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General Information


  • The Office of Graduate Studies
    Mary Lou Soffa, PhD, Dean of Graduate Studies
    Merle J. Moskowitz, PhD, Associate Dean

    The Office of Graduate Studies has final approval over all admissions to graduate study in FAS and all appointments as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Graduate Student Assistants, and Graduate Student Researchers, as well as processing all related tuition scholarships. It reviews and records the academic progress of graduate students, including the passing of comprehensive examinations, admissions to doctoral candidacy, and final oral examinations. It verifies the completion of theses and dissertations, and certifies all graduate degrees awarded in Arts and Sciences.


    Questions regarding admissions, teaching and research appointments, and program of studies should be addressed first to the individual graduate department or program. Questions regarding registration, tuition scholarships for teaching or research assistants, and graduate status should be addressed to this office at 910 Cathedral of Learning, (412) 624-6094. Our fax number is (412) 624-5299; our e-mail address is fasgrad@pitt.edu. The FAS Office of Graduate Studies also maintains a World Wide Web site at http://www.pitt.edu/~fasgrad to provide information to prospective and current graduate students.


  • Accreditation
    The University of Pittsburgh, including the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and all four regional campuses, is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education. For additional departmental accreditation, see Communication and Psychology in this bulletin.


  • The University of Pittsburgh
    Founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is one of the oldest institutions of higher education west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is an independent, state-related, non-sectarian, coeducational institution offering a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs. The main campus occupies 90 buildings, among them the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, and is located in Oakland, the cultural heart of Pittsburgh.

    Graduate degrees have been conferred since 1836 when two students received the Master of Arts degree. The first PhD program was developed in 1884. The University now offers graduate programs in 13 professional schools and 31 departments and programs within Arts and Sciences. In recognition of the strength of its graduate programs, the University was elected in 1974 to the Association of American Universities, an organization of the 58 most respected graduate and research institutions in North America. Total enrollment at the Pittsburgh campus during the regular academic year is approximately 28,000, of which nearly 10,000 are graduate and professional students.



  • Cultural and Recreational Resources of the City

    The cultural and recreational opportunities offered by Pittsburgh are rich in variety and easily accessible to students. Within walking distance of the University are theaters, art galleries, museums, libraries, and concert halls. National touring shows add to the attractiveness of the impressive permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History, adjacent to the University. The Chamber Music Society offers the finest groups at reasonable prices in a concert hall near campus. The Theatre Arts Department of the University presents outstanding productions in its campus-based theater. In nearby downtown Pittsburgh, students can enjoy performances of the world-renowned Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Opera, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, as well as concerts and live theater productions.

    Pittsburgh has consistently been named one of the nation's most livable cities in various national surveys. For sports enthusiasts, the city offers professional football, hockey, and baseball teams, and the University has top-ranked teams in football and basketball. An Olympic-size swimming pool and a large gym are used for recreation by students and faculty. The 456-acre Schenley Park, adjacent to the main campus, has facilities for ice skating, cross-country skiing, bicycling, golf, tennis, and picnicking. State recreational parks in the outlying areas of Pittsburgh offer swimming, hiking, and sailing. The mountains and rivers of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia are famous for white-water rafting, back-packing, camping, and hiking in summer and for cross-country and downhill skiing in the winter.

    Most students and many faculty live within walking distance of the University, either in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, or Shadyside. These areas abound in ethnic restaurants and in shops of all varieties, reflecting the cosmopolitan background of the residents.

    Most people find that Pittsburgh is a friendly, warm, active, exciting, and comfortable city in which to live.



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