University of South Florida Doctoral Programs: Requirements and Guidelines

Established in 1956, the University of South Florida (USF) stands as a Preeminent State Research University, strategically located in the Tampa Bay region. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee, USF has demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and research innovation. It has achieved remarkable progress in U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of best colleges than any other university in the country, public or private. USF is at the forefront of cutting-edge research in medicine, science, engineering, and technology, and ranks in the top 25 nationally among public universities for total research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. The university has also secured a significant number of patents every year since 2010. This article delves into the specific requirements and guidelines for doctoral programs at USF, providing a comprehensive overview for prospective students.

Doctoral Degree Listings and General Requirements

To explore available doctoral programs, majors, and concentrations, consult the Ph.D. Sequence of the page. Expand the listings to reveal available majors and concentrations followed by the guidelines specific to the degree. Doctoral degrees appear first, then master's degrees, with the Specialist listed last. Course requirements for doctoral degrees vary from field to field and from student to student. However, the Ph.D. degree requires at least 90 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 60 credits beyond an accredited and awarded master’s degree, formally documented via the Master’s Degree Acknowledgement.

Master’s Degree Acknowledgement (MDA)

The Master’s Degree Acknowledgement (MDA) is a formalized process to acknowledge the content, level, relevancy, and contribution of a student’s prior earned master’s degree earned at a non-UF institution or in another field of study within UF to the specific student’s doctoral program of study at the University of Florida. Academic unit program faculty must complete a holistic review of the individual’s official records and transcripts to specifically evaluate the previously awarded master’s degree. Such a review must consider the following elements: age of the degree, curricular level, grades, and grading schemes. The MDA must be submitted prior to the qualifying examination and will be documented in the student’s Student Information System record and is subject to review by the college and approval by the Graduate School.

Transfer of Credit Policy

Any courses beyond a master’s degree taken at another university to be requested to be applied to the UF doctoral degree must be taken at an institution offering the doctoral degree and must be approved for graduate credit by the Graduate School of the University of Florida. All courses to be transferred must be graduate-level, letter-graded with a grade of B or better, and must be demonstrated to relate directly to the degree being sought. The total number of credits (including 30 for a prior master’s degree) that may be transferred cannot exceed 45, which means doctoral students must complete a minimum of 45 of 90 total credits required for the doctoral degree at the University of Florida.

Major and Minor Requirements

A Ph.D. student does the major work in an academic unit specifically approved for offering doctoral courses and supervising dissertations. Minor work must be in an academic unit other than the major. If an academic unit contributes more than one course (as specified in the curriculum inventory and/or the Graduate Catalog) to the major, the student is not eligible to earn a minor from the contributing academic unit. With the supervisory committee’s approval, the student may choose one or more minor fields. If one minor is chosen, the supervisory committee member representing the minor suggests 12 to 24 credits of courses numbered 5000 or higher as preparation for a qualifying examination. If two minors are chosen, each must include at least 8 credits.

Leave of Absence

A doctoral student who seeks to take leave from UF for more than 1 semester should obtain written approval from the supervisory committee chair for a leave of absence for a designated period of time. This approved leave is kept on file in the student’s departmental record. It does not need Graduate School approval. If the student is absent for three or more consecutive terms, the student must reapply for admission on returning.

Supervisory Committee

Supervisory committees are nominated by the academic unit chair, approved by the dean of the college concerned, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The committee should be appointed as soon as possible after the student starts doctoral work and no later than the end of the second term of equivalent full-time study. The supervisory committee for a doctoral candidate comprises at least four members selected from the Graduate Faculty. At least two members, including the chair, must be from the academic unit recommending the degree. At least one member serves as the external member and must be from a different educational discipline, with no ties to the home academic unit. If a minor is chosen, the supervisory committee includes at least one Graduate Faculty member representing the student’s minor. If the student elects more than one minor, each minor area must be represented on the supervisory committee.

