Students must complete a total of 30 credit hours to fulfill the requirements for the MS. Required courses for all MS students are listed below. Students who have had prior course work or extensive experience in a given area may be exempted from the required course at the discretion of the faculty. The remaining credit requirements are completed through elective courses and thesis research. The specific plan of study is developed by the student and their faculty advisor and committee. Courses should be selected to assure an adequate breadth of knowledge as well as depth in the student’s focus area.

The MS program requires a minimum of 30 credits. For all graduate programs at the University of Pittsburgh the mimimum acceptable GPA is 3.0. No student may graduate with a GPA less than 3.0. Most students complete the MS degree in two years. The statute of limitations for completing the MS degree is four consecutive calendar years from the first term of registration. (See Statute of Limitation/Leaves of Absence in the University bulletin for more information.)