You can graduate in April, June, August, or December.
Here’s your Graduation Checklist

1. Be sure you have met all academic requirements for graduation
2. Be sure you are registered for the term in which you want to graduate
3. Apply for graduation
4. If you’re a doctoral candidate, make sure your defense is properly announced well in advance
5. Complete the Exit Survey
6. If you are an international student, complete the Departure Notification Form
7. Submit your essay, thesis, or dissertation according to the instructions below. Be sure that you follow all formatting instructions in the Academic Handbook and in your departmental guidelines.

Events During Graduation Weekend

Academic Requirements for Graduation

It is critical that you meet with your advisor and department student services staff member to make sure that you have successfully completed all of the academic requirements for graduation. These include (but are not necessarily limited to) ...

• All school-wide required courses, including two terms of Public Health Grand Rounds
• All departmental required courses
• Any practicum, internship, residency, or research requirements
• Pitt Public Health Student Academic Integrity Module
• All required examinations (preliminary, comprehensive, etc.)
• Essay, thesis, or dissertation
• If you are receiving a joint or dual degree, all requirements for both degrees must be complete (with the exception of the MSTP program)
• You must be registered for the term in which you graduate

In addition, you must ensure that you meet the following conditions:

• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0
• All G, I, or Z grades must be converted to