-
Can I be admitted during the Spring semester?
No. Students are only admitted to the CSA program during the Fall semester.
[Top]
-
How many students are accepted each Fall semester?
Approximately 18-25 students are accepted each Fall depending on the number of graduate assistantships available.
[Top]
-
What is the difference between an M.Ed. degree and an M.A. degree?
M.Ed. degrees generally require more credit hours to complete as they include internship and practicum credits. It also signifies that you have gained practical experience and worked in the field, as opposed to just completing classroom work. Our program requires you to be employed in an area of student affairs to gain practical experience in the field and to begin applying the concepts learned within the classroom. The experience will earn you 6 graduate internship credits.
[Top]
-
Do I have to take the GRE?
Yes. ALL students entering the graduate school at USF are required to take the GRE. Students seeking admittance to the CSA Program in the College of Education must have an official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least the 50th percentile Verbal and the 50th percentile Quantitative OR A Miller's Analogy Test (MAT) score of at least 50. USF has developed a GRE practice test that is available at http://usfweb.usf.edu/ugrads/eandt/etsandusf.htm.
[Top]
-
Can I transfer graduate course work into USF that was completed at another institution?
All transfer course work requests are reviewed on an individual basis. It is possible to transfer up to 8 hours of equivalent course work. It is recommended that you provide a copy of the course description and course syllabus from the transferring institution for the courses being reviewed to the CSA Program Advisor as soon as you have been accepted into the program.
[Top]
-
What if my undergraduate degree is not in education?
That’s fine. You do not have to have an undergraduate degree in education to be eligible for the CSA program. A B.S. or B.A. degree from an accredited institution is all that is required. Our current students have majors ranging from biology to political science to communications.
[Top]
-
What is an assistantship? Do I get paid?
An assistantship is a 20 hour per week, 2-year work experience in a Student Affairs office at USF, or a local college or university, where you will have the opportunity to apply the theories learned in class to practice. The CSA program will assist you in securing interviews with assistantship supervisors. You are provided with an hourly wage of approximately $9.62/hour for a minimum of 20 hours/week. Some assistantships (i.e. Residence Life) are compensated in additional ways (i.e. housing and meal plan) for the additional responsibilities required of those positions. All students appointed to an assistantship are also eligible for tuition assistance.
[Top]
-
What kind of tuition assistance is available?
All students who are appointed to a graduate assistantship are eligible for tuition waiver up to 9 credit hours that covers all tuition and matriculation fees, or those fees that apply directly to your classes. Your cost per credit hour includes other fees such as student activity fees, health services, etc. which cannot be paid for by a tuition waiver. See the Fee Sheet for a more detailed description. CSA students generally receive a waiver for the 9 credit hours enrolled during Fall and Spring and for the 6 hours enrolled during the Summer. However, this allotment depends on budget cuts and disbursements from the Graduate School and is subject to change.
[Top]
-
What is the difference between an assistantship and the internship?
“Assistantship” refers to the 20 hour/week work experience for which you are paid. The “internship” refers to the academic credit that you will earn from the CSA program during the second year of your “assistantship” experience. The Internship requires written goals, summary papers and a bi-monthly seminar dealing with job search and professionalism issues.
[Top]
-
Do I have to stay in the same assistantship for 2 years?
We do our utmost to ensure that students are placed in an assistantship that matches professional goals of the student. It is recommended that you remain in the same assistantship for the 2 years to get the maximum learning benefit from the experience. During the 2nd year of the assistantship you will become an increasingly valued member of the staff with wide ranging professional responsibilities. However, if you determine that your education would be better served by changing assistantships, you may do so as long as you take the necessary steps to find a supervisor who has the funding and need for a graduate assistant and you discuss the professional ramifications with the Program Advisor.
[Top]
-
What if I already have a full-time job in student affairs at a college or university? Do I have to quit to do an assistantship?
No. During your interview with the Program Advisor, it will be determined if your current position in student affairs will substitute for the assistantship experience. Students not appointed in an assistantship are not eligible for a tuition waiver. However, you can still apply for financial aid through the Office of Financial Aid or use the state tuition waiver program if you work for a state institution.
[Top]
-
Can I attend classes part-time?
If you have a full-time position in student affairs at a local college or university, then you can register for classes part-time. A program sequence will be developed for you to ensure courses are completed in the proper sequence.
[Top]
-
What time are the classes offered?
The core program classes are only offered one semester per year, one day a week, between the hours of 1:00pm and 5:00pm. There are other required courses that are offered multiple semesters, one evening a week, between 5:00pm and 9:00pm.
[Top]
-
What if I have a full-time position that is not related to student affairs?
You will be able to complete some classes part-time. However, you will eventually need to be available to take the core courses in the afternoon and make arrangements to gain work experience in student affairs. During your final semesters, you will need a total of 600 hours of work experience in student affairs to earn 6 credit hours of internship.
[Top]
-
What are the job prospects and starting salaries for graduates in this field?
We currently have a 100% placement rate for all the students who sought positions in the field. Placement options increase for those students who are willing to relocate out of the Tampa Bay area. Starting salaries for entry-level positions are generally $28,000-$32,000, but vary depending on type and size of institution, geographic location, prior work experience and field of specialty.
[Top]
-
How are the graduate classes taught and by whom?
The graduate classes in the CSA program are based on learning the theories of how college students develop and the events and services we must provide to support them. This is done through interactive class discussions, research papers, group projects and classroom presentations. Faculty in the program who teach the core courses are: Dr. Wilma J. Henry, Associate Professor and CSA Program Coordinator, College of Education and Dr.Harold Nixon, Visiting Associate Professor, College Student Affairs, Thomas Miller, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dr. Jody Conway, Director Student Affairs, Nursing. In addition, there are various faculty members in the College of Education who teach program courses as well as Student Affairs practitioners from USF and partner institutions.
[Top]
-
What can you tell me about the culture of USF and the CSA students?
Being located in a large, metropolitan, urban area creates a campus that is fairly liberal and diverse. USF currently has about 36,0000 students and more than 250 student organizations that service a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities, interests, religions, and abilities. The students of the CSA Program have created the Association for College Student Affairs (ACSA) to provide additional support, socials, and professional development opportunities. Accepting only a small number of students each Fall semester allows each CSA class to bond and provide each other with the close support needed.
[Top]
-
What is the Tampa Bay area like?
The Tampa Bay area is a large city surrounded by suburbs and small country towns. You can spend your free time enjoying activities from a day on the roller coasters and water slides at Busch Gardens and Adventure Island to the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Art lovers can enjoy the cultural activities available at the numerous museums, performing arts centers, and clubs. Sports enthusiasts will enjoy that Tampa Bay is home to major sports teams including the Buccaneers, the Rays, the Lightning, spring training for the New York Yankees and, of course, the USF Bulls. The stadiums that house those teams provide a number of venues for drawing the hottest and best music groups on the scene. There are even unique local events like the annual Strawberry Festival, Gasparilla, Guavaween, and the Florida State Fair. Once you’ve experienced all that, the Walt Disney and Universal Studios Theme parks are only an hour away. There is never a shortage of things to do in the Tampa Bay area.
[Top]
