About USF

Welcome to the University of South Florida, a Preeminent State Research University, located in the heart of Tampa Bay, the University of South Florida is dedicated to empowering students to maximize their potential for lifelong success.

USF is situated in the vibrant and diverse Tampa Bay region, with campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. Together these campuses serve more than 50,000 students and offer undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral degrees.

Across our 13 colleges, graduate students choose from over 177 majors and over 250 concentrations, from business and engineering to the arts and USF Health. We are dedicated to empowering our students to prosper and have been recognized nationally for closing the achievement gap regardless of race, background or socioeconomic status.

Over the past five years, USF has been the fastest-rising university in the nation, public or private, on the U.S. News and World Report’s list of best universities. USF ranks as the 46th best public university in America.

Our graduate programs continue to number among the best, according to the U.S. News and World Report, with ten programs ranking in the top 50 in 2021.

High-impact, global research is central to USF’s mission as the State’s only metropolitan Preeminent Research University, as designated by the Florida Board of Governors. USF was awarded a record $525.4 million in research grants in fiscal year 2019, putting USF at the forefront of cutting-edge research of medicine, science, engineering, the arts and more.

Established in 1956, USF is a leader among Golden Age Universities. Our on-campus Technology Incubator has created over 354 jobs, and our Center for Entrepreneurship ranks #3 among all public institutions in the 2020 Princeton Review Best Graduate Entrepreneurship program rankings. We are also leaders internationally, and in 2019-2020, we were #3 in the nation for Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars, with 9 faculty scholars. Our forward-looking, entrepreneurial spirit has helped us cultivate an exceptional environment for our students.

In 2019, USF Tampa earned the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ (APLU) Institutional Award for Global Learning, Research & Engagement.  USF received the 2019 American Council on Education/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation, a recognition of USF’s commitment to student success. In addition, USF was the winner of the Institute of International Education’s 2019 Heiskell Award for Access and Equity.

Our belief that every student will succeed if given the opportunity informs everything we do here at USF. We welcome you to explore more about our university – in person and online – and discover how you can prosper at USF.

USF Vision, Mission, Goals, Values, and, Accreditation

USF Strategic Plan: https://www.usf.edu/system/about/strategic-plans.aspx

Mission

Led by outstanding faculty and professional staff, the University of South Florida conducts innovative scholarship, creative activity and basic and translational research, and delivers a world-class educational experience promoting the success of our talented and diverse undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. As a public metropolitan research university, USF, in partnership with our communities, serves the people of Florida, the nation, and the world by fostering intellectual inquiry and outcomes that positively shape the future - regionally, nationally and globally.

Goals

• To promote the lifelong success of well-educated, highly skilled, and adaptable alumnae/alumni who lead enriched lives, are engaged citizens and thrive in a dynamic global market.

• To conduct high-impact research and innovation to advance frontiers of knowledge, solve global problems and improve lives.

• To be a major social and economic engine creating robust global, national and regional partnerships to build a prosperous and sustainable future for our regional communities and the State of Florida.

• To provide a safe, inclusive and vibrant community for learning, discovery, creative activities and transformative experiences enabled through adaptive design of physical, social and digital environments.

• To practice continuous visionary planning and sound management throughout USF to ensure a strong and sustainable financial base, and to adapt proactively to emerging opportunities in a dynamic environment.

Accreditation

The University of South Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the University of South Florida.

Normal inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to the institution and not to the Commission’s Office.

Graduate Degrees Offered by the University

Advanced Graduate Degrees

Professional Degrees

Additional Accreditation:

The University of South Florida and all colleges, departments and degree programs therein establish certain academic requirements that must be met before a degree is granted. These requirements concern such things as curricula and courses, majors and minors, and academic residence. Advisors, directors, department chairs, and deans are available to help the student understand and arrange to meet these requirements, but the student is responsible for fulfilling them. At the end of a student’s course of study, if requirements for graduation have not been satisfied, the degree will not be granted. For this reason, it is important for all students to acquaint themselves with all regulations and to remain currently informed throughout their college careers and to be responsible for completing requirements. Courses, majors, and requirements described in the Catalog may be suspended, deleted, restricted, supplemented, or changed in any other manner at any time at the sole discretion of the University and the USF Board of Trustees.

