Continuing Studies

The mission of UT’s Continuing Studies program is to extend the resources of the University to non-traditional learners in the Tampa Bay area who want to obtain, on a part-time basis, a quality education with a rich on-campus experience. Specially trained admissions counselors and academic advisors in the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies work with a wide range of non-traditional learners to help facilitate degree completion in the shortest possible time. 

Admission Requirements

To be admitted as a part-time student and unless otherwise stated, an applicant must complete an admissions application (available at www.ut.edu/admissions) and fulfill the following requirements:

• Applicants must have graduated from high school or earned a GED. (Official high school transcripts and official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions are required. Students who have earned a GED must provide GED scores and a high school transcript up to the date of withdrawal. Neither SAT nor ACT scores are required for applicants who have been out of high school for at least two years.)
• Applicants with associate degrees need to provide only official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions verifying degree.
• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students.
• Applicants must pay a nonrefundable application fee.

Contact admissions at (813) 253-6249 or admissions@ut.edu for additional information or to schedule a counseling appointment.

Transient (Visiting) Students

Students who regularly attend another institution and have never been denied admission to UT may register as visiting students for up to two consecutive semesters. A transient student must:

• Complete the undergraduate application for admission and select "transient (visiting) student."
• Pay the nonrefundable application fee.
• Provide a copy of transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable).

The University of Tampa gives priority registration to its regularly enrolled students and reserves the right to deny admission or registration to transient students when demand for requested classes exceeds availability or when the University determines the visiting student is not adequately prepared for the requested class. Transient students may take up to 24 credit hours at the University. If a student wishes to continue at the University, she or he must apply as a transfer student to be admitted.

Non-Degree Seeking Students

The University welcomes students who are not in a UT degree program, or who have not been academically dismissed or denied acceptance, to enroll in undergraduate courses on a space-available basis for up to three semesters. Non-degree seeking students must file an application (available at www.ut.edu/admissions) with a nonrefundable application fee.

Students attending other colleges or universities should follow the procedures for transient students. High school students should submit letters of recommendation from principals or counselors listing the UT courses students are permitted to take. Non-degree seeking students are subject to the same academic policies as undergraduate degree seeking students and adhere to the deadline dates published in the University course schedule.

Non-degree seeking students pay the regular tuition rates.

Auditing Classes

A student may register as an auditing student by submitting an application form (available at www.ut.edu/admissions) and a nonrefundable application fee. An auditing student earns no college credit, and academic work is not graded. To audit classes, students are not required to submit records of previous academic work, but they must secure prior permission from the professor teaching the course. Auditors pay 50 percent of the credit-hour rate charged for undergraduate instruction. See the Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog for more information.

Postbaccalaureate Degree Students

In addition to the application form (available at www.ut.edu/admissions) and a nonrefundable application fee, these students must submit transcripts from regionally accredited colleges or universities showing all baccalaureate degrees earned and the dates granted. Those seeking second baccalaureate degrees should refer to the Academic Programs chapter of this catalog.

Part-Time Degree Seeking Students

Part-time students who intend to complete a degree at UT are encouraged to complete a degree planning worksheet in Workday. The degree planning worksheet provides certain benefits to the student and offers a guide for the advisor as the student progresses toward graduation. Students with a degree planning worksheet may be qualified to receive a special tuition rate (see the Tuition and Fees section below).

Part-time degree seeking students are encouraged, but not required, to take at least 3 credit hours (but not more than 9) in at least one summer session (May Term included) per year. The student may interrupt the degree requirements for valid reasons, as determined by the assistant vice president and director of graduate and continuing studies, and remain qualified for the special tuition rate, but interruptions are limited and discouraged.

Part-time students who wish to change their status to full-time must apply by completing the regular undergraduate admissions application (available at www.ut.edu/apply) and meet all academic requirements for admission as a full-time student, including admissions deadlines. Please refer to appropriate sections of this catalog, including the Costs and Financial Information chapter.

Veterans

Veterans’ enrollments are certified by the Registrar’s Office to the Veterans Administration. Questions concerning veterans’ benefits should be directed to vco@ut.edu.

Registration Procedures

Students can view class offerings and enroll for classes through Workday. However, academic staff are also readily available to assist students with the enrollment process. When seeking registration assistance from an academic advisor, it is recommended to schedule an in-person appointment or phone consultation. This enables the advisor to review the student record and fully prepare to meet their specific needs.

The registration procedures for OGCS students are as follows: 

• New graduate, part-time, and non-degree seeking students are registered for classes by their assigned academic advisor.

• Returning graduate students may self-register for classes in Workday or coordinate with their assigned academic advisor for registration assistance.
• Returning part-time continuing studies and post-baccalaureate students must be cleared for registration by their academic advisor. Once cleared, the student may self-register for classes in Workday or coordinate with their academic advisor for additional support.
• Returning non-degree seeking students are registered by their assigned academic advisor.

Students with a current degree plan and the accompanying agreement will be able to expedite registration for their classes in the respective term of their degree plan. 

