Education

Since its establishment in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the University of South Florida’s community medical school has undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving into a prominent academic medical center know statewide and nationally for its innovative and interprofessional approach to education, research and patient care. Enrolling its charter class in 1971, USF’s medical school was renamed the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in 2011, signifying its leading role in changing how medical schools teach physicians of the future.

Fully accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education and offering a wide range of doctorate degrees, including Medicine (MD) and Medical Sciences (MS and PhD through Biomedical Graduate & Postdoctoral Programs. Our college also provides specialized programs through the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, offering the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and the Athletic Training Education Program, providing two MS degree tracks.

Accreditation

The University of South Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees. The University of South Florida also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of the University of South Florida may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Normal inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to the institution and not to the Commission’s Office.

View more information on Accreditation.

USF Health Downtown Building in Water Street Tampa

Our new state-of-the-art USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is a key anchor in downtown Tampa's burgeoning urban core. The iconic 395,000-square-foot building houses world-class labs, technologically advanced experiential learning spaces, and research facilities. Co-locating the educational and clinical care delivery components better facilitates student and faculty interactions and fosters stronger scientific collaboration. The academic excellence within our iconic building helps catalyze the region's economic development and further strengthens USF's presence downtown, which already includes our primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital, the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare, and our outstanding medical simulation center, the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS).

Among its key features:

• A primary anchor for Water Street Tampa, a $3-billion real estate development by Strategic Property Partners, the joint venture of Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investments LLC, transforming Tampa’s downtown waterfront.
• 13-story, 395,000 square-foot facility with a 400-seat auditorium/lecture halls, experiential learning laboratory, smaller classrooms, clinical research unit and laboratories to support the Heart Institute, and public spaces designed with wellness in mind.
• Close to the college’s primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and blocks away from USF Health’s world-class medical simulation center, CAMLS.
• Exceptional structural support including 47,000 tons of concrete, a weight equal to 155 Boeing 747 jets, and 2.5 million linear feet of rebar, equal to 479 miles or the distance between Tampa and Atlanta.

Research

We consistently attract record-breaking research awards, top-tier faculty and students, and drive economic growth in Tampa Bay – one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. U.S. News & World Report increasingly ranks our graduate programs, including Medical Research and Primary Care, in the Top 50 of all public and private universities. Our college is the fastest-rising medical school in both research and primary care in the nation over the past decade, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report Academic Insights.

In Academic Year 2022, our investigators secured 70% of the University of South Florida’s total research awards, propelling discovery as our university gains national and international recognition as a high-impact, global research institution – one of just three universities recently invited to join the Association of American Universities.

We also host flagship research institutes, including:

• The technologically advanced USF Health Heart Institute, which drives team science to accelerate heart, lung, and vascular discoveries, improving health outcomes.
• The interdisciplinary USF Health Neuroscience Institute, anchored by one of the world’s largest freestanding centers for Alzheimer’s research and care.
• The USF Health Informatics Institute, an internationally recognized hub for epidemiological research in Type 1 diabetes, led by Dr. Jeffrey Krischer, who ranks among the top 1% of NIH Principal Investigators (PIs) worldwide.

We are committed to providing our students with outstanding research opportunities to support their growth and development as scientists, leaders, and ultimately as mentors. Currently, our medical students actively engage in 96.8% of scholarly endeavors in areas such as biomedical research, health informatics, health disparities, health systems engineering, international medicine, and law and medicine.

Patient Care

USF Health is the largest multispecialty practice on Florida's West Coast, with over 1,000 providers in over 30 specialties providing care to more than 1,000,000 patients annually. We have strengthened our longstanding relationship with our primary teaching hospital and chief academic partner, Tampa General Hospital (TGH), aligning administrative and clinical practice areas into a joint organization called USF Tampa General Physicians. TGH is ranked among the nation's top 50 hospitals in six adult medical specialties, with either MCOM faculty leading or co-leading these specialties. This includes being ranked No. 1 in two specialties in Florida and the No.1 Best Hospital in Tampa Bay, as per the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list.

Two flagship outpatient medical centers, the USF Health Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare and the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare, provide world-class health care with the most sophisticated medical equipment and technology in the region. Designed around a one-stop shopping experience, patients are offered convenient, high-quality health care with an emphasis on customer service.

Key hospital partners:

• Tampa General Hospital (primary teaching hospital and chief academic partner)
• James A. Haley Veterans' Administration Hospital
• Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
• Moffitt Cancer Center
• Lehigh Valley Health Network

Community Impact

The Carnegie Foundation ranks USF as a Community Engaged institution, a designation recognizing the university's collaborative service to its larger communities, both near and far. Whether screening for hypertension in an inner-city neighborhood near USF or offering well-child exams in a remote village halfway around the world, our students and faculty have no shortage of opportunities to help create healthier, more sustainable communities. Our college is ranked as one of the top medical schools in the nation for serving medically needed communities, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report.

Community service learning that prepares USF Health aspiring physicians to care for patients with diverse backgrounds includes:

• Helping the uninsured next door: The BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, a national model, teams faculty-supervised medical students with their peers in physical therapy, pharmacy, public health, and other health professions who provide free medical care to the uninsured living near USF. 
• Hitting the streets: The student-run organization Tampa Bay Street Medicine (TBSM) brings basic healthcare and hygiene to Tampa's homeless on the streets and in shelters. A mobile unit recently expanded access to care, and TBSM began clinics for seafarers at the Port of Tampa Bay. 
• Global outreach: USF Health's International Health Service Collaborative provides our medical students with clinical rotations, research, international field experiences, conferences, and service-learning activities in other countries.