The academic advisor, in consultation with the student, designates faculty members to act as the examining committee. Examining committees are required for students in the Master of Science programs and in the doctoral programs. It is recommended that members of the committee represent the student's field of specialization.
Each doctoral student, together with his or her committee, is responsible for drawing together and assuring accomplishment of all elements of the student's course of studies, including the core requirements of the PhD and other doctoral degrees offered by the school, the research tools requirement, course work in the field of specialization, advanced standing, the qualifying and comprehensive examinations, and the dissertation overview and its final oral defense.
Requirements in these subject areas are generally fulfilled by completing the following courses or their equivalents:
1997
This system applies to all students who are enrolled in these courses, unless the student is in a program requiring the conventional grade.
A indicates superior attainment = 4.00
Honors/satisfactory/unsatisfactory option
To encourage students to supplement their majors with challenging courses in disciplines removed from the areas of their primary concentration, any degree-oriented student is permitted to select one elective per term (from among courses that do not fulfill for him or her any degree requirements) to be graded as H (honors), S (satisfactory), or U (unsatisfactory).
Satisfactory/audit grade option
All thesis/dissertation type courses are limited to the S/N (satisfactory/non-credit audit) grade option.
A full credit load is normally nine to 15 per term. Full-time students in the Health Administration program are expected to carry a greater number of credits for most terms. Other students must obtain permission to take more than 15 credits.
Enrolled graduate students may, when approved in advance by their department and the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services, spend a term or more at another graduate institution to obtain training or experience not available at the University of Pittsburgh and transfer those credits toward the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Pittsburgh. In all cases, at least three terms, or 36 credits, of full-time doctoral study or the equivalent in part-time study must be successfully completed at the University of Pittsburgh.
The doctoral candidate is required to execute an agreement with University Microfilms International for the publication of the dissertation on microfilm (see below).
The Graduate School of Public Health has an annual Convocation for graduates and alumni, described earlier.
All requirements for MS degrees must be completed within a period of four consecutive calendar years from the student's initial registration for graduate study. All requirements for professional master's degrees (MPH, MHA/MBA, and MHA/MPH), must be completed in five years.
Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree should be fulfilled within a period of ten calendar years from the student's initial registration for graduate study. Requirements for those students holding a master's degree should be completed within a period of eight calendar years from their first registration for doctoral study.
For the Doctor of Public Health, the doctoral dissertation must be submitted within five years of approval of the dissertation outline by the doctoral committee.
Students may attend on a part-time basis in most programs and under the same statute of limitations as full-time students.
More specifically, master's students must undertake:
Students on special or provisional status are not eligible to take a comprehensive examination. These examinations must be taken at least one month prior to the last day of the term in which the degree is to be granted. The results must be reported promptly to the GSPH Student Affairs office but no later than the last day of the term in which the examination is administered. A student who is unable to complete all degree requirements within a two-year period after passing the comprehensive examination may be re-examined at the discretion of the department or Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services.
These examinations must be taken at least one month prior to the last day of the term in which the degree is to be granted.
Each candidate must provide a suitable number of copies of the thesis for review and use as designated by the thesis examining committee, consisting of at least three members of the faculty recommended by the major advisor and approved by the department chairperson. The final oral examination in defense of the master's thesis is conducted by the thesis committee, and a report of this examination signed by all members of the committee must be filed in the Office of Student Affairs. After the examination, at least one unbound copy of the approved thesis must be deposited in the Office of Student Affairs, 114 Parran Hall, no later than one week after the end of the term/session (see checklist of thesis/dissertation requirements in University's Style and Form Manual).
Students submitting an essay or literature review must meet the specifications of the department and also of the Style and Form Manual, although it is recognized that there may be no tables or figures in the paper.
Students submitting an article accepted for publication must meet the margin requirements and submit a committee signature sheet and title page patterned after that in the Style and Form Manual. If there are multiple authors, a statement should be included explaining the role of each author.
