As stated above, effective September 1, 1976, all students entering USF St. Petersburg with fewer than 60 semester hours of credit are required to earn at least 9 semester hours of credit prior to graduation by attendance during one or more summer semesters. The University may waive the application of this rule in cases of unusual hardship. A student who wishes to have the rule waived must complete a “Request for Waiver of Mandatory Summer Enrollment Form” available in the Office of Admissions & Records. After submission of the form to the Office of Admissions & Records, the student will be notified by mail of the action taken.

In addition to the foreign language entrance requirement (as required by FS 240.233) all students applying for a Bachelor of Arts degree from USF St. Petersburg must demonstrate competency in a foreign language. To demonstrate this competency, students may take either two semesters of a beginning college-level foreign language or one semester of a higher-level course and earn a letter grade of “C” (no “S” grades) or above in the appropriate level course or demonstrate equivalent competency by passing an examination. Languages should be selected from among the ones listed below:

Classical Languages

• Greek (Ancient)
• Greek (New Testament)
• Hebrew (Classical)
• Latin

Modern Languages

• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• German
• Greek (Modern)
• Hebrew (Modern)
• Italian
• Japanese
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Yoruba

American Sign Language

Approval needed by the student’s program/department major. The following programs accept Sign Language Competency for the exit requirement:, Anthropology, Criminology, History, Mass Communications, Political Science, Religious Studies, Women’s Studies, and all programs in the College of Education.

Students electing to take the examination in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish should apply to the Director of the Division of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Students taking the examination in Ancient or Modern Greek or in Latin should also apply to the Director of the Division of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Students taking the examination in New Testament Greek or in Hebrew should apply to the Chairperson of Religious Studies. Students utilizing American Sign Language should apply to the Chairperson of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Foreign Language Placement

Students with two or more years of study in a foreign language in high school, or with postsecondary course(s) in foreign language, or with experiential learning of a foreign language may not enroll for credit in courses in that language without first taking a placement examination administered by World Language Education. Should the placement examination indicate that remedial work is required (1120-1121), the student will be allowed to enroll with the understanding that the grade eventually earned will be either an “S” or “U.”

Candidates for graduation must have completed at least 30 hours of the last 60 hours of their undergraduate credit in USF courses. The approval of the dean of the college granting their degree must be secured for any transfer credits offered for any part of these last 60 hours.

USF St. Petersburg offers curricula leading to the baccalaureate degree in the following fields. The degree is indicated in parentheses after each major code. For clarification, the following terms are defined:

Specialization: Those courses required to give the student academic concentration and baccalaureate identification such as Mathematics, Accounting, Psychology, etc.

Supporting or Related: These courses may be prerequisites to the specialization courses, or they may support specialized courses by giving preparation or breadth to the area of specialization. These courses are often referred to as college or program core courses.

Program Electives: These are usually a broad band of courses offered by the college offering the major to further enrich the student in the general academic field of the major.

College of Arts and Sciences:

• Art (Graphic Design Concentration) (B.F.A.)
• Criminology (CCJ) (B.A.)
• English (ENG) (B.A.)
• Environmental Science & Policy (ESP) (B.S.)
• Geography (GPY) (B.A.)
• History (HTY) (B.A.)
• Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISS) (B.A.)
• Mass Communications (COM) (B.A.)
  Journalism Sequence:
  • News Editorial
  • Magazine Writing
  • Visual Communications
• Political Science (POL) (B.A.)
• Psychology (PSY) (B.A.)

College of Business (B.A./B.S.option):

• Accounting (ACC)
• Economics (ECN)
• Finance (FIN)
• General Business (GBA)
• International Business (ITB)
• Management Information Systems (ISM)
• Management (MAN)
• Marketing (MKT)

College of Education (B.A./B.S. option):

• Elementary Education
• English Education (BEN)
• Varying Exceptionalities (BVE)

College of Nursing (B.S.):

• Nursing (NUR)
• Nursing (Registered Nurse) (NRN)

In addition to major programs, some departments offer an academic minor that requires approximately one-half the upper-level credits required for a major. Students interested in a particular minor should obtain the specific requirements from the appropriate department. The department may require the same admission or retention standards as required for the major.

Each academic minor conforms to the University requirements:

1. A minimum of 8 semester hours of credit used to satisfy the requirements of a minor must be from USF courses.
2. A student desiring a minor must have a major in a different program option.
3. USF coursework for a minor must have a GPA of at least 2.0.
4. Only an undergraduate degree-seeking student at USF is eligible for a minor.
5. A minor can be applied for and received only in conjunction with applying for and receiving a baccalaureate degree except for students who have already received a baccalaureate degree from USF who may earn certification of a minor by taking additional undergraduate coursework at the University and applying for the certification.

