University of Pittsburgh

United States of America

University History

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH a Public University situated in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was founded in the year 1787 and is known to be one of the oldest Universities of the country. The beauty of the University lies in the various historic buildings that are still a part of the campus.  The University was originally named as Pittsburgh Academy founded by Hugh Henry Brackenridge started in a long cabin in the Western Pennsylvania. Later on, the academy changed its name as the Western University of Pennsylvania in the year 1819 on the request of its trustees. But again in the year 1908 with some recommendations it changed its name to what it is known as today the University of Pittsburgh.  At first, the University started with awarding only three academic degrees but with time as the University grew in its varsity it is now able to provide a large number of courses and degrees. The University has adopted “Panther” as its amulet. The University gives importance in enriching six values that are: Academic excellence, Collaboration, Community, Inclusion, Innovation, and Sustainability.

Programs, Courses and Schools

Though in the very beginning the University started with a limited number of courses but with time the University expanded its horizons and introduced a wide range of courses that has attracted students from all over the globe.  

Kenneth P Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences provides the following courses:

Africana Studies, Anthropology, Architectural Studies, Bioethics, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Children's Literature, Classics, Communication, Cultural Studies, East Asian Languages and Literatures, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Film and Media Studies, French & Italian, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, Geology and Environmental Science, German, Hispanic Languages and Literatures, History and Philosophy of Science, History of Art & Architecture, Jewish Studies, Linguistics, Mathematics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies

Slavic Languages and Literatures

Sociology, Spanish, Statistics, Studio Arts, Theatre Arts, Urban Studies

School of Medicine has the followings subjects:

Anesthesiology, Biomedical Informatics, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cell Biology, Clinical Research, Computational and Systems Biology, Critical Care Medicine, Dermatology, Developmental Biology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Immunology, Institute on Aging, Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program, Integrative Molecular Biology, Medicine, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Neurobiology, Neurological Surgery, Neurology, OB/GYN and Reproductive Sciences, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Plastic Surgery, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Structural Biology, Surgery, Urology

School of Nursing offers the following courses:

Undergraduate (BSN), Accelerated 2nd Degree (BSN), Registered Nurse Option, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Swanson School of Engineering offers the following branches:

Bioengineering, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Science, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Business 

• Joseph M katz Graduate School of Business
• College of Business Administration

Public health 

• Behavioral & Community Health Sciences
• Biostatistics
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy & Management
• Human Genetics
• Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
• Multidisciplinary MPH Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences offers the following courses:

Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, Communication Science and Disorders, Emergency Medicine, Health Information Management, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Rehabilitation Science, Rehabilitation Science and Technology, Sports Medicine and Nutrition

Computing and Information offers courses in: 

Computer Science, Information Culture and Data Stewardship, Informatics and Networked systems, Intelligent System Programs

Other courses that are being offered: Law, Pharmacy, Education, Social Work, General Studies, Language Courses

Centers and Institutes 

There are four major University Centers:

• University Center for International Studies (UCIS)
• Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC)
• Center for Philosophy of Science
• University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR)

University Achievements

The University of Pittsburgh has always been in news for its achievements in the field of education and research. According to the Center for Measuring University Performance, the University is able to secure a rank as one of the U.S’s top public research universities. The Wall Street Journal/ Times Higher Education 2021 have acclaimed the Pittsburgh University campus as No.1 in the Northeastern United States.  It is also known to be one of the major recipients of research funding from the National Institutes of health. It also holds 20th rank in the list of top colleges and universities of 2022 in the U.S. according to the News and World Report Best Colleges Rankings. The University has some of the brightest minds as its faculties who have always been able to impart the best of their knowledge to their students. The students also have been able to keep up with the glory of the University and have brought laurels to the University from time to time. It is important here to look at some of the University’s famous alumni that everyone looks up to. 