The GSPH Student Affairs office forwards the thesis or essay copy to the Office of the Provost, for binding and deposit in the University Library System. A receipt for the thesis binding/microfilming fees must be submitted with the thesis or essay.
More specifically, doctoral students must meet and undergo:
Doctoral students should complete at least three credits of 3010 or 3100 (dissertation) or register for one term of Full-time Dissertation Study (FTDR) as follows: Doctoral students who have completed all credit requirements for the degree, including any minimum dissertation credit requirements and are working full-time on their dissertations may register for "Full-time Dissertation Study," which carries no credits or letter grade but provides students full-time status. Students so enrolled are assessed a special tuition fee.
This doctoral committee has the responsibility to advise the student during the progress of the candidate's research and has the authority to require high-quality research and/or the rewriting of any portion or all of the dissertation. It conducts the final oral examination and determines whether the dissertation meets acceptable standards.
Meetings of the doctoral candidate and her or his dissertation committee must occur at least annually from the time the student gains admission to doctoral candidacy. During these meetings, the committee should assess the student's progress toward degree and discuss objectives for the following year and a timetable for completing degree requirements.
The membership of the doctoral committee may be changed whenever it is appropriate or necessary, subject to the approval of the department chairperson and the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services.
For the Doctor of Public Health degree, this examination cannot be held until the student has completed all the core course requirements for the Master of Public Health degree.
Evaluation results must be reported promptly to the Student Affairs office, but no later than the last day of the term in which the evaluation occurs.
Admission to candidacy should occur at least eight months before the defense of the dissertation in order to provide an opportunity for the members of the doctoral committee to review, criticize, and monitor the proposed research.
One copy of the dissertation must be submitted to each member of the doctoral committee at least two weeks before the date set for the final oral examination. The examination may be scheduled not earlier than two weeks following submission of the dissertation, but must be held at least two weeks before the degree is to be conferred.
At least four weeks before the final examination, the chairperson of the doctoral committee must provide the GSPH Student Affairs office with a typed notice, listing the title of the dissertation and the time and place for its defense. The student is to post notice on the Parran Hall bulletin board and send it for announcement to the University Times well in advance of the date of the defense.
The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee. This examination may be either a defense of the dissertation, an examination in the field of the dissertation, or a combination of both and need not be confined to materials in or related to the dissertation. All members of the doctoral committee must attend the examination. Exceptions can be made only with the permission of the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services. Any member of the graduate faculty of the University may attend and participate in the examination. Other qualified individuals may be invited by the committee to participate in the examination. Only members of the doctoral committee may be present during the final deliberations and may vote on the passing of the candidate. A report of this examination and a report on approval of the dissertation, signed by all members of the doctoral committee, must be sent to the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services for approval. The report on the approval of the dissertation may be signed concurrent with or subsequent to the report of the final oral examination. If the decision of the committee is not unanimous, the case is referred to the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services for resolution. The chairperson of the doctoral committee should insure that the dissertation is in final form before requesting signatures of the members of the committee.
Characteristics that a dissertation should demonstrate are: the establishment of a historical context for the presentation of an innovative and creative approach to the problem analysis and solution; a clear understanding of the problem area as revealed by analysis and synthesis of a broad literature base; a well-defined research design; clarity in composition and careful documentation; results of sufficient merit to be published in refereed journals or to form the basis of a book or monograph; sufficient detail so that other scholars can build on it in subsequent work; and the preparation of the author to assume a position within the profession.
If the dissertation is the result of a collaborative research effort, the project should be structured in such a way that the student's dissertation results form one clearly identified piece of work in which the student has supplied the unquestionably major effort. The contributions of the student and the other collaborators must be clearly identified.