USF St. Petersburg offers curricula leading to an academic minor in the following fields:

College of Arts and Sciences:

• Criminology
• English
• Environmental Policy
• Geography
• History
• Mass Communications
• Political Science
• Psychology

College of Business:

• Accounting
• Economics
• Finance
• General Business
• International Business
• Management
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing

College of Education:

• Leadership Studies

In order to graduate from USF St. Petersburg, each degree-seeking student must meet all of the graduation requirements specified in the USF St. Petersburg catalog of his/her choice. A degree-seeking student may choose any USF St. Petersburg catalog published during his/her continuous enrollment. Students who have transferred from one Florida public institution to another are affected by the following Board of Regents policy:

Graduation requirements in effect at the receiving SUS institution at the time a student enrolls at a Florida public institution of higher learning shall apply to that student in the same manner that graduation requirements apply to its native students provided the student has had continuous enrollment as defined in the SUS institution’s catalog.

At USF St. Petersburg, continuous enrollment is defined as enrolling as a degree seeking student at least one term each twelve month period. Therefore, students cannot choose a USF St. Petersburg catalog published prior to or during an academic year in which they did not maintain continuous enrollment. (Each catalog is considered to be published during the academic year printed on the title page.)

If the student cannot meet all of the graduation requirements specified in the catalog of his/her choice due to decisions and changes by the University in policy matter, course offering, etc., appropriate substitutions will be determined by the chairperson of the department or program of the student’s major.

A student who wishes to work for a second major, after receipt of a baccalaureate degree, must apply through the Office of Admissions & Records and meet the major requirements as determined by the college. (Exceptions to this rule are students who had been previously accepted for a “Double Undergraduate Major” but graduated with only one major.) After acceptance by the appropriate college and proof of completion, the student’s “permanent academic record” will be posted accordingly.*

A student already graduated from an accredited four-year institution must earn a minimum of an additional 30 semester hours of USF undergraduate courses to apply toward his/her second baccalaureate degree. Students must also meet the University’s regular graduation requirements, including the 9 semester hours of Exit Requirements, as well as the requirements of the college awarding the degree and the residency requirements.

Availability of a Baccalaureate Degree for Students Enrolled in or Graduated from a Five-Year Master’s Program

A student may enroll in a baccalaureate degree program while enrolled in or after graduation from a five-year master’s degree program. In consultation with an advisor in the five-year program and an advisor in the baccalaureate-level program and with the approval of the college dean(s) offering the program(s), the student is required to complete the following:

1. Satisfy degree requirements for the five-year master’s program.
2. Satisfy requirements for the baccalaureate-level program.

Application for Graduation

In order to graduate, a student must submit an application for the bachelor’s degree or associate of arts certificate to the Academic Advising Center. This application must be submitted in the term of expected graduation by the deadline noted in the academic calendar. If a student applies for graduation and is not approved, a new application for degree must be submitted by the deadline in a new term. In order for the degree statement to appear on a student’s academic record, the student must file the aforementioned application whether or not participation in the commencement ceremony is desired.

The application for the bachelor’s degree or for the associate of arts degree is available from the Academic Advising Center.

The completed application must first be certified (signed or stamped in the section, “Office Use Only”) by the Academic Advising Center. Inquiries concerning approval or denial of graduation should be made to the Academic Advising Center.

It is the student’s responsibility to clear all “I” grades (incompletes) in courses required for graduation and to provide official transcripts of all transferred course work needed for graduation at least 3 weeks prior to the end of the term in which he/she expects to graduate.

A student applying for a second undergraduate major must do so within the same deadline set for applying for a degree.

A student applying for a minor must:

1. File a separate request for certification for the minor in the department of the minor during the semester of graduation;
2. Apply for the minor on the “Application for Degree,” listing both the minor and college responsible for the minor on the application; and
3. Have no “I” grade in required courses.

The University may award a posthumous baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral (and medical) degree to a student who was in good standing at the University at the time of his or her death and who had completed all substantive requirements for the degree. The University may also award baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral and medical degrees in memoriam to a student who was in good standing at the University at the time of his or her death.

To award a non-thesis degree, the student would need to have completed all courses required for the degree. Courses required for the degree, in which the student is enrolled at the time of his or her death, must have been completed to the satisfaction of the faculty so that passing grades might be posted. All other requirements (e.g., grade point average, CLAST and other tests) must have been satisfied as well.