Degrees, Majors, and Concentrations (Authorized)

As of the date of this publication, the University is authorized to offer over 44 different graduate degrees, with graduate majors authorized as follows.  Click here to view the Graduate Majors (A-Z)  .

List of Majors

•   Accountancy, M.Acc.
•   Advanced Athletic Training, M.S.
•   Advertising, M.S.
•   Aging Sciences, Ph.D.
•   Applied Aging Sciences, M.S.
•   Applied Anthropology, M.A.
•   Applied Anthropology, Ph.D.
•   Applied Behavior Analysis, M.A.
•   Applied Behavior Analysis, M.S.
•   Applied Behavior Analysis, Ph.D.
•   Architecture, M.Arch.
•   Art History, M.A.
•   Art, M.F.A.
•   Athletic Training, M.S.
•   Audiology, Au.D.
•   Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities, M.A.
•   Behavioral and Community Sciences, Ph.D.
•   Big Data Analytics, Ph.D.
•   Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, M.S.B.C.B.
•   Biology, M.S.
•   Biomedical Engineering, M.S.B.E.
•   Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Biotechnology, M.S.B.
•   Business Administration, D.B.A
•   Business Administration, M.B.A.
•   Business Administration, Ph.D.
•   Business Analytics and Information Systems, M.S.
•   Cancer Biology, Ph.D.
•   Cancer Chemical Biology, Ph.D.
•   Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, Ph.D.
•   Career and Technical Education, M.A.
•   Cell and Molecular Biology, Ph.D.
•   Chemical Engineering, M.S.Ch.
•   Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Chemistry, M.A.
•   Chemistry, M.S.
•   Chemistry, Ph.D.
•   Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health, M.S.
•   Civil Engineering, M.S.C.E.
•   Civil Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ph.D.
•   Communication, M.A.
•   Communication, Ph.D.
•   Computer Engineering, M.S.C.P.
•   Computer Science and Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Computer Science, M.S.C.S.
•   Conservation Biology, M.S.
•   Counselor Education, M.A.
•   Creative Writing, M.F.A.
•   Criminal Justice Administration, M.A.
•   Criminal Justice, M.A.
•   Criminology, M.A.
•   Criminology, Ph.D
•   Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.S.
•   Curriculum and Instruction, M.Ed.
•   Curriculum and Instruction, Ph.D.
•   Cybercrime, M.S.
•   Cybersecurity, M.S.
•   Digital Journalism and Design, M.A.
•   Economics, M.A.
•   Economics, Ph.D.
•   Educational Leadership, Ed.S.
•   Educational Leadership, M.Ed.
•   Educational Leadership, Ph.D.
•   Educational Program Development, Ed.D.
•   Educational Studies, M.A.
•   Electrical Engineering, M.S.E.E.
•   Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Elementary Education, M.A.
•   Elementary Education, M.A.T.
•   Engineering Management, M.S.E.M.
•   English, M.A.
•   English, Ph.D.
•   Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies, M.S.
•   Environmental Engineering, M.S.E.V.
•   Environmental Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Environmental Science and Policy, M.S.
•   Exceptional Student Education, M.A.
•   Exceptional Student Education, M.A.T.
•   Executive, M.B.A.
•   Exercise Science, M.S.
•   Finance, M.S.
•   Foreign Language Education, M.A.T.
•   Foreign Language Education, M.Ed.
•   French, M.A.
•   Geography and Environmental Science and Policy, Ph.D.
•   Geography, M.A.
•   Geology, M.S.
•   Geology, Ph.D.
•   Gerontology, M.A.
•   Global Sustainability, M.A.
•   Health Administration, M.H.A.
•   Health Informatics, M.S.H.I.
•   History, M.A.
•   History, Ph.D.
•   Hospitality Management, M.S.
•   Industrial Engineering, M.S.I.E.
•   Industrial Engineering, Ph.D.
•   Information Technology, M.S.I.T.
•   Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Ph.D.
•   Integrative Biology, Ph.D.
•   Intelligence Studies, M.S.
•   Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, M.A.
•   Learning Design and Technology, M.S.
•   Liberal Arts, M.A.
•   Library and Information Science, M.A.
•   Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Ph.D.
•   Linguistics: English as a Second Language, M.A.
•   Management, M.S.
•   Marine Science, M.S.
•   Marine Science, Ph.D.
•   Marketing, M.S.M.
•   Marriage and Family Therapy, M.S.
•   Mass Communications, M.A.
•   Materials Science and Engineering, M.S.M.S.E.
•   Mathematics Education (6-12), M.A.T.
•   Mathematics, M.A.
•   Mathematics, Ph.D.
•   Mechanical Engineering, M.S.M.E.
•   Mechanical Engineering, Ph. D.
•   Medical Sciences, M.S.M.S.
•   Medical Sciences, Ph.D.
•   Medicine, M.D.
•   Microbiology, M.S.
•   Middle Grades Mathematics (5-9), M.A.T.
•   Middle Grades STEM Education, M.S.
•   Music Education, M.A.
•   Music, M.M.
•   Music, Ph.D.
•   Nurse Anesthesia, D.N.P.
•   Nursing (BSN to MSN), M.S.N.
•   Nursing (RN to MSN), M.S.N.
•   Nursing Science, Ph.D.
•   Nursing, D.N.P.
•   Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, M.S.
•   Pharmacy, Pharm.D.
•   Philosophy, M.A.
•   Philosophy, Ph.D.
•   Physical Education, M.A.
•   Physical Therapy, D.P.T.
•   Physician Assistant Studies, M.P.A.S.
•   Physics (Applied Physics), Ph.D.
•   Physics, M.S.
•   Political Science, M.A.
•   Politics and International Affairs, Ph.D.
•   Psychological Sciences, M.A.
•   Psychology, Ph.D.
•   Psychology, M.A.
•   Public Administration, M.P.A.
•   Public Health, Dr.P.H.
•   Public Health, M.P.H.
•   Public Health, M.S.P.H.
•   Public Health, Ph.D.
•   Reading Education, M.A.
•   Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (Post-Bacc), M.A.
•   Religious Studies, M.A.
•   School Psychology, M.A.
•   School Psychology, Ph.D.
•   Science Education, M.A.T.
•   Secondary English Education, M.A.
•   Secondary English Education, M.A.T.
•   Social Science Education, M.A.T.
•   Social Work, M.S.W.
•   Social Work, Ph.D.
•   Sociology, M.A.
•   Sociology, Ph.D.
•   Spanish, M.A.
•   Special Education, Gifted, M.A.
•   Speech-Language Pathology (Post-Bacc), M.S.
•   Sport and Entertainment Management, M.S.
•   Statistics, M.A.
•   Supply Chain Management, M.S.
•   Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition (TESLA), Ph.D.
•   Urban and Community Design, M.U.C.D.
•   Urban and Regional Planning, M.U.R.P.
•   Women’s and Gender Studies, M.A.

