505

See the USF Catalog for Master's degree time limitations.