PhD 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 the COPH Doctoral Training Office cophdoctoral@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.

1. Complete Application to Degree and USF Graduation Survey on Oasis
   1. Application to Degree (Completed on Oasis via MyUSF)
2. Complete the remaining forms and submit to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office
   1. Completed Program of Study;
   2. COPH Graduation Information Online Survey
   3. After the application deadline, you will be sent a College of Public Health exit survey which must be completed.
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 or she 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:
regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-10-045.pdf.

Please see USF policy regarding Transfer of Credit.

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.

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 ten (10) years, including courses taken

1. prior to admission to the USF doctoral major,
2. taken as non-degree seeking, or
3. transferred in from other institutions

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 website.

Requests must include

• the reasons for the delay in completion,
• the anticipated time needed for completion,
• endorsements from the graduate faculty advisor, graduate program, and College Dean or designee,
• a detailed plan of study and timeline for the remaining requirements for the degree
• Editor's note — for the time limit extension procedures, if the time limit extension will cause courses taken or transferred into the program to be older than 7 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. However, programs 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 program should submit a Leave of Absence Request, which extends the time limit for the duration of the approved Leave (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 Doctoral Training Office

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 the Office of Doctoral Training to determine the course of action.  See the USF readmission policy: Reinstatement and Re-application for Admission Policies.

Please see USF policy regarding Transfer of Credit.

Please contact the COPH Doctoral Training Office.

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.

Diplomas are mailed to the student’s permanent address approximately six weeks after commencement. Students with a change of address need to fill out a change of address form at the Registrar’s Office. Questions regarding diplomas and degree certification should be directed to the Registrar’s office at 813-974‐2000.