To award a thesis degree, all courses must be completed as described above and the thesis must be sufficiently complete to the satisfaction of the faculty so that certification of completion may be posted to the student’s record.

Procedures for Award of Posthumous Degrees or Degrees in Memoriam

The college dean, on his or her own initiative or upon the request of the family of the student, may recommend a posthumous degree, or a degree in memoriam, by forwarding the recommendation to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at USF St. Petersburg. If approved by the Associate Vice President, the recommendation with supporting documentation will be forwarded to the Vice President of USF St. Petersburg for approval. If the Vice President approves the recommendation, the Office of Admissions & Records will be notified and the degree will be awarded at the next commencement ceremony or will be presented to the student’s family in an appropriate setting.

To be considered for honors at graduation, a baccalaureate candidate must have completed at least 40 credits of graded coursework at USF and have earned a grade point average of 3.50 or higher for all graded coursework attempted at USF. In addition, to be eligible for honors, transfer students and USF St. Petersburg students who have postsecondary work elsewhere must have an overall GPA of 3.50 or higher counting all USF courses as well as all transferable work attempted at other institutions. The forgiveness policy at USF St. Petersburg or other institutions and plus/minus grades awarded at other institutions will not be applicable in computing the GPA for honors.

In addition, students with a record of academic dishonesty appearing on any transcripts will not be eligible for honors at graduation.

In addition, students with a record of academic dishonesty appearing on any transcripts will not be eligible for honors at graduation.

Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.50 but below 3.70 shall receive a diploma designation of cum laude (with honor).

Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.70 but below 3.90 shall receive a diploma designation of magna cum laude (with high honor).

Candidates with a USF GPA of 3.50 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.90 or above shall receive a diploma designation of summa cum laude (with highest honor).

In addition, each dean has the option to select on the basis of exceptional achievement 1% of the college’s graduates or 1 student per semester for graduating with distinction.

Commencement ceremonies at USF St. Petersburg are held each Fall and Spring.

Upon the student’s successful completion of the minimum requirements for the Associate of Arts Certificate, the University will present the student who has properly made application with an appropriate certificate.

1. To receive the Associate of Arts, the student must complete 60 semester hours of university credit; at least 20 of the last 30 semester hours counted toward the Certificate must be completed in residence at USF; the minimum grade point average must be 2.0 based on work attempted at the USF St. Petersburg; in addition, a transfer student must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher when combined with transfer work accepted and evaluated by the USF St. Petersburg Office of Admissions & Records; and the General Education Requirements of USF St. Petersburg must be satisfied. Physical Education and military science credits do not count within the 60 semester hours toward the Associate of Arts. In addition the student must present a score (passing score after August, 1994) on the College-Level Academic Skills Test and fulfill the writing and computation course requirements of 6A-10.030 prior to receiving the Associate of Arts Certificate.
2. Application Procedure for the Associate of Arts Certificate. The Application for an Associate of Arts Certificate can be obtained from the Academic Advising Center prior to the application deadline. The deadline to apply for a degree/certificate in each semester is stated in the Academic Calendar in the catalog.
3. The Associate of Arts certificate must be awarded prior to the term that the student becomes eligible for the baccalaureate degree.
4. Final processing for the Associate of Arts will be done after grades are processed at the end of the semester for which the student applied. All work, including transfer work, taken in that semester will be evaluated with respect to the requirements for the Associate of Arts Certificate.
5. Any incomplete grades shown on the permanent record of an Associate of Arts applicant at the time grades are processed will be treated as an F in the calculation of grade point average.
6. The General Education Requirements will be based on the approved University policy in effect in the catalog year the student chooses according to the University policy regarding the choice of catalog. The consideration of whether or not General Education Requirements are met will be made without consideration of the student’s choice of major at the time he/she applies.
7. Residence credit will be broadly defined to include USF sponsored student exchange programs and the University of Florida Correspondence Division. Where the grades from these institutions, except those earned through the University of Florida Correspondence Division, are recorded on the permanent record at USF, and included in the grade point average calculation, they will also be counted in the student’s grade point average as work attempted at USF St. Petersburg for the Associate of Arts Certificate.
8. An applicant who has not been enrolled at USF for three semesters may be contacted to ascertain whether or not that applicant meets the residency requirements.
9. In approving any application for the Associate of Arts Certificate, satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades will be accepted according to the approved University policy in effect during the terms of the student’s enrollment without regard for the student’s declared major. Students must be aware that if they have taken any courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis where such grades are not acceptable by the college of the major, the students may be required to repeat particular courses for a traditional letter grade or take additional courses for a traditional letter grade to meet the college requirements.
10. All USF St. Petersburg colleges with undergraduate programs will accept the Associate of Arts from any USF location. That is, the student will be placed at least, at the junior level and will be considered to have met the University’s General Education Requirements. The applicability of the courses taken by the student toward his/her major program will be determined by the college of the student’s major. Similarly, any special requirements for a student’s professional certification (e.g., Education and Engineering) are not necessarily met by the Associate of Arts certificate, but could be included as part of the General Education Requirements. Thus, students should check with their colleges concerning meeting any special requirements in an efficient manner.
11. The awarding of the Associate of Arts is posted on the permanent record but does not alter the calculation of the grade point average nor does it interrupt the accumulation of the student’s record.
12. Students who follow a baccalaureate degree program as recommended by a college will not necessarily be eligible for the Associate of Arts certificate prior to the completion of 90 semester hours.