Published articles authored or co-authored by the student and based on research conducted for the dissertation study may be included in the dissertation. The published work must be logically connected and integrated into the dissertation in a coherent manner, and sufficient detail must be presented to satisfy the characteristics of a dissertation. The student should be the sole or primary author of the published work. If the published articles were co-authored, the contribution of the student must be clearly delineated in the introduction so the committee can ascertain that the student's own work satisfies the requirements of a dissertation. The Style and Form Manual gives instructions on incorporating articles into the dissertation. Photocopies of journal articles may be used only in the appendix and only if necessary.
Each candidate for a doctoral degree must provide a suitable number of copies of the dissertation, as designated by his or her doctoral committee, for review and use during the final oral examination. When the examination is completed, the candidate must deposit with the GSPH Student Affairs office one copy of the approved complete dissertation plus five copies of a typed abstract of the dissertation signed by his or her advisor and committee members and prepared for publication in accord with instructions furnished by the Office of Student Affairs. The final copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs no later than one week after the end of the term/session for microfilming and binding through the University (see checklist of thesis/dissertation requirements in the University's Style and Form Manual). The departmental approval sheet must also be received by the Student Affairs office. Each candidate must execute an agreement with University Microfilms International for the publication of the dissertation on microfilm and for publication of the abstract in Dissertation Abstracts and present a thesis/binding microfilm fees receipt when the dissertation is deposited in the Office of Student Affairs.
General Requirements (all degrees)
It is the student's responsibility to see that School and program requirements are met. On admission to the Graduate School of Public Health, each student is assigned an academic advisor. The advisor is to direct and assist the student in the selection of classes and the conduct of research. Waivers from School requirements must be processed through the GSPH Office of Student Affairs. Waivers from meeting program requirements are processed at the program level. The Application for Graduation is processed through the GSPH Office of Student Affairs, 114 Parran Hall, after clearance has been received from the assigned academic advisor that school and program requirements have been met.
Students in master's-level programs 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 human biology, behavioral sciences, environmental health, biostatistics, epidemiology, and health services administration.
Descriptions for these courses can be found in this Bulletin under the respective departments.Core Courses as of January Credits BIOST 2011 Principles of Statistical Reasoning 2 IDM 2011 Health, Disease, and Environment 1 1 EOH 2012 Health, Disease, and Environment 2 1 EPIDEM 2110 Principles of Epidemiology 3 HSADM 2000 Introduction to Health Services Administration 1.5 HSADM 2502 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health Practice 1.5
All graduate students must register for at least one credit during the 12-month period preceding graduation and must be registered for the term in which they are graduated. Minimum registration requirements could be from one to six credits, depending upon the student's registration in previous terms. No person should expect to receive guidance and direction from members of the graduate faculty unless he or she is so registered. Students must also be registered in the term in which they take preliminary and comprehensive examinations.
The student should check with his or her academic advisor on required courses to meet these requirements.
H indicates exceptional completion of course requirements
S indicates satisfactory completion of course requirements
U indicates unsatisfactory completion of course requirements
G indicates unfinished course work
I indicates incomplete research
W indicates withdrawal from the course (without the grade affecting student's scholastic average)
N indicates non-credit audit
R indicates resignation
B indicates adequate graduate-level attainment = 3.00
C indicates minimal graduate-level attainment = 2.00
F indicates failure = 0.00
G, I, W, N as previously defined above
A plus (+) or a minus (-) with the grades of A, B, etc., may be indicated with:
A- = 3.75
B+ = 3.25
B- = 2.75, etc.
With respect to QPAs for the School core courses, H (honors), S (satisfactory), and U (unsatisfactory) carry no quality points and will not be included in the calculation of quality point averages. For courses outside the student's field of concentration, where the H/S/U grading system is opted, a U grade will be included in the quality point average with a value of 0 points. (NOTE: The Graduate School of Public Health treats non-core U grades as F grades, which carry a value of 0, even though the University policy is to disregard U grades in calculation of QPA.) All students are expected to maintain a QPA of 3.00 or better to remain in good standing. A student with full graduate status is automatically considered to be on probation whenever his or her cumulative QPA falls below 3.00, and he or she will be so notified. If a 3.00 average is not attained within specified time periods, the student is subject to dismissal.