University Notable Alumni

The University is home to many big names that have excelled in their respective fields and have made the University proud again and again. Of them, many have also been awarded with the prestigious Nobel Prize. The list of its alumnus consists of famous politicians, actors, academicians, sportsperson, artists and many others. To name a few:

• Samuel J.R Macmillan: US Senator from Minnesota 1846
• Paul Lauterbur : Nobel Prize in the year 2003 for Medicine
• Vjosa Osmani: 5th President of Kosovo
• John Irving: Famous Author
• Roger kingdom: Olympic Gold Medalist
• Vladmir Zworykin: Known to be “Father of  Television”
• Michael Chabon: Pulitzer Prize Winner

University Infrastructure and Services

The main campus of the University is spread across 132 acres in the city of Pittsburgh.  The campus has four different sections: the upper end comprises of the sports complex and residence halls, the middle end has Benedum, Chevron, Allen and Thaw Halls, the lower one has Cathedral of Learning, Union, Posvar Hall and to the west of the campus there is the Medical complex. The University is a site of attraction for its historic buildings and impressive architectures. It is situated in the neighborhood of Oakland. The University campus is surrounded by various gardens and museums that the students have access to like the Andy Warhol Museum, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, St. Pauls Cathedral, and many others. The University is also surrounded by various other Universities like the Carnegie Mellon University, Carlow University and so on. There are also some buildings that have been acclaimed as Historic Landmark buildings by the Pittsburgh History and Landmark Foundation: Allegheny Observatory, Allen Hall, Alumni Hall, Bellefield Hall, Chancellor's Residence, Cathedral of Learning, the Cathedral of Learning interior rooms many others. 

The University of Pittsburgh Medical center has always been securing a position in the America’s top hospitals as per the U.S News and World Report. The center is well known for greenery around its campus. 

There are four regional campuses of the University. These campuses are offering various Masters Degree courses, Bachelor degree courses and also associate and certificate courses. The campuses are at Bradford, Johnstown, Greensburg, and Titusville. 

Library

The University of Pittsburgh has one of the largest libraries in the country that is the Hillman Library. This library is supposed to contain 2 million volumes of books, journals and a collection of e-books in many different languages. The University also has 18 separate library facilities. 

Housing services

The University has various residential halls that provide accommodations to the students like the Sutherland Hall, Panther Hall, K. Leroy Irvis Hall, the fraternity housing complex, and the Darragh Street Apartments. There are buses services also running all around in the campus connecting all the residential halls. The housing facilities in the campus are all promoting sustainability and also encourage students to protect the environment.  Besides these, one can also opt to live out of the campus. The University also provides information on that. There are also parking and transport services to go around the campus. 

Medical services

The University has its own Medical Center that is known to be the country’s best. It is huge and has got a large number of employees working under the center. It has various departments of medical sciences. This makes the best for students and faculties to access any kind of medical assistance within the campus itself. 

Nearest Airport

There are five airports that are close to the University. They are as follows:

• Pittsburgh Airport 
• Laltrobe
• Morgantown
• Dubois
• Akron

International Student Information

The University of Pittsburgh has attracted thousands and thousands of application every year because of its name and fame. It’s a dream for the students all around the world to get admission in the various courses that the University provides. The University as we have seen above offers a wide range of Graduate courses, Postgraduate and even Research. The best thing about the University is that it encourages equality, inclusion and diversity and hence makes the best University for International students. 

Tuition and Fees

The cost varies from courses to courses and the detail of the so can be find out using the following link:

https://financialaid.pitt.edu/tuition-and-fees/ 

The average cost that is being mentioned of the official website of the University is 

Room and Board: $12,044

Book Allowance: $716

Miscellaneous Expenses: $2644

The expenses may vary from student to student depending on their expenditure. It will also vary depending on the housing that they are choosing. The University is providing accommodations like Single room, Quadruple suites, double room and so. 

