Graduate Certificate Policies & Procedures

The College of Public Health is committed to the success of all of its students. To that end, we want to provide you with the information and resources you may need as you complete your Graduate Certificate.

For USF policies and procedures, please see the USF Catalog. The catalog includes information on:

Certificate policies
Student eligibility and admissions criteria
Certificate completion

In addition, the below content covers COPH processes and notes on certain policies.

Course Selection and Registration Assistance

The College of Public Health has designated assistance to students who are pursuing any of the Graduate Certificates offered by the college.

For Non-Degree Seeking Graduate Certificate Students and USF Degree-Seeking Students Whose Programs are NOT in the College of Public Health: Please consult the advisor for your Graduate Certificate area.
For College of Public Health Degree-Seeking Students: contact your designated Graduate Concentration Advisor for assistance.

Graduate Certificate Time Limits
Please refer to the USF Graduate Catalog for information on time limits on completing your graduate certificate.

Update Term of Entry
If you are a Non-Degree Seeking Graduate Certificate student unable to begin your Graduate Certificate program for the semester for which you applied, please complete the Update Term of Entry Request Form with the University Registrar’s Office to begin in a future term from your original term of entry: https://www.usf.edu/registrar/documents/forms/update_term_of_entry.pdf

Course Payment and Financial Aid Information
Payment Deadline
Tuition and Fees for the term are due before the end of the first week of the semester and may be paid through your OASIS account or at the Cashier’s Office.

Financial Aid Eligibility
Non-degree seeking students pursuing Graduate Certificates are not eligible to receive federal financial aid. Degree-seeking students pursuing Graduate Certificates may use federal financial aid funds to pay for Graduate Certificate coursework ONLY if that coursework also fulfills the requirements for the degree to which the student has been admitted at the same time.

Reduced Rate Tuition
Generally, the rate of tuition is determined by the student’s state residency (in-state or out-of-state). However, for select online Graduate Certificate programs, out-of-state students can pay a special tuition rate that is lower than the out-of-state rate. For eligible Graduate Certificate programs and instructions on how to access this special reduced rate, please visit this link: https://usfjira.atlassian.net/wiki/display/COPHHB/MPH+Registration#MPHRegistration-reducedrate

Graduate Certification Completion Form
At the conclusion of the last required course to complete the Graduate Certificate, please submit the Graduate Certificate Completion Form to your Certificate Director for a signature and then email it to cophregistration@usf.edu. The form will be forwarded to the Graduate Certificates Office for approval and final processing. A certificate will be mailed and official transcript updated to reflect the earned certificate approximately six weeks after the form is submitted to Innovative Education. The form can be found at the following link: https://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/graduate-certificates/how-to-apply/certificate-completion.aspx.

Degree-seeking Students (those currently enrolled in USF graduate and professional programs)

Application
To apply to a graduate certificate program, please visit the Graduate Certificate Application page.
Please note that as a current USF graduate or professional student, you will not need to submit your transcripts or pay the $30 application fee with your Graduate Certificate application.
Should you have questions about the status of your application, please contact Innovative Education at 813-974-4968 or via email at GradCerts@usf.edu

Applying Graduate Certificate Credits toward Graduate Degrees
Please discuss with your program advisor whether the courses in the Graduate Certificate you are interested in are applicable toward your degree program.

Course Registration
Meet with the Program Advisor regarding course offerings and requirements for the Graduate Certificate. Through the OASIS student system, students may search and register for courses. For more information on the course registration process, visit the following link: https://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/graduate-certificates/how-to-apply/course-registration.aspx

Multiple Certificates
If you are pursuing more than one graduate certificate, please be aware there are limits to the number of times a course may be applied to multiple certificates. See the USF Catalog Certificate page (Completion section) for details .

Financial Aid and Payment Considerations
Degree-seeking students pursuing Graduate Certificates may use federal financial aid funds to pay for Graduate Certificate coursework ONLY if that coursework also fulfills the requirements for the degree to which the student has been admitted at the same time.

For students in online Graduate Certificate programs which have eligibility for Reduced Rate tuition, you must contact the College of Public Health’s Academic and Student Affairs team in order to be registered for the appropriate course sections and receive the discounted tuition. For more information on Reduced Rate-eligible Graduate Certificate programs and the Reduced Rate process, please visit the following link: https://usfjira.atlassian.net/wiki/display/COPHHB/MPH+Registration#MPHRegistration-reducedrate

International Applicants
Applicants from outside the U.S. should refer to Innovative Education's International Applicants page for important entry information. Please contact GradCerts@usf.edu or (+1) 813-974-9943 for additional questions about requirements for international applications.

Graduate Certificate Student Advising Support
For assistance with registration, forms related to the graduate certificate, or course offerings, please contact the College of Public Health Academic Support and Advising Office at 813-974-4633 or COPH-Grad@usf.edu.

Graduate Certification Completion Form
At the conclusion of the last required course to complete the Graduate Certificate, please submit the Graduate Certificate Completion Form to your Certificate Director for a signature and then email it to cophregistration@usf.edu. The form will be forwarded to the Graduate Certificates Office for approval and final processing. A certificate will be mailed and official transcript updated to reflect the earned certificate approximately six weeks after the form is submitted to Innovative Education. The form can be found at the following link: https://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/graduate-certificates/how-to-apply/certificate-completion.aspx.

Non-degree-seeking Students

Application
To apply to a graduate certificate program, please visit the Graduate Certificate Application page.
If you have questions about the status of your application, please contact Innovative Education at 813-974-4968 or via email at GradCerts@usf.edu

Applying Graduate Certificate Credits toward Graduate Degrees
It may be possible to apply applicable credits from the Graduate Certificate toward completion of a graduate program in the College of Public Health. Please contact the College of Public Health Pre-Admissions Office at 813-974-4633 or via email at cophadvisors@health.usf.edu

Course Registration
Meet with the Program Advisor regarding course offerings and requirements for the Graduate Certificate. Through the OASIS student system, students may search and register for courses. For more information on the course registration process, visit the following link: https://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/graduate-certificates/how-to-apply/course-registration.aspx

A Note: For students in online Graduate Certificate programs which have eligibility for Reduced Rate tuition, you must contact the College of Public Health’s Academic and Student Affairs team in order to be registered for the appropriate course sections and receive the discounted tuition. For more information on Reduced Rate-eligible Graduate Certificate programs and the Reduced Rate process, please visit the following link: https://usfjira.atlassian.net/wiki/display/COPHHB/MPH+Registration#MPHRegistration-reducedrate

International Applicants
Applicants from outside the U.S. should refer to Innovative Education's International Applicants page for important entry information. Please contact GradCerts@usf.edu or (+1) 813-974-9943 for additional questions about requirements for international applications.

Graduate Certificate Student Advising Support
For assistance with registration, forms related to the graduate certificate, or course offerings, please contact the College of Public Health Academic Support and Advising Office at 813-974-4633 or COPH-Grad@usf.edu.

Graduate Certification Completion Form
At the conclusion of the last required course to complete the Graduate Certificate, please submit the Graduate Certificate Completion Form to your Certificate Director for a signature and then email it to cophregistration@usf.edu. The form will be forwarded to the Graduate Certificates Office for approval and final processing. A certificate will be mailed and official transcript updated to reflect the earned certificate approximately six weeks after the form is submitted to Innovative Education. The form can be found at the following link: https://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/graduate-certificates/how-to-apply/certificate-completion.aspx.