For all academic tracks, a student may not graduate with a cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) below 3.00 or a failing grade in a required course. Undergraduate quality points and undergraduate credits do not count towards graduation. Students are automatically placed on probation when their cumulative grade point average falls below 3.00 and continued unsatisfactory performance may result in dismissal from the School.
All students must have full (not provisional) status. Students who were admitted provisionally must make sure that they have met the requirements for full status.
An outstanding incomplete grade must be changed to a letter grade, N, or W, or a memo must be submitted from the academic advisor stating that the incomplete course is not required for graduation.
Any thesis or dissertation may be published, either by the University or through an outside agency, provided due credit is given to the University. No form of publication, however, shall relieve the student of his or her responsibility for supplying the proper abstract and the specified number of complete copies of the thesis or dissertation for binding and deposit in the University Library System.
Students must submit an Application for Graduation to the GSPH Student Affairs office in accordance with the deadlines posted each term. Each candidate for graduation must file an official Application for Graduation in the Office of Student Affairs early in the term in which graduation is expected (see Academic Calendar) and must be registered at the University during that term. A notice of deadlines for filing is posted for each term/session. Students are required to register for at least one credit in the term of graduation, or if eligible, Full-time Dissertation Study (FTDR).
Students who do not meet graduation requirements for a particular term must submit a new Application for Graduation for a later date and also register for the required number of credits.
Candidates are encouraged to appear in person at Commencement exercises. Diplomas are mailed to graduates approximately four weeks after the end of the term of graduation. A special graduation ceremony for Business School students is held each year in late July. Students in the Health Administration (MHA) program are invited to attend this ceremony.
The purpose of the statute of limitations is to ensure that a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh represents mastery of current knowledge in the field of study.
Master's Program of Study
Master's degree-seeking students must:
All master's students must complete all of the GSPH core courses or their designated substitutes or submit a waiver form (available in Room 114 Parran Hall) to receive an exemption from a core course. The core courses are: EPIDEM 2110, IDM 2011, EOH 2012, BIOST 2011 (or BIOST 2041), HSADM 2000, and HSADM 2502. Students in some programs may be automatically exempt from certain core courses. The student should check with her or his academic advisor.
Master's degrees offered in the Graduate School of Public Health require the satisfactory completion of at least 30 credits of graduate study approved by the department. No master's degree program may require fewer than 30 credits. The credits and required courses for programs are described in the departmental listings.
Master of Science (MS) degrees are conferred only upon those students who, in one or more comprehensive examination or the equivalent, show that they have mastered the general field of their graduate study (with the exception of the Health Administration program). The comprehensive examination, which may be written, oral, or both, in the principal field and a final oral examination covering the subject of the essay or research problem must be passed satisfactorily. The department will determine the nature and substance of the comprehensive examination, as well as the constitution of the examining committee. The comprehensive examination may be waived for students who have a designated quality point average in designated courses. Departments desiring to adopt this exemption must submit the average and the courses to the Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) for approval. If a program desires to substitute an equivalent requirement for the comprehensive examination, the department must obtain prior approval from the University Council on Graduate Study through the School's Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee.
All master's students (with the exception of MHA candidates) must complete a minimum of two essay/special study credits and meet the master's paper requirement. The requirement is for a research or project essay paper or a thesis. The form of the thesis must be in accord with specifications stipulated in the University's Style and Form Manual and Regulations Governing Graduate Study at the University of Pittsburgh.
If approved for a specific professional degree program, additional course work may be undertaken in lieu of a written paper (only the Health Administration program has this approval at this time).
Doctoral Program of Study
Doctoral students must:
Doctoral programs require a minimum of 72 credits for students with no previous master's degree or 48 credits for students with a master's degree. The credits and required courses for each program are described in the departmental listings.
