Academic Program Specialist I

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

2d•$60,000 - $65,000

About The Position

The Academic Program Specialist I serves the PhD in Epidemiology, Master of Science in Epidemiology (MSE), and Certificate in Psychiatric Epidemiology programs in the Department of Epidemiology, jointly housed in the colleges of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine. The role is the primary point of contact for prospective and current graduate and certificate students and supports communication among students, faculty, administrative staff, leadership, and external stakeholders. It requires confidentiality, strong customer service, independent judgment, and participation in shared departmental responsibilities. The specialist supports recruitment and admissions by maintaining and distributing recruitment materials, organizing recruitment activities, managing applications in SLATE, coordinating admissions reviews, processing admission files, preparing Graduate Research Assistant offer letters, monitoring appointments, and managing the I-20 process for international applicants. The role provides program and course support, including registration, course materials, textbook adoption, syllabi, faculty guidance on Canvas, student inquiries, credit transfers, and curriculum approvals. The position coordinates program meetings, orientations, professional development activities, course schedules, committee meetings, milestone exams, and related events. It maintains deadline calendars, arranges rooms and audiovisual equipment, supports student development and monitoring plans, maintains student handbooks, and manages course evaluations. Administrative duties include preparing and entering graduate assistant appointment documents, maintaining student files and databases, managing academic-system documents, entering instructional data in the Academic Activities Reporting system, supplying data for required reports, and helping keep website content accurate. The position reports to the Director of the PhD program and indirectly to the Assistant Director of Administrative Services. Normal work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The position is time limited.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and two years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated initiative, including anticipating problems and proactively proposing solutions.
Essential knowledge of course management, university, and registration systems.
Previous experience working with students or faculty, or in project coordination.
Excellent communication, organizational, and computer skills, including proficiency with the MS Office Suite.
Experience with web navigation tools and programs.
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise good judgment.
Willingness and ability to learn new tasks; high attention to detail.
Ability to interact professionally with faculty, staff, and visitors in person, in writing, and by telephone.
Proficiency in using standard office equipment.
Strong customer service skills in supporting students and faculty in departmental academic programs.
Must upload a cover letter and resume to be considered.
Must be eligible to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a research or academic setting is desirable.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary staff recruiter and contact for prospective and current students in the Epidemiology graduate and certificate programs.
Develop, maintain, and distribute graduate recruitment materials; organize and participate in recruitment activities; and track, extract, and report recruitment data.
Use SLATE to review and manage applications; compile prospective student files; coordinate admissions reviews; and process admissions files.
Generate Graduate Research Assistant offer letters, monitor appointments, and manage the I-20 process for international degree applicants.
Provide timely information to students, faculty, and others on matters within the role's responsibilities.
Assist applicants and students with questions, forms, course registration, and program information; oversee departmental course registration and triage inquiries.
Procure course-related materials, ensure textbook adoption and timely syllabus completion and posting, and provide guidance to new faculty on Canvas as needed.
Assist the Program Director and Curriculum Committee chairs with student credit transfers and submit required documents to the graduate school.
Support PhD Quarterly meetings and the PhD Professional Development Series; coordinate Curriculum Committee meetings and take minutes.
Collaborate with faculty on course schedules, maintain a deadline calendar, and monitor college and university deadlines.
Reserve classrooms and maintain a course schedule matrix to minimize overlap between PhD and master's-level programs.
Schedule program-related committee meetings and events, including admissions, orientations, and faculty, staff, and student socials.
Coordinate scheduling of PhD milestone exams, distribute dissertation defense announcements, attend exams as requested, and arrange audiovisual setups for oral exams and meetings.
Ensure students and faculty mentors complete mandatory individual development plans and monitoring plans.
Update the PhD and MSE student handbooks annually; prepare and track University Curriculum Committee forms for new and revised courses.
Organize annual orientations for PhD, MS, and MPH Epidemiology students, including rooms, agendas, speakers, activities, catering, materials, and departmental swag.
Assign course evaluations and ensure they are received and distributed to faculty, the Curriculum Committee, and the Chair.
Prepare Graduate Assistant appointment, renewal, and addendum letters; enter letters in PeopleSoft; obtain signatures; and coordinate with faculty on student funding.
Work with faculty and the Assistant Director of Administrative Services to resolve funding or related issues, and provide appointment documents to Human Resources for processing.
Access and manage GIMS and Student Admin documents; maintain student databases and files for the MS, PhD, and certificate programs.
Enter and maintain departmental instructional data in the Academic Activities Reporting system, correcting errors to support effort allocation and certification.
Provide data for required reporting, including annual SACS reporting, and respond to requests concerning enrollment, admissions, withdrawals, and other graduate-program information.
Assist with website articles and photos and periodically audit website content for accuracy and updates.
Participate in required departmental activities and shared administrative responsibilities.