The administrative details of getting your degree are governed by policies and procedures at three levels: the department, the school, and the University. View our Academic Handbook and Degree Requirements for policies and procedures, and links to the most important University policies
conditional/Provisional status
Students admitted with conditional/provisional status must remove all provisions in order to register for the next term.
Program Requirements
Academic requirements are available on department webpages under Academics>specific degree you are seeking. These written requirements must be used in conjunction with periodic meetings with your academic advisor(s).
Non-credit requirements
You are responsible for completing several non-credit requirements before you can complete your degree:
Students who fail to comply with the non-credit requirements will have an academic hold placed on their account.
Master's degrees
For the Master of Public Health degree, approved programs of study require a total of at least 42 credits, including the required courses, electives, an essay or thesis, and a practicum/internship.
Approved programs of study for the Master of Science degree require a total of at least 30 credits, including required courses, electives, and a thesis on a research problem in the area of the student's principal interest. Additionally, a comprehensive examination and final oral examination covering the subject of the thesis are required.
Doctoral degrees
For advancement to candidacy for a doctoral degree, the student must pass certain examinations (qualifying/preliminary overview, comprehensive, and defense), fulfill the research tool requirement (the student's advisor confirms facility with use of the computer as a research tool), complete a certain period of residency and specific courses as determined by the department or school, and gain approval of the thesis topic by the student's thesis or dissertation advisory committee. The credit requirement generally is at least 72 credits; a limited number of credits may possibly be accepted from a previously earned master's degree at the discretion of the department.
Public health school-wide courses
Students are expected to demonstrate competence in the fundamentals of public health with an understanding of human-environment relationships; techniques of investigation, measurement, and evaluation; and health services. The subject areas covering these fundamentals are currently defined as social and behavioral science, environmental health, biostatistics, epidemiology, and health policy and management. See the academic handbook for a list of the school-wide core courses. For the list of school-wide core courses required by your program, see your department's handbook.
Public Health Grand Rounds
All degree-seeking students must register for and complete two terms of the Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds Course (PUBHLT 2022) during their first fall and spring terms. This is a course designed to expose students to the broader profession of public health.
Electronic theses, essays, and dissertations
Master's theses and essays and doctoral dissertations must be submitted by ETD website upload. Students will create a d-scholarship@pitt.edu account during the term that they intend to graduate and upload it there. For additional School information visit publichealth.pitt.edu/graduation. For additional University information visit etd.pitt.edu.
Research certification
All students involved in human or animal research are required to complete online training modules.
Exit survey
Students must complete a brief online exit survey before certification for graduation.