Grad Profiles - University of South Florida

Overview
Established in 1956, the University of South Florida is a rising star in American education. The first of a new breed of universities created to meet America’s urban higher education needs, this young, dynamic institution has experienced explosive growth. Today, it is one of the largest metropolitan universities in the Southeast, serving students at four regional campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Lakeland.

The 41,392 University of South Florida students in fall 2007 came from 133 countries (of 1,772 international students, about 52 percent are graduate students), all fifty states and the District of Columbia, and nearly all of the sixty-seven counties in Florida. The ratio of men to women is 2:3. Approximately 73 percent of the students are undergraduates, 17 percent are graduate students, and 10 percent are in the professional programs or unclassified. About 4,760 African-American students, 4,175 Hispanic-American students, and 2,300 Asian-American students attend USF.

The Location and Community
Strategically located in the Tampa Bay metro area, this multicultural metropolis offers a wealth of arts and leisure activities: a professional orchestra, Broadway theatrical productions, world-class concert halls, art museums, big-city nightlife, bountiful ethnic restaurants, and professional sports teams. In job opportunities, cost of living, education, climate, health care, and arts and recreation, this area ranks among the top five best places to live in the country, according to Places Rated Almanac.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
University of South Florida (USF) graduate programs address significant national, regional, and local issues. For example, USF hosts the only interdisciplinary program in aging studies in the nation and an interdisciplinary cancer biology Ph.D. with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. USF offers ninety-four master’s degrees and thirty-three separate doctoral degrees. More than fifty graduate certificates are also available. Some of USF’s nationally recognized doctoral programs are applied anthropology, biology, chemistry, communication, computer science, education, electrical engineering, marine science, medical sciences, nursing, psychology, and public health. USF is home to the only college of public health in Florida.

Facilities & Resources
Outstanding among USF’s more than seventy interdisciplinary research and education centers, bureaus, and institutes are the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, the Florida Mental Health Institute, the Center for Urban Transportation and Research, the Institute on Black Life, and the Florida Institute of Oceanography.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition, including activity fees, for in-state residents for 2007-08 is $284.36 per credit hour, or $2899.24 per semester, based on 9 hours of graduate enrollment. The comparable amount for out-of-state graduate students is $1407.39 per credit hour, or $10,966.51 per semester, based on 9 hours of graduate enrollment.

Financial Aid:
Qualified graduate students may be eligible for a number of presidential fellowships, assistantships, and other awards. Interested students should contact the program director for information and applications. Additional information is available from the Web site of the Graduate School. USF also has a substantial number of fellowships targeted specifically at underrepresented minority students; minority applicants can contact the Graduate Studies Office at 813-974-2846 for details. Tuition waivers are available to eligible graduate students who hold assistantships or certain fellowships..

Housing/Living Expenses:
Many graduate students choose to live in Magnolia Apartments, where two buildings are designated for students who are 21 years of age and older. In addition, one building is designed for families. Magnolia opened in the fall of 2001 and offers two-bedroom family apartments as well as three- and four-bedroom apartments for single students. Dining plans are available offering all-you-can-eat dining in two dining halls on campus. For additional information regarding the residence halls and meal plans, students should visit the Web site, http://www.reserv.usf.edu.

How to Apply
Admissions requirements vary among USF’s graduate programs; applicants should contact the program of interest for specific admission requirements. For a complete list of colleges, graduate programs, and application materials, prospective students should visit the Graduate School’s Web site or contact the USF Graduate School using the address given in the Correspondence and Information section.

Who to Contact
Graduate School
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, Florida 33620-7900

Web site home page

The Graduate Departments
• School of Architecture and Community Design (http://www.arch.usf.edu). Charles C. Hight.

• College of Arts and Sciences (http://www.cas.usf.edu). John Skvoretz, Dean. Aging studies, American studies, anthropology, applied anthropology, applied physics, audiology, aural rehabilitation, biology, chemistry, classics and classical language, communication, communication sciences and disorders, criminology, English, English as a second language, environmental science and policy, French, geography, geology, gerontology, history, Latin American and Caribbean studies, liberal arts, library and information science, linguistics, mass communication, mathematics, microbiology, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, public administration, rehabilitation and mental health counseling, religious studies, social work, sociology, Spanish, speech-language pathology, women’s studies.

• College of Business Administration (http://www.coba.usf.edu). Robert Anderson, Dean. Accountancy, business administration (M.B.A. and Ph.D.), business economics, executive M.B.A., management, management information systems.

• College of Education (http://www.coedu.usf.edu). Colleen Kennedy, Dean. Adult education, business and office education, career and technical education, college student affairs, counselor education, early childhood education, educational leadership (college leadership), educational leadership (K-12), elementary education, English education, foreign language education, gifted education, guidance/counselor education, higher education, industrial arts/technology education, instructional technology, interdisciplinary education, interdisciplinary technology, junior college teaching, mathematics education, measurement and evaluation, physical education, reading education, reading/language arts education, school psychology, science education, second language acquisition/instructional technology, social science education, special education (specializations in behavior disorders, gifted, mental retardation, motor disabilities, and specific learning disabilities), vocational education.

• College of Engineering (http://www.eng.usf.edu). Louis Martin Vega, Dean. Biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering management, engineering science, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering.

• College of Marine Sciences (http://www.marine.usf.edu). Peter Betzer, Dean. Marine sciences: biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, geological oceanography, physical oceanography.

• College of Medicine (http://www.med.usf.edu). Stephen K. Klasko, Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean. Medical sciences: anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, bioethics and humanities, bioinformatics and computational biology, microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, pathology and lab medicine, pharmacology and therapeutics, physical therapy, physiology and biophysics.

• College of Nursing (http://www.hsc.usf.edu). Patricia Burns, Dean. Nursing: adult health, child health, critical care, family health, gerontological, occupational health, oncology, psychiatric-mental health.

• College of Public Health (http://www.publichealth.usf.edu). Donna Petersen, Dean. Adult/occupational health, applied anthropology (dual M.P.H./M.A.), behavioral health, biostatistics, community and family health, environmental health, epidemiology, executive M.P.H. for health professionals, global communicable disease, global health, health administration, health-care organizations and management, health policies and programs, health policy and management, industrial hygiene, maternal and child health, nurse practitioner and public health, occupational health for health professionals, occupational medicine residency, public health, public health by distance learning, public health education, safety management, sociohealth sciences, toxicology and risk assessment.

• College of Visual and Performing Arts (http://www.arts.usf.edu/). Ronald Jones Jr., Dean. Art, art history, music, music education.