Responsibilities of the Supervisory Committee

The supervisory committee plays a crucial role in guiding the doctoral student's academic journey. Its responsibilities include:

Informing the student of all regulations governing the degree sought.
Giving the student a yearly evaluation letter in addition to S/U grades earned for research courses 7979 and 7980.
Meeting with the student when the dissertation is completed and conduct the final oral examination to assure that the dissertation is a piece of original research and a contribution to the body of knowledge.

The supervisory committee chair or cochair is generally present with the candidate for the examination. Other committee members may attend remotely if necessary and allowed within posted guidelines. Individual academic units must have established guidelines when addressing exceptions, applying this policy consistently in all cases. Only the actual supervisory committee may sign the ETD Signature Page, and they must approve the dissertation unanimously.

Special Appointments to the Supervisory Committee

People without Graduate Faculty status may be made official members of a student’s supervisory committee through the special appointment process. For official recognition and tracking by the Graduate School, the student’s supervisory committee chair requests the special appointment, briefly explaining what the special appointment contributes to the supervisory committee. A special appointment is made for a specific supervisory committee. If the academic unit’s committee activity conflicts with broader University policies or practices, the external member is responsible for bringing such conflicts to the attention of the appropriate governing body. Therefore, the external member is prohibited from holding any official interest in the doctoral candidate’s major academic unit.

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Substituting Members at Qualifying and Final Examination

If a supervisory committee member cannot be present at the student’s final defense, a Graduate Faculty member in the same academic area may substitute for the absent committee member. The substitute should not sign the ETD signature page. No substitutes are allowed for the chair or external member of the committee.

Foreign Language Requirement

Any foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. is established by the major academic unit with approval of the college. The student should check with the graduate coordinator of the appropriate academic unit for specific information. The foreign language departments offer classes for graduate students starting to study a language.

Qualifying Examination

All Ph.D. candidates must take the qualifying examination. The examination, prepared and evaluated by the full supervisory committee or the major and minor academic units, is both written and oral and covers the major and minor subjects. Except for allowed substitutions, all members of the supervisory committee must attend the oral part (even if through remote means). The candidate and the supervisory committee chair or cochair generally are physically present together at the same location. At the time of the qualifying examination, the supervisory committee is responsible for deciding whether the student is qualified to continue working toward the Ph.D. If a student fails the qualifying examination, the Graduate School should be notified. A re-examination may be requested, but it must be recommended by the supervisory committee. Between the oral part of the qualifying examination and the date of the degree, there must be at least 2 terms.

Admission to Candidacy

Advanced Research (7979) is open to doctoral students not yet admitted to candidacy (classified as 7 and 8). A graduate student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree when the student is granted formal admission to candidacy. Such admission requires the approval of the student’s supervisory committee, the academic unit chair, the college dean, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Doctoral students must be registered the semester they apply for candidacy. No incomplete or missing grades are allowed.

Dissertation Requirements

Each doctoral candidate must prepare and present a dissertation that shows independent investigation, and that is acceptable in form and content to the supervisory committee and to the Graduate School. The work must be of publishable quality and must be in a form suitable for publication, using the Graduate School’s format requirements. The student and supervisory committee are responsible for the level of quality and scholarship.

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Dissertation Submission Process

Before presentation to the Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office, the dissertation should be virtually complete and completely formatted (not in a draft format). Students must be completely familiar with the format requirements of the Graduate School and should work with one of the consultants in the Thesis and Dissertation Support Center to troubleshoot the dissertation before attempting to make a first submission to the editors in the Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office.

The student is responsible for retrieving the dissertation, review comments, and resolving any deficits related to the format requirements. After changes have been made to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee, the Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) Signature Page is submitted electronically to the Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office, via the Graduate Information Management System (GIMS). This must be completed by the the Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office's Final Submission Deadline.

Once submitted, the student should upload and submit the final pdf of the electronic thesis, using the Editorial Package portal found within the Graduate Information Management System (GIMS). The document will undergo a final review by one of the Graduate School Representatives. The Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office ensures that the format is acceptable, that all indicated changes were made, and that all of the hyperlinks work within the document. If accepted, no further changes are allowed. If changes are still required, the student should resubmit the corrected document as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have achieved Final Clearance status by the Final Clearance Deadline for the term in which they intend to graduate.

