General Requirements for Master’s Degrees
(Note: This is not a complete list of requirements)
All master’s degree-seeking students must:
- Complete the school-wide core courses required for their program, and complete and submit the thesis or essay
- Fulfill the program’s core course requirements, including required courses, and any field work, and examinations
- Register for two terms of Public Health Grand Rounds
- Complete the online Academic Integrity Module in the first semester
- Submit a master’s thesis or essay
Thesis or Essay
All master’s students must complete a minimum of one essay/special study credit and meet the master’s thesis/essay requirement. Program listings will specify the type of master’s paper required. The form of the essay or thesis must be in accord with specifications stipulated in the University’s Style and Form Manual or the ETD Format Guidelines Manual. The electronic copy of the thesis/essay must be uploaded and all required paperwork submitted to Joanne Pegher by the deadline posted for that graduation term.
MPH students who have been permitted to submit an article accepted for publication in lieu of the essay must meet the margin requirements and submit a committee signature sheet and title page patterned after that in the Style and Form Manual or the ETD Format Guidelines Manual. If there are multiple authors, a statement should be included explaining the role of each author. All essays must be read and approved by two faculty representing two different University of Pittsburgh Pitt Public Health departments. MS theses require approval by three readers.
Requirements for the MHA/MBA Degree:
An outstanding opportunity to become highly skilled in the management of health care processes, quality, and finances, the MHA/MBA joint degree program is designed to create future leaders in the management of health care organizations. Uniting the strengths of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health and Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, the program blends outstanding training in management and finance with the content expertise in health care quality improvement, outcomes measurement, and analytics.
Our highly trained graduates will be fully prepared to assume fast-track leadership positions in a variety of health care organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for health care managers will grow by 17 percent in the next decade. The U.S. health care system is the largest industry in the United States, currently consuming nearly 18 percent of GDP. At the same time, there remain significant problems with access and quality. The joint training in business and health care management should provide a strong foundation for a variety of positions in health care finance, insurance, operations, disease and population heath management.
The standard full-time curriculum is a three-year, 78-credit course of study leading to the joint degree. The competency-based curriculum emphasizes both professional and leadership development, as well as functional management skills, blending courses across both the Katz School (MBA) and Pitt Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management (MHA) in six academic terms.
Students are required to complete a management residency in the first summer term that may be extended into the second summer term. These supervised placements in health care services or health-related practice sites are an invaluable experience for professional development and networking. The student must also complete a master’s essay and an applied management project at the residency site.
MHA/MBA Curriculum
Admissions
Students must complete applications for, and be accepted into, both the Graduate School of Public Health and the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. Application to Pitt Public Health must be submitted through SOPHAS at www.sophas.org. Application to the Katz Graduate School of Business should be made at www.business.pitt.edu/katz/apply.
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