Tuition and Fees

Students qualify for the continuing studies tuition rate as long as they meet the following criteria:

• Remains academically qualified to be enrolled at the University, including at least a 2.0 GPA in all courses taken at UT.
• Has a degree plan and accompanying agreement in effect, which includes at least 3 credit hours (but no more than 9 credit hours) per semester, and annually updates the degree plan with the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies.
• Maintains continuous enrollment at UT. Continuous enrollment means registration in classes each subsequent semester until graduation. Summer class registration is not required, but it is encouraged.
• Is seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree or an undergraduate degree in one of the following majors:

Accounting

Advertising and Public Relations

Allied Health

Art

Art Therapy

Business Information Technology

Communication and Media Studies

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Cybersecurity

Dance 

Economics

English

Entrepreneurship

Film and Media Arts

Finance

Financial Enterprise Systems

Graphic Design

History

International Business

Journalism

Management

Management Information Systems

Marketing

Museum Studies

Music 

Music Education

Music Performance

Musical Theatre

New Media 

Philosophy

Political Science

Psychology

Public Health

Sociology

Spanish

Sport Management

Theatre

Writing

or in this certificate: Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting

The tuition rate for qualifying part-time students can be found by referring to the section Costs and Financial Information. Part-time students who do not qualify for this rate will be charged at the 1 credit hour rate times the number of credit hours enrolled. Continuing studies students pay one-half the rate per audit hour. Part-time students are assessed a student services fee of $40 per semester. The University accepts a variety of payment methods and plans.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Many companies support their employees’ efforts with tuition assistance plans. The University requires only half of each semester’s tuition prior to the final payment day of each term if the student furnishes a signed statement verifying employment and stating the terms of the company’s reimbursement plan. Part-time students who qualify may be eligible for state and federal financial aid. (See the Financial Aid section of this catalog.)

Current and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces (including National Guard and Reserves) may be eligible for tuition benefits. Information is available from any military education officer.

A limited number of scholarships are available to part-time students. Criteria for the awards are high academic performance/potential and financial need. Students who wish to be considered for these scholarships should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

How to Get Started

• Complete your online application at www.ut.edu/admissions. If you have questions, need assistance, or wish to schedule an appointment call (813) 253-6249 or toll free (888) MINARET 646-2738.
• Request official transcripts from all previously attended colleges/universities and your high school (if you do not have an associate degree) to be mailed to the University at the address below.

Correspondence can be sent to:

Admissions

The University of Tampa, Box F

Tampa, FL 33606-1490

Programs and Degree Requirements

Part-time students have a wide array of programs from which to choose. Students should visit www.ut.edu/continuingstudies for a complete list of programs available to part-time continuing adult learners. Part-time degree seeking students complete the same degree requirements for their major as regular full-time students, and these requirements can be found in the respective section of this catalog. In addition to the requirements of the student’s selected major area of study, all students are required to complete a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum. For all degrees except the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, the general curriculum requirements can be found described in the Spartan Studies section of the UT Academic Experience chapter in this catalog. The general curriculum requirements for the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree are described in the BLS major section of this catalog.

Evening Classes

While some of the programs are offered only or predominantly during the day, select programs are offered in such a way as to accommodate the student that cannot complete a degree by only taking daytime classes. Students should consult with the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies to determine the degrees/majors that can largely be completed in the evening, if this is a requirement of the student’s schedule.

Transfer Credit

Part-time students often have earned credits at another institution and wish to have them applied toward their degree requirements at UT. For policies and procedures regarding the transfer of credits, please see the Transfer Credit Evaluation section of the Academic Policies and Procedures chapter in this catalog.

Advising

The Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies (OGCS) is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (except during the summer, when all University offices are closed on Fridays). The office services graduate students, as well as undergraduate students who are classified as part-time continuing studies, post-baccalaureate, and non-degree seeking.

OGCS students are welcome and highly encouraged to meet regularly with their assigned academic advisor. The advisors provide valuable assistance to students by explaining academic requirements, offering registration support, recommending campus resources, and fostering professional development. Academic advisors are mainly responsible for:

• Clarifying academic polices and degree requirements.
• Identifying student services that will facilitate academic and professional development.
• Assisting with academic procedures, such as: Transient Forms; Internship Forms; Adding, Dropping, or Withdrawing from Classes; Requests for Change of Program, Major or Minor; Petitions for Academic Appeal; Applying for Graduation; and more.

Continuing studies students are assigned an academic advisor in the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies (OGCS) to assist in all aspects of their academic time at the University. A student’s assigned academic advisor provides valuable assistance in developing a plan of study, working through enrollment problems, helping orient the student to campus resources, dealing with work-home-school conflicts, connecting with faculty members for special help or mentoring and more. Additionally, the academic advisor can help the student apply for prior learning credits. A student may elect to also have a faculty advisor assigned; if this is the case, the student's OGCS academic advisor can assist. The name and contact information of each student’s assigned academic advisor can be found in Workday.

 

Degree Planning and Degree Requirements Agreement

In consultation with an academic advisor, all part-time degree-seeking Continuing Studies students complete a degree planning worksheet.  The degree worksheet identifies the courses the student must satisfactorily complete to achieve their goal – a University of Tampa degree.  This agreement represents a mutual understanding of the best efforts by the student and the University to accomplish this goal in the shortest possible time.