USF 2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 7-8
Founded in 1956, the University of South Florida opened its doors in 1960 to 2,000 students. Today, the university is the ninth largest in the nation and a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. More than 44,000 students are enrolled at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Lakeland. USF is a research (very high activity) university with a strong focus in medical treatment and research, bioengineering, life sciences and the arts. In the last five years, research funding at USF grew from $186 million to $310 million.
USF has achieved distinction in all areas of academics, sports, research and funding. The impact of the university on the Tampa Bay region is intellectual, cultural and economic. The university has a yearly budget of $1.6 billion and its annual impact on the regional economy reached $3.2 billion in 2005.
USF is one of the two fastest growing research universities in the United States and is ranked number two among Florida's universities. In 2000, USF was named to the top rank of research universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Of the 4,321 colleges and universities classified, USF is one of only 63 public universities in the highest tier. Inclusion at this level affirms USF's position among the top research universities in the nation.
Students come to USF from every state, every U.S. territory, and 131 countries around the world. The university is the most broadly diverse public university in Florida, second only to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in the number of African American and black students currently enrolled. More than 30% of the student body is African American, Hispanic, Asian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American or other ethnicity.
The university has 11 colleges and offers more than 200 degree programs at the bachelor, master, specialist, and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. With more than 1,900 faculty members from some of the world's most prestigious universities and research institutions, USF is the university of choice for many of the nation's brightest students. Last year, USF awarded more than 6,000 bachelor's degrees, 2,000 master's degrees, 184 doctorates in 31 fields, and 93 MD degrees.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college at USF and houses several nationally ranked programs. The Industrial/Organizational Psychology program is one of the top 10 in the country. The School of Mass Communications, one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States, is ranked in the top 20 percent of nearly 500 American journalism and mass communications programs. The School of Aging Studies is one of only two gerontology education programs in the country to have awarded over 1,000 gerontology degrees.
Established in 2003, the Humanities Institute provides a wide range of scholarly exchanges, research opportunities, lectures and seminars with world-renowned thinkers and scholars in such classic disciplines as literature, classics, philosophy, the arts, history, languages, political thought and religion. The Institute has been instrumental in bringing many notable lecturers to the Tampa Bay community, including Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz and Mexican novelist and diplomat Carlos Fuentes.
The College of Business Administration has one of the largest MBA programs among all public universities in Florida. USF accounting majors have been listed number one in the nation, with the highest percentage of candidates with advanced degrees passing all parts of the CPA exam - placing USF among the top 10 universities more times than any other school in the country.
The College of Education graduates more educators than any other university in Florida and is one of the largest colleges of education in the country. The college is ranked in the top 25% of all graduate schools of education by U.S. News & World Report and is known for its innovative approaches to today's education challenges. Over half of the college's students are enrolled in graduate programs.
The university offers an Honors College for high-ability students, an extensive study abroad and internship program, interdisciplinary research opportunities, and a new Center for Global Solutions that offers students the opportunity to address real-world challenges affecting communities around the world.
USF ranks as one of the nation's top centers for researching new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. The university has pioneered the concept of brain repair - replacing cells in the brain to help fix damage from illness or injury. USF's faculty includes 191 of Tampa Bay's 310 Best Doctors in America.
Research that drives and supports technological and economic development has earned USF a leadership role in microelectronics, information technology, applied physics, biophysics and urban transportation. The university is a leader in the Florida High Tech Corridor, an unprecedented partnership that includes more than 5,200 technology companies from the Space Coast to Tampa Bay.
In its 50-year history, USF has graduated more than 200,000 students. Approximately 90,000 alumni live in the university's six-county service area.
Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webcat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2007
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0708/aboutusf.htm