University Administration

The University of South Florida is a member of the State University System (SUS) of Florida and is governed by the Florida Board of Governors and the University Board of Trustees.

Florida Board of Governors

For a current list of the Board of Governors (BOG), please refer to their website: http://www.flbog.org/

University Board of Trustees

The USF Board of Trustees is the public body corporate of the university. It sets cost-effective policy for the institution and serves as the legal owner and governing board. The Board of Trustees is responsible for high quality education programs within the laws of the State of Florida and regulations of the Florida Board of Governors. It holds the institution’s resources in trust and is responsible for their efficient and effective use as per Florida Statute 1.001 University Board of Trustees Powers and Duties.

The Board of Trustees is comprised of thirteen members, six whom are appointed by the Florida Governor and five whom are appointed by the Florida Board of Governors and confirmed by the Florida Senate for a term of five years. The elected Faculty Senate President and Student Government President also serve as trustees.

Office of Graduate Studies Administration

Reference USF Policy 11-001 - https://usf.app.box.com/v/usfpolicy11-001

USF Graduate Liaisons

College Deans

College Graduate Associate Deans (EGAD)

- http://www.grad.usf.edu/graduate-coordinators.php

Sanjukta Bhanja, Ph.D.
David Naar, Ph.D.

USF Graduate Council

For the most current list members, please refer to the website: https://www.usf.edu/graduate-studies/faculty-and-staff/graduate-council/index.aspx

USF Locations

	University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Avenue Tampa, Fl 33620 (813) 974-2011 Website: www.usf.edu
	University of South Florida 5700 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34243-2197 (941) 359-4200 Website: http://usfsm.edu/
	University of South Florida 140 Seventh Avenue S. St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 87-1142 Website: www.usfsp.edu

Office of Graduate Studies Directory