As we have noted above the University has four Regional Campuses. The Bradford Campus, Greensburg Campus, Johnstown Campus, Titusville Campus. The fees structure also depends on the campus that one opts for. The information about so can be find out by following the links below:

The Bradford Campus: https://www.upb.pitt.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/tuition-fees

The Greensburg Campus: https://www.greensburg.pitt.edu/admissions/tuition-fees 

The Johnstown Campus: https://www.johnstown.pitt.edu/admissions/apply-pitt-johnstown/costs

The Titusville Campus: https://www.titusville.pitt.edu/tuition-and-fees

Visa and Immigration Support:

The Office of the International Services of the University lends support to the students regarding immigration statuses. The support also varies depending on what kind of stay you are applying for in the U.S and also the duration of the course. The immigration guidelines varies from whether you are a F1 Student, J1 Student, J1 Scholar, J1 Intern, H1B Employees, 

Visa guidelines also vary from country to country. One can directly access the U.S Embassy website and check the information regarding the country that you are travelling to. Then one can schedule an interview regarding the same as early as possible. You should give enough time to the Visa work and start the process immediately after you receive your acceptance letter. 

There is also Administrative Proceedings for the students where the U.S Department of State will conduct some security check-ins wherein, your documents will be verified like a copy of your CV, copy of your PI, CV of your Supervisor, and letter from your supervisor mentioning the nature of your work. 

Contact and Support:

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: +1-412-624-7120  

 Student Life

There are a number of traditions that are being followed at the University that the students will witness during their course. Such traditions make the students to be close to the culture and history of the University. One of the oldest traditions that are still celebrated today even is the “Lantern Night”, a kind of Fresher’s night for the newbie’s. Other such traditions include the “fall fest”, “Bigelow Bash”, the “Victory Lights” that is being celebrated with the victory in Football match. One of the famous traditions is also the “Omicron Delta Kappa Walk”. “Green Week” is a charitable initiative to raise funds for different organizations. There are many such events and traditions that keep the students entertained and engaged throughout the year. 

Student’s society

Theater

There are various student theatre groups and clubs in the University to encourage the students and to give the students a platform to showcase their acting skills. There is Friday Night Improv shows by the theatre groups. These clubs give the students the opportunity to also direct all by themselves different plays and stories. 

Music

The University has its very own Choir groups that are internationally famous for their extraordinary performances. The three groups that have made a mark are the: Pitt Men’s Glee Club, The University of Pittsburgh Woman’s Coral Ensemble, and Heinz Chapel Choir.  The University has its own Orchestra that performs on various concerts and events. The best thing about this is that it comprises of both the faculties and students. 

Media 

The University has its own radio stations and various magazines, journals, talk-shows. To name a few: WPTS-FM, The Pitt News, The Political Review, The Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review and so on. 

Student Clubs

There are various students clubs operating in the University. There are around 350 clubs working on various issues and matters of concern. To name a few: Black Action Society, Graduate and Professional Student Government, Pitt Programe Council, The Pitt Pathfinders, Rainbow Alliance, William Pitt Debating Union and many others.

Sports and Fitness

The University is home to some of Olympics Gold Medalists. It has always encouraged students to participate in sports. There is Football team and Basketball team that have brought laurels to the University. Besides these, there are various Olympic sports that are being played in the University varsity. 

Campus Recruitment

The University career center provides information to the students on various jobs, internships and so. It also guides the students about how to prepare the best resume and also prepares students for interviews. It also gives information about various scholarships and fellowships to the students. Karin Asher serves as the Director of the Career Center at the University. The University also has its own Career fair for recruitment. 

Scholarship for International students

The University provides scholarship to the first year International students who have submitted their applications before February 1, only after reviewing their applications. Scholarships for the International students amount to around $2000 per year for Under Graduate students who maintain a CGPA 3.0. 

Brochure 

The link to the University Brochure is : https://admissions.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/724-International-Recruitment-Brochure-1.pdf