The University of Pittsburgh is an internationally respected center of learning and research, offering exceptional educational opportunities in the arts, sciences, and professions.
Mission
The University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1787, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. As one of the nation’s distinguished comprehensive universities, the resources of the University constitute an invaluable asset for the intellectual, economic, and social enrichment of Pennsylvania, while the international prestige of the University enhances the image of Pennsylvania throughout the world.
The University’s mission is to:
• Provide high-quality undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences and professional fields, with emphasis upon those of special benefit to the citizens of Pennsylvania;
• Offer superior graduate programs in the arts and sciences and the professions that respond to the needs of Pennsylvania, as well as to the broader needs of the nation and the world;
• Engage in research, artistic, and scholarly activities that advance learning through the extension of the frontiers of knowledge and creative endeavor;
• Cooperate with industrial and governmental institutions to transfer knowledge in science, technology, and health care;
• Offer continuing education programs adapted to the personal enrichment, professional upgrading, and career advancement interests and needs of adult Pennsylvanians; and
• Make available to local communities and public agencies the expertise of the University in ways that are consistent with the primary teaching and research functions and contribute to social, intellectual, and economic development in the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
The trustees, faculty, staff, students, and administration of the University are dedicated to accomplishing this mission, to which they pledge their individual and collective efforts, determined that the University shall continue to be counted among the prominent institutions of higher education throughout the world.
History
The University began in the Pennsylvania wilderness as the Pittsburgh Academy in 1787, the year the U.S. Constitution was adopted. Thirty-two years later, the Pittsburgh Academy became the Western University of Pittsburgh, and in 1908, the school changed its name to the University of Pittsburgh. Graduate degrees have been conferred since 1836, and the first doctoral program was developed in 1884. A private institution for most of its past, the University of Pittsburgh became state-related in 1966, establishing a relationship with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that continues to benefit both partners. Today, as an elected member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, the University of Pittsburgh claims its place among the top public research universities in the nation.
Accreditation
The University of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267) 284 - 5000. In addition, programs may be accredited by discipline-specific accrediting bodies. See Schools, Departments, and Programs section of this catalog for this information.
Academic Organization and Pittsburgh Campus Overview
As a state-related, coeducational institution, the University of Pittsburgh’s Pittsburgh campus offers a multitude of degree-granting and other programs housed in 16 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. The University system includes the Pittsburgh campus and four regional campuses at Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville.
There are more than 100 academic, research, and administrative buildings and residence halls located on the Pittsburgh campus, which covers 132 acres in the culturally rich Oakland neighborhood. At the heart of the campus stands a central landmark-the Cathedral of Learning, a 42-story Gothic tower, which is the tallest school building in the Western Hemisphere. The Cathedral contains the Nationality Rooms, 27 classrooms, each designed to reflect a distinct culture and providing an overall, multidimensional understanding of America’s heritage.
At the Pittsburgh campus, over 4,900 faculty serve over 28,500 students, including 9,500 graduate and more than 19,000 undergraduate students. Alumni accomplishments range from managing Fortune 500 corporations, to writing best-selling novels, to unlocking the secrets of DNA … and more.
Web Address
For more information on the University of Pittsburgh, see the University’s Web site at www.pitt.edu.
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