Before admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree, the student's major advisor proposes for the approval of the department chairperson and the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services a committee of four or more persons, including at least one from another department, to serve as the doctoral committee. The majority of the committee, including the major advisor, must be full or adjunct members of the graduate faculty. This committee must review and approve the proposed research project before the student may be admitted to candidacy.
The preliminary evaluation is designed to assess the breadth of the student's knowledge of the discipline, the student's achievement during the first year of graduate study, and the potential to apply research methods independently. It should be conducted at approximately the end of the first year of full-time graduate study. The evaluation is used to identify those students who may be expected to complete a doctoral program successfully and also to reveal areas of weakness in the student's preparation.
The comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's mastery of the general field of doctoral study, the student's acquisition of both depth and breadth in the area of specialization within the general field, and the ability to use the research methods of the discipline. It may be oral, written, or both. It should be administered at approximately the time of the completion of the formal course requirements and should be passed at least eight months before the scheduling of the final oral examination and dissertation defense. In no case may the comprehensive examination be taken in the same term in which the student is graduated. Examination results must be reported promptly to the GSPH Student Affairs office but no later than the last day of the term in which the examination is administered. After successfully completing this examination, the student is recommended for degree candidacy.
Each doctoral student must prepare a dissertation proposal for presentation to the doctoral committee at a formal dissertation overview or prospectus meeting. The overview requires the student to carefully formulate a plan and permits the doctoral committee members to provide guidance in shaping the conceptualization and methodology of that plan. The doctoral committee must unanimously approve the dissertation topic and research plan before the student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Approval of the proposal does not imply either the acceptance of a dissertation prepared in accord with the proposal or the restriction of the dissertation to this original proposal.
Admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree constitutes a promotion of the student to the most advanced stage of graduate study and provides formal approval to devote essentially exclusive attention to the research and the writing of the dissertation. To qualify for admission to candidacy, students must be in full graduate status, have satisfied the requirement of the preliminary evaluation, have completed formal course work with a minimum quality point average of 3.00, have passed the comprehensive examination, shown proficiency in a research or investigative tool, and have received approval of the proposed subject and plan of the dissertation from the doctoral committee following an overview or prospectus meeting of the committee. Students are informed of admission to candidacy by written notification from the Assistant Dean for Student Administrative Services, who states also the approved doctoral committee's composition.
Each candidate for a doctoral degree must provide a suitable number of copies of the dissertation, as designated by his or her doctoral committee, for review and use during the final oral examination. When the examination is completed, the candidate must deposit with the GSPH Student Affairs office one copy of the approved complete dissertation plus five copies of a typed abstract of the dissertation signed by his or her advisor and prepared for publication in accord with instructions furnished by the Office of Student Affairs. Each candidate must execute an agreement with University Microfilms International for the publication of the dissertation on microfilm and for publication of the abstract in Dissertation Abstracts and present a dissertation microfilming/binding fee receipt when the dissertation is deposited in the Office of Student Affairs.
Each student must write a dissertation that presents the results of a research project carried out by the student. An appropriate research project involves a substantive piece of original and independent research grounded in an appropriate body of literature. It presents a hypothesis tested by data and analysis and provides a significant contribution or advancement in that field. It is the responsibility of the student's doctoral committee to evaluate the dissertation in these terms and to recommend the awarding of the doctoral degree only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate these qualities.
The language in which doctoral dissertations are written shall normally be English. The final oral examination must be conducted in English.
A student preparing a dissertation or other written work as part of academic requirements may, when appropriate, use the assistance of professional editors, provided that (1) he or she receives the approval of the research advisor or professor of the course in which written work is being submitted, (2) that editorial assistance provided be limited to use of language and not to subject matter or meaning, and (3) that all editorial assistance be described and acknowledged in the report.
Certificate Programs