Below is a list of the College of Public Health contract courses required for a variety of academic programs. These courses require additional paperwork in order to receive a registration permit. Please read this information thoroughly as it will help you understand requirements and required paperwork. All courses are "S" Satisfactory or "U" Unsatisfactory grades only.

Human Research Protections Requirement

All students registering for the following courses are required to have a current Human Research Protections certificate on file with the USF Division of Research Integrity and Compliance.

Special Project, Directed Research, Thesis, Dissertation

Students taking the above courses for the first time will take CITI course. The Human Research Protections courses are online and take about 2 hours to complete; students taking these courses in multiple semesters will be required to complete a continuing education course when their certificate is out of date. For more information on these requirements please go here: http://www3.research.usf.edu/dric/hrpp/education.asp Certificates of completion are available for printing through this link.


Please be advised that on Contracts for Independent Study (MPH, MSPH, MHA), Special Project (MPH, MHA), Specialized Study (PhD/DrPH), and Directed Research (PhD/DrPH), only the specific faculty member that is actually working with the student on the project and will be giving the grade is allowed to sign as the Instructor. No other faculty member may sign for that Instructor. This is to ensure that the proper faculty member is responsible for submitting the grade and gets credit for working with that student.
Independent Study (PHC 6907) : 1-6 credits (S / U Grade Only) (MPH, MSPH, MHA students)
  • Download the contract and complete.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet.
  • Attach the contract to the Registration Worksheet.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
Special Project (PHC 6977) : 3 credits (S / U Grade Only) (MPH, MHA students)
  • Download the contract and complete.
  • Complete the required Foundation training in the Human Research Protections. See the web site for instructions. Print out the Human Research Protection certificate and attach to the contract. Permits will not be issued without this certificate.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
Supervised Field Experience (PHC 6945) : 1-12 credits (S / U Grade Only) (MPH, MHA, MSPH students)
  • Download the contract, complete and get the required signatures. See the Field Experience web site for detailed information.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet.
  • Attach the contract to the Registration Worksheet.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
Thesis (PHC 6971) : 2-19 credits (S / U Grade Only) (MSPH students)
Prior to registering for thesis credits each student is required to have the following on file in their permanent record in the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office:
  • Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Appointment Form.
  • The following registration procedure should be followed after the above is completed:
  • Complete the required Foundation training in the Human Research Protections. See the web site for instructions.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet and attach a copy of the Human Subjects Protection certificate if this is the first time you are registering for thesis hours.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
  • See the Graduate School's Thesis/Disseration page for more instructions.
Specialized Study (PHC 7908) : 1-9 credits (S / U Grade Only) (PhD/DrPH students)
  • Download the contract and complete.
  • Type a one-page proposal. See the contract for instructions.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet.
  • Attach the one-page proposal & the contract to the Registration Worksheet.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
Directed Research (PHC 7910) : 1-19 credits (S / U Grade Only) (PhD/DrPH students)
  • Download the contract and complete.
  • Type a one-page proposal. See the contract for instructions.
  • Complete the required training in Human Research Protections. See the web site for instructions. Print out the Human Research Protections certificate and attach to the contract if this is the first time registering for Directed Research. Permits will not be issued without this certificate.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet.
  • Get your advisor's signature.
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.
Dissertation (PHC 7980) : 2-19 credits (S / U Grade Only) (PhD/DrPH students)
Prior to registering for dissertation credits each student is required to have the following on file in his/her permanent record in the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office:
The following registration procedure should be followed after the above is completed:
  • Complete the required training in the Human Research Protections. See the web site for instructions.
  • Download and complete a Registration Worksheet and attach a copy of the Human Research Protections certificate if this has not previously been submitted in a prior semester.
  • Get your advisor's signature
  • Submit the above documents to the COPH Academic and Student Affairs Office to receive a permit to register.