General Notes Regarding All Committees
- Each department in the school maintains a list of core educational faculty. These are defined as faculty of the University of Pittsburgh who are heavily involved in the educational mission of the department as demonstrated by at least some of the following actions: teaching courses or having significant involvement in courses led by others, participating on a routine basis in a journal club, mentoring students in independent studies and master's essays, serving on curriculum committees, or serving on examination or dissertation committees. Faculty with primary appointments in the department are automatically considered core faculty. The Office of Student Affairs keeps record of the core faculty lists and updates them periodically. The departments bear the responsibility of meeting with core faculty once a year to update them on any changes in policy or procedures and to provide them with academic program manuals.
- Research associates who are involved in the educational program of the department may be listed as core faculty and allowed to serve on all committees at departmental discretion.
- All rules below are intended as school-wide minimum standards; individual departments are free to implement requirements that are more stringent.
- Individuals who do not have University of Pittsburgh faculty appointments may serve on committees only in addition to the minimum required numbers of University of Pittsburgh faculty. A list of the graduate faculty for the University of Pittsburgh (as referenced below) may be found on the provost's Web site for graduate studies.
Rules for Committee Composition
PhD Qualifying Exam
- The committee must consist of at least three University of Pittsburgh faculty members.
- The committee chair must be on the core faculty list of the student’s department.
- Half or more of the members must be on the core faculty list of at least one Pitt Public Health department.
- Half or more of the members must have graduate faculty status.
- One of the Pitt faculty on the committee must not be on the core list from the student's department.
PhD Comprehensive Exam
If the comprehensive exam takes place at the same time as the dissertation proposal, then the rules for the dissertation committee apply. If the comprehensive exam is taken separately from the dissertation proposal, then the comprehensive exam committee can be composed according to the rules either for the qualifying exam committee or according to the rules for the dissertation committee, at the discretion of the department.
PhD Dissertation Overview and Proposal Committee
If the overview/dissertation proposal meeting takes place separately from the comprehensive examination, composition rules for the dissertation committee apply.
PhD Dissertation Committee
- The committee must consist of at least four University of Pittsburgh faculty members.
- At least two members must be on the core list of some Pitt Public Health department.
- The majority of members must have graduate faculty status.
- One of the Pitt faculty on the committee must not be on the core list from the student's department.
- If thesis work includes internship/practica experience, including data and policies, from the Allegheny County Health Department the committee must include a preceptor from the Allegheny County Health Department. If the preceptor is an adjunct faculty member, they count as a faculty member. If they do not hold an adjunct appointment, they must be added in addition to all faculty on the committee.
MS Comprehensive Exam
The rules are the same as for the PhD qualifying exam, except that graduate faculty status is not required.
MS or MPH Thesis Committee
- The committee must consist of at least three University of Pittsburgh faculty members.
- Half or more of the members must be on the core faculty list of at least one Pitt Public Health department.
- One of the Pitt faculty on the committee must not be on the core list from the student's department.
- If thesis work includes internship/practica experience, including data and policies, from the Allegheny County Health Department the committee must include a preceptor from the Allegheny County Health Department. If the preceptor is an adjunct faculty member, they count as a faculty member. If they do not hold an adjunct appointment, they must be added in addition to all faculty on the committee.
The same rule as for the MS comprehensive exam, except that the thesis committee chair need not be on the core list of the student’s department.
MPH and MHA Essay
- The committee must consist of at least two University of Pittsburgh faculty members.
- Members must have primary appointments in different University departments (at least two departments represented).
- At least one member must be on the core list of some Pitt Public Health department.
- If thesis work includes internship/practica experience, including data and policies, from the Allegheny County Health Department the committee must include a preceptor from the Allegheny County Health Department. If the preceptor is an adjunct faculty member, they count as a faculty member. If they do not hold an adjunct appointment, they must be added in addition to all faculty on the committee.
DrPH
Rules for composition of all committees are the same as for the PhD, except that all committees must have a majority of members who are on the core list of at least one Pitt Public Health department.