Intelligent Systems Program

The Intelligent Systems Program (ISP) is a degree-granting program in the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Computing and Information that enables graduate students to pursue diverse interdisciplinary studies in applied artificial intelligence.The scope of the program is broad, but encourages students to explore concentrations in specific areas, such as biomedical informatics, machine learning and decision making, intelligent tutoring systems and educational technology,natural language processing and information retrieval, AI and law, and social computing.

Many of Pitt’s acclaimed schools are represented through our associated faculty, including the School of Medicine, the School of Law, the School of Education, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and the Swanson School of Engineering.There are especially strong connections to research groups in the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, the Department of Biomedical Informatics, the Law School, and the Learning Research and Development Center.

The program offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees and an area of concentration in biomedical informatics.

Admissions Information

Briefly, an application consists of the standard School of Computing and Information admission form and supplemental materials. Applicants must also include a concise statement of purpose, providing information on the following points:

Objective in pursuing a PhD or MS in intelligent systems.
Theoretical background in relevant areas.
Background in relevant tools and applications, particularly programming languages, including the level of proficiency.
Relevant practical experience,including industrial or commercial experience.

Applicants to the Biomedical Informatics track of the Intelligent Systems Program must specifically indicate their interest in this track on their application to the Intelligent Systems Program.

Financial Assistance

Students in the ISP program are funded through a variety of sources, including externally supported research and training grants, University fellowships, and program funds.

Policies for the Intelligent Systems Program

When a new student arrives, the student is assigned space in Sennott Square, Room 5108. Once the student finds an advisor and starts working on projects, he/she usually moves to other labs designated for that faculty.
The progress of all ISP students is reviewed and an evaluation letter is mailed to the students once per academic year.
ISP students are eligible to apply for a limited amount of conference travel funds each year. To find out more, refer to the ISP webpage.
Every ISP student is expected to maintain a website listing their current up-to-date contact information, publications and current research interests. They are also responsible for ensuring that the website is linked from the ISP Student Directory.
ISP students who received travel funding are expected to present the published work at the supported conference during the ISP AI Forum.
ISP students are required to attend all but two of the scheduled AI Forum talks per term and sign in so they get credit. In case of extenuating circumstances, the student should communicate the possible absence to the ISP director and administrator as soon as possible prior to the Forum.
Failure to meet this requirement will be taken into account when determining a student’s eligibility for funding such as the Provost Fellowship in ISP candidacy, summer GSA funding, ISP Travel Grants and similar funding.
ISP students are required to complete the Research Integrity Module. “Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to describe generally accepted practices and ethical principles associated with authorship and publication, generation and use of data, mentoring, research misconduct, and other investigator responsibilities”. Once completed, the last page must be printed and submitted to the ISP administrator. This module is completed as part of the INFSCI 3005 , Introduction to the Doctoral Program course which is a required course for all ISP PhD students. Once a student has joined a faculty lab, they are responsible for checking with their faculty mentor to see what modules need completed for that specific lab.

Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA

Each student must maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for all credits of graduate level coursework for either degree. Failure to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA will result in the student being placed on academic probation. Students should refer to the Academic Standing and Dismissal section of the SCI Catalog page for full definitions and explanations of the academic standing review.

Grades for Individual Courses

Students must earn a grade of B- or better in each of the courses in the appropriate ISP curriculum (the General Intelligent Systems Track or the Biomedical Informatics Track).

Transfer Credits

Transfer credit limits are determined by the University while the process is managed at the School level. See the Academic Regulations and Standards of the SCI Catalog page for details and forms. Note, the explicit approval of the student’s advisor and of the ISP director are required. Students must provide all items outlined in the Transfer Credit Request Form in order for the request to be reviewed by the ISP Director.

Substituting Other Courses at the University of Pittsburgh

Course substitutions require approval of the student’s advisor and the ISP director. To apply for a course substitution, a student should first obtain the approval of his or her advisor. Then, the student should submit the following information to the ISP director: (1) whether the class is a graduate or undergraduate class, (2) exactly which requirement the course is meant to satisfy, (3) an indication of approval by the student’s advisor, (4) justification for the substitution, and (5) sufficient information about the course syllabus for the director to judge whether the substitution would be appropriate.

Student must contact the ISP Adminstrator to document course substitution through a Degree Requirement Exception form. A delay in contacting the Administrator may result in postpone of the student’s graduation certification review.

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