University of South Florida (Tampa)
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

School of Geosciences: The Environmental Science and Policy program (B.S. and Minor) encourages student success in an engaged, and interdisciplinary, learner centered environment, by providing a rigorous education and a stimulating environment. The program strives to be a leader in high-quality teaching and research specifically related to the natural environment. Through a multidisciplinary approach to both research and teaching, the program provides unique insights into the challenges facing the environment and society. This uniqueness comes from the incorporation of both science and policy investigation into these challenges. The program strives to continually develop its strengths and to build bridges with faculty from USF, as well as those at national and international institutions. Program strengths include: water resources, wildlife ecology, karst and wetland environments, meteorology and climatology, environmental sustainability, and environmental policy. The curriculum has two sub concentrations, one in environmental science and one in environmental policy. Students in both concentrations take supporting courses in physical and natural science, statistics, policy, and ethics. In addition, students select electives to strengthen their knowledge within their concentration. Seniors complete a research project or perform an internship in one of a variety of government agencies or private companies.

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida administers an undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree (BSCE), which is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET). Students following the Civil Engineering curriculum have the opportunity during their senior year to specialize with elective courses in the concentrations of: Geotechnical/Transportation, Structures/Materials, or Water/Environmental. These are fields of study that have special significance for the state of Florida and the Tampa Bay area. Both private industry and public agencies offer many career opportunities for graduates in these fields.

The mission of the Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering is to prepare graduates with fundamental knowledge and contemporary skills for the development, economic design, and safe operation of chemical and biological systems, processes, products, and methods in a manner compatible with societal values. The overall objective of the bachelor's degree program in chemical engineering at the University of South Florida is to prepare graduates for successful careers in the chemical engineering and related professions. Accordingly, graduates of this program who have chosen to pursue a career in engineering shall achieve the following within a few years after graduation: Demonstrate professional engineering competence by holding positions of increasing responsibility in industry, business, government and/or educational institutions, Publish papers, reports, patents and/or technical presentations at local, national, international meetings or within the professional organization/company that they are affiliated with. Continue to improve their technical skills, knowledge and understanding through continuing education, pursuit of advanced degrees, and/or pursuit of professional license in their chosen profession.

The Global Citizens Project is a university-wide initiative aimed at enhancing undergraduate students' global competencies through the development of new and improved curricular and co-curricular experiences. USF envisions itself as a global research university dedicated to student success. Goal #1 of our 2013-2018 Strategic Plan is to prepare "well-educated and highly skilled global citizens through our continuing commitment to student success." The Global Citizens Project is one of the ways in which USF is advancing this goal. The Global Citizens Project is made possible through our reaffirmation of accreditation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Every 10 years, as part of our reaffirmation by SACSCOC, USF must develop a Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP. A QEP is a plan to enhance student learning in a particular area that is deemed important by the university and aligns with the university's strategic plan. We have selected global citizenship as the area of learning to focus on this reaffirmation cycle and so have named our QEP, The Global Citizens Project. The Global Citizens Project has three goals: 1) to provide undergraduates with an introduction to global competencies through the FKL Core Curriculum (Global FKL), 2) to provide undergraduates with opportunities to practice and apply global competencies through their degree programs (Global Pathways), and 3) to provide undergraduates with opportunities to reinforce global competencies through an award program (Global Citizen Awards). Please see: http://www.usf.edu/qep/

Agricultural sustainability, biosecurity, and anthropogenic climate change are relatively new concepts and thus there has been little time to reach a critical mass of professionals trained in these fields. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program was only initiated 22 years ago. Further, many of the pathogens that affect agriculture have only recently emerged. To make matters worse, a disturbing workforce demographic is unfolding. A large number of employees in agencies like the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection are mid or late-career scientists, yet we are not training an adequate number of new scientists to fill these positions and help mitigate the impending shortfall. Hence, as emphasized by the new Biology for the 21st Century report, the USDA recognizes the need to ensure a competent, qualified, and diverse workforce to serve the food and agricultural sciences and improve the economic health and viability of rural communities. Thus, there are lots of job opportunities in industries targeted by this certificate.