Your Guide To The University Of South Florida

Background

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The University of South Florida has become one of the nation’s leading research institutions. USF was the nation’s first university to offer a Ph.D. in applied anthropology in 1984 and the first state university in Florida to offer a degree program in women’s studies in 1987. USF now offers 89 undergraduate majors and 139 degree programs at the graduate, specialist and doctoral levels.

The university has been front and center for some major historical events. Professor Robin Murphy sent search and rescue robots to New York City on September 11, 2001 to aid recovery efforts at the World Trade Center following the terrorist attacks. Researchers from the USF College of Marine Science were among the first to begin studying the impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on April 20, 2010.

For now, the USF System includes four institutions: USF Tampa; USF St. Petersburg; USF Sarasota-Manatee; and USF Polytechnic. But Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill approved by the Florida Legislature to make USF Polytechnic a standalone university. It will soon become Florida Polytechnic University.

Known for: USF is among 39 community engaged public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Alumni include wrestler Hulk Hogan, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, supermodel Lauren Hutton, and former Major League Baseball manager Tony LaRussa.

Cost: 2011/2012 Fall and Spring tuition and fees: $5800 in state residents, $14,990 out-of-state.

Class size: USF system has more than 47,000 students overall. Class sizes vary widely.

Student facts: Ratio of female to male students is about 3:2. Minorities represent approximately 38 percent.

Fun fact: USF’s Marching Band, the Herd of Thunder (HOT), first took to the field at the Bulls’ football season home opener against Southwest Texas State in September 1999. Their unique entrance to the field began as a running “stampede” that day and the tradition has continued ever since.

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October 9, 2013

Florida Universities Cashing In On New Legislative Funding Sources

Florida universities can start making plans to spend two new pots of money lawmakers created earlier this year. The University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida earned the highest scores — and therefore the most money — in the first round of performance-based funding for state universities. The Board of Governors said […]

February 4, 2013

Tampa Bay College Students Can Earn Degree After Transferring

Students who transfer to the University of South Florida can still earn a degree at their former school. USF and four Tampa Bay colleges signed a “reverse transfer” agreement Monday. That means when a student completes a class a USF, the credits can count toward an associate’s degree at Hillsborough Community College, Pasco-Hernando Community College, […]

August 9, 2012

Florida Students Party Hard And Get Easy A’s According To Latest College Rankings

For those who love higher education rankings, the last week has been a bonanza. The lists suggest Florida has room for improvement in certain areas — unless you’re looking for a party school that doles out an easy curriculum. First, we look at Forbes’ annual list of America’s 650 Top Colleges. These rankings focus on […]

June 25, 2012

Schools Calendar: Common Core Training; USF Trustees; Charter School Appeals

Florida continues its summer training to prepare teachers and administrators for Common Core, the next generation of curriculum standards and testing. Here’s what else is happening in Florida education this week: Monday: The University of South Florida Board of Trustees has called an emergency conference call at 3:30. Last week the Florida Board of Governors […]

June 22, 2012

Superheroes Want To Rescue Florida Science Education

Editor’s note: This post was written by WUSF’s Mark Schreiner. Sam DuPont and Audrey Buttice were once mild-mannered USF Ph.D. students. As part of a National Science Foundation-funded fellowship program, they’d visit elementary schools around the Tampa area and do science demonstrations. But they thought that they could reach more students by videotaping their work—they just needed a hook. DuPont says they found […]

November 9, 2011

Liveblog: USF Polytechnic Debate at Florida Board of Governors Meeting

We’re live-blogging the university system’s Board of Governors Meeting, starting at 3:30. Top on the agenda: whether to allow USF Polytechnic to split from the University of South Florida and become the state’s 12th university.

November 8, 2011

USF Polytechnic: Five Pros and Five Cons for Independence

USF Polytechnic could soon shed the “USF” and become Florida’s 12th independent public university, but is that a good idea? On Wednesday afternoon, Florida’s Board of Governors is scheduled to talk about, and perhaps vote on, whether USF Polytechnic in Polk County should be allowed to split from the University of South Florida.