University Council on Graduate Study Minutes
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
The May meeting minutes were approved with 14 in favor, 6 abstentions. Six members arrived after the minutes were approved.
Academic Program Proposals
The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences presented a proposal for a new PhD program in Astrophysics. The new program will be housed within the Department of Physics and will offer a degree in a field that has been an active area of research within the Pitt community for some time. Having a degree in Astrophysics to represent their research interests will improve job prospects for Pitt graduates. The new degree will both attract new students and provide an opportunity for current students to start their Astrophysics work earlier in their studies. Council members raised no questions or concerns, and the proposal was recommended for approval with 23 in favor and 1 abstention.
The School of Medicine presented a proposal for a new PhD program in Cell, Molecular and Systems Biology. The new program will combine three existing PhD programs: Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology, and Integrative Systems Biology. The three programs are currently housed in the same Department with many cross-listed courses and faculty who work across disciplines. The targeted enrollment for the new degree is 20-25 students per year. Graduates of the program are expected to go into academic research and industry in equal parts. Council members raised questions related to how the existing programs will be terminated and what options currents students will have to continue their current degree path, and about the proposed curriculum seeming unbalanced across the three disciplines. The proposal was recommended for approval with 19 in favor and 2 abstentions.
The Katz School of Business proposed a new graduate Certificate and Micro-Credential in Artificial Intelligence and Business. The proposed credentials will fit the Katz model where students take 9 credits that can be stacked into 15. Six of those credits are required; the rest are electives. The long-term vision is that most courses within Katz will have an AI component, which will allow many students to be eligible to apply for the micro-credential or certificate. Council members raised questions about how faculty are trained in the fast-evolving field of AI, opportunities to cross-list with other schools who are already working in the AI space, and how Katz is thinking about the potential changes to job opportunities for students with the growth of AI. The proposal was recommended for approval with 21 in favor and 3 abstentions.
The School of Nursing proposed a new graduate Certificate in Palliative and End-of-Life Care and Communication. This certificate is intended to fill a gap in education for nursing students and current practitioners at all levels; currently there are only 5 similar programs nationwide, and none in the Pennsylvania area. The School has received a large grant to support this certificate and expects to
enroll 10-15 students in each cohort. Council members offered suggestions for collaborations with related schools and existing coursework, and the proposal was recommended for approval with 24 in favor.
Announcements
There were no announcements.
The meeting adjourned at 3:52 pm.
Attendance
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Faculty - Peng Liu
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Faculty - Jonathan Woon
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Student - Juwon Adenuga
- Katz Graduate School of Business - Faculty - Sara Moeller
- Katz Graduate School of Business - Grad Student - Denise Bergdolt
- Office of the Provost - Chair - Amanda Godley
- Office of the Provost - Staff - Courtney Syskowski
- Office of the Registrar, Observer - Staff - Christopher Coats
- School of Computing and Information - Faculty - James Joshi
- School of Education - Grad Faculty - Michael Gunzenhauser
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Student - Abdulmohsen Alroumi
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Faculty - Mark DeRuiter
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Faculty - Ketki Raina
- School of Law - Faculty - Joshua Ash
- School of Medicine - Grad Student - Brooke Dresden
- School of Medicine - Grad Faculty - Arjumand Ghazi
- School of Medicine - Grad Faculty - Saleem Khan
- School of Medicine - Faculty - Tija Jacob
- School of Nursing - Grad Student - Myeong-ga Cho
- School of Nursing - Grad Faculty - Elizabeth Schlenk
- School of Pharmacy - Grad Student - Christina Kazarov
- School of Pharmacy - Faculty - Kerry Empey
- School of Public Health - Grad Faculty - Ying Ding
- School of Public and International Affairs - Faculty - Luke Condra
- School of Public and International Affairs - Grad Student - Zena Kesselman
- School of Social Work - Faculty - Suzanne Pritzker
- Swanson School of Engineering - Grad Faculty - Bryan Brown
Additional attendees: Stephanie Hoogendoorn, OTP; Andrew Zentner, DSAS; Jennifer Seaman, SON; Michael Tsang, SOM; Gerry Hammond, SOM