Dissertation Publication and Copyright

The work will be accessible through the University's Institutional Repository (IR). The student is automatically the copyright holder, by virtue of having written the dissertation. A copyright page should be included immediately after the title page to indicate this. The Graduate School's Thesis, Dissertation, and Publications Office does not accept copyright registration requests. Registering copyright is not required and does not benefit most students.

Dissertation Language and Journal Articles

Dissertations must be written in English, except for students pursuing degrees in Romance or Germanic languages and literatures. Students in these disciplines, with the approval of their supervisory committees, may write in the topic language. A foreign language dissertation should have the Acknowledgments, Abstract, and Biographical Sketch written in English.

Dissertations may include journal articles as chapters, if all copyright considerations are addressed appropriately. In such cases, Chapter 1 should be a general introduction, tying everything together as a unified whole. The last chapter should be general conclusions, again tying everything together into a unified whole. Any chapter representing a journal article needs a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the chapter: “Reprinted with permission from … ” giving the source, just as it appears in the list of references.

Final Examination

While submitting the dissertation and completing all other work prescribed for the degree, the candidate is given a final examination, oral or written or both, by the supervisory committee. The candidate and the supervisory committee chair or cochair generally are physically present together at the same location. The final oral defense of the dissertation is the final exam for the PhD degree. The defense should be no more than three semesters, including the term in which the defense is completed, before the degree is awarded.

All forms should be signed at the defense: the candidate signs and posts the UF Publishing Agreement to GIMS, after discussing their choices with the supervisory committee chair(s); the entire supervisory committee signs the ETD Signature Page and the Final Examination Report at the defense. If dissertation revisions are requested, the supervisory Committee Chair or their designee should withhold posting the ETD Signature Page to GIMS until all committee members are satisfied with the dissertation.

Program-Specific Requirements: Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.)

The College of Public Health and Health Professions offers a program leading to the degree of Doctor of Audiology. The Au.D. degree is awarded after a 4-year program of graduate study. Foreign languages are not required.

Medical Sciences PhD Program

The Medical Sciences PhD Program priority deadline is December 1. Students should apply and submit all required documents (including letters of recommendation) by this date for the best chance of consideration. Well-qualified applicants will be invited to participate in interviews with faculty members prior to final admissions decisions being made. An interview is required to be eligible for admission into the program and invitations to participate in interviews are sent between mid-December and mid-March. During interview weeks, interviewees are typically invited to a virtual program overview on Monday evening, then select from one of six available interview times (Tuesday morning or afternoon, Wednesday morning or afternoon, Thursday morning or afternoon). Students who participate in an interview are typically notified of the committee's admission's decision within 7-10 days of interviewing. Admitted students will be invited to visit campus.

Additional Requirements for Specific Ph.D. Programs

Students pursuing the Ph.D. graduate study are required to complete a minimum of 72 credits for the Ph.D. Coursework for the Ph.D. minimum of 42 credit hours.In addition to course requirements, Ph.D. 1. must be completed before applying for candidacy. as part of the directed research activities with the student's primary mentor. or Audiology Doctoral Project may petition to have this requirement waived.2. Qualifying Exam: To advance to dissertation candidacy, the student completes a qualifying exam. dissertation committee.3. of research and an oral defense. dissertation committee. (B) in all courses. on academic probation by the University. 1. the course.2. Grade forgiveness may not be used at the doctoral level.3. advisor. The Ph.D. be admitted to doctoral candidacy, and complete the dissertation. admission. form to Ph.D. Ph.D. Proposal defense submit Proposal defense form to Ph.D. positions in industrial research and development organizations, consulting, etc. in category (i), and 6 credits in category (ii). up to 30 credit hours for that degree. Passing a Doctoral Qualifying Exam is required of all doctoral students by USF. of interest to the student and advisor. after they have been admitted to candidacy.

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