Student Records Policy

Pursuant to the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”; 20 USC Par. 1232g), 34 CFR Par. 99.1 et seq, Florida Statutes Sub. Par. 228.093 and 240.237 and USF Rule 6C4-2.0021, Florida Administrative Code, students have the right to:

1. Inspect and review their education records
2. Privacy in their education records
3. Challenge the accuracy of their education records
4. Report violations of FERPA to the FERPA Office, Department of Education, 400 Madison Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202 and/or bring actions in Florida Circuit Court for violations of Rule 6C4-2.001, Florida Administrative Code.
5. Copies of the University’s student records policy, USF Rule 6C4-2.0021, may be obtained from:

   University Registrar
   University of South Florida St. Petersburg
   140 7th Avenue South, BAY 102
   St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Release of Student Information

Pursuant to requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the following types of information, designated by law as directory information, may be released via official media of USF St. Petersburg (according to USF St. Petersburg policy):

Student name, local and permanent addresses, telephone listing, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, full- and part-time status, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended, and other similar information.

The University Directory, published annually by the University, contains only the following information, however: student name, local and permanent address, telephone listing, classification, and major field of study. The Directory and other listings of directory information are circulated in the course of University business and, therefore, are accessible to the public, as well as to students, faculty, and staff.

Students must inform the USF St. Petersburg Office of Admissions & Records in writing (forms available for that purpose), if they wish directory information to be withheld. Such requests must be received within the first two (2) weeks of the semester and will remain in effect until the student has not been enrolled at USF for three (3) consecutive terms.

USF St. Petersburg allows students to receive up to 45 semester hours of credit towards the baccalaureate degree upon successful completion of General and Subject College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES examinations. Performance levels necessary to achieve credit have been established at a common level for all universities and community colleges in the State system. Credit earned through one examination program may not be duplicated by another examination or course. The following limitations should be recognized:

1. Although the General Examinations are not equated to specific courses, there are two cases in which the content is sufficiently similar to be considered as duplicate credit. Thus, students may not receive duplicate credit for the course and the CLEP test in the following areas:

   Test	Courses
   English Composition with Essay	ENC1101 & ENC 1102
   Mathematics	MAC 1105 & MGF 1106

2. Credit earned for the Freshman English courses through the CLEP program does not count toward the twelve hour writing requirement for SBE Rule 6A-10.030 (“Gordon Rule”);
3. CLEP General/Subject Examinations in mathematics, calculus, college algebra, trigonometry satisfy the mathematics requirement for SBE 6A-10.030;
4. CLEP credit will not satisfy USF St. Petersburg’s residency requirement;
5. Credit for the General Natural Science examination will be granted for non-majors only; and
6. Each College at USF St. Petersburg has the prerogative to exclude CLEP from the required 48 hours of upper level credit.

Certain General and Subject CLEP Examinations noted in the table below may apply to the General Education Liberal Arts Requirements. Some programs do not award credit toward the degree for certain CLEP examinations, and certain graduate or professional schools such as law, medicine and engineering may not grant equal recognition to students with extensive examination credits. An academic advisor should be consulted to ascertain the applicability of a specific CLEP examination toward a student’s degree requirements and the advisability of taking the examinations in a student’s specific situation.

Descriptions of the examination content and other information are available from Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey or in the Office of Evaluation & Testing (SVC 2054).

CLEP Subject Area Examinations

The University participates in the Advanced Placement (AP) Program conducted by the College Entrance Examination Board. The Advanced Placement Test is based on specific college level courses that are offered in a number of high schools. Interested students should contact their high school counselors or principals for additional information. Please note: not all colleges will interpret AP test results in the same manner. Consult the table below to ascertain how USF St. Petersburg interprets AP test results.

AP Tests and Their Course Equivalents at USF

AP Exam	USF Equivalent	Cr. Hrs.	Qual. Score
Art History	ARH 2050	3	3
Art History	ARH 2050, ARH 2051	6	4 or 5
Art Studio Drawing Portfolio	ART 2301C	3	3, 4, or 5*
Art Studio General Portfolio	ART 2201C	3	3, 4, or 5*
Biology	BSC 2010, BSC 2010L	3 + 1	3
Biology	BSC 2010, BSC 2010L, BSC 2011, BSC 2011L	6 + 2	4 or 5
Calculus AB	MAC 2311	4	3, 4, or 5
Calculus BC	MAC 2311	4	3
Calculus BC	MAC 2311, MAC 2312	8	4 or 5
Chemistry	CHM 2045	3** or 4**	3
Chemistry	CHM 2045, CHM 2046	6** or 8**	4 or 5
Computer Sci. A	CGS 2060***	3	3, 4, or 5
Computer Sci. AB	CGS Elective***	3	3, 4, or 5
English Language & Composition	ENC 1101	3	3
English Language & Composition	ENC 1101, ENC 1102	6	4 or 5
English Literature & Composition	ENC 1101	3	3
English Literature & Composition	ENC 1101, ENC 1102	6	4 or 5
Economics: Macro.	ECO 2013	3	3, 4, or 5
Economics: Micro.	ECO 2023	3	3, 4, or 5
Environmental Sci	EVR 2001, EVR 2001L	4	3, 4, or 5
French Language	FRE 2200	3	3
French Language	FRE 2200, 2201	6	4 or 5
French Literature	FRE 3230	3	3, 4, or 5
German Language	GER 2200	3	3
German Language	GER 2200, GER 2201	6	4 or 5
Geography: Human Geog. (2001)	GEO 3402	3	3, 4, or 5
Govt. and Politics: Comparative	CPO 2002	3	4 or 5
Govt. and Politics: United States	POS 2041	3	4 or 5
History: European	EUH 2030	3	3
History: European	EUH 2030, EUH 2031	6	4 or 5
History: U.S.	AMH 2010	3	3
History: U.S.	AMH 2010, AMH 2020	6	4 or 5
Internat. English Language	ENS 1483	3	3, 4, or 5
Latin: Latin Lit. (Catullus-Cicero)	LNW 4634 or	4	3, 4, or 5
Latin: Latin Lit. (Catullus-Horace)	LNW 4654 or	4	3, 4, or 5
Latin: Latin Lit. (Catullus-Ovid)	LNW 4644	4	3, 4, or 5
Latin: Latin Lit. (Vergil)	LNW 2660	4	3, 4, or 5
Music Theory	MUT 1111, 1241	4****	4, or 5
Physics B (Noncalculus)	PHY 2053	3*****	3
Physics B (Noncalculus)	PHY 2053, PHY 2054	6*****	4 or 5
Physics C (Mechanics)	PHY 2048	3*****	3
Physics C (Mechanics)	PHY 2048, PHY 2049	6	4 or 5
Physics C (Elect./Magnet.)	PHY Elective	3	3, 4, or 5
Physics C (Elect./Magnet.)	PHY Elective	4	4 or 5
Psychology	PSY 2012	3	3, 4, or 5
Spanish Language	SPN 2200	3	3
Spanish Language	SPN 2200, SPN 220	6	4 or 5
Spanish Literature	SPW 3030	3	3, 4, or 5
Statistics	STA 2022	3	3, 4, or 5

* Plus satisfactory portfolio review.

** Laboratory credit (CHM 2045L or CHM 2046L) is not automatically granted, but may be when specific information concerning secondary school lab program is provided.

*** As of May, 1999 C++ is the language being assessed (not BASIC); prior to May 1999, the language was PASCAL

**** Pending results of Music Theory Placement Test.

Undergraduate students wishing to take a course by independent study must contact the instructor of the course for permission. The instructor specifies the requirements to be completed by the student including tests, periodic class attendance, term papers, etc.

Not all courses in the University may be taken by independent study. The respective colleges have jurisdiction in the determination of which courses may be taken in this manner.

The University of Florida’s Department of Independent Study by Correspondence administers all correspondence instruction for Florida’s State University System (SUS).

Over 150 college credit, high school credit, and continuing professional education courses are available anytime, anywhere through regular mail or fax. In many cases, students also have the option to e-mail their assignments to the instructor. Enrollment in all courses is possible at any time of the year: to be used toward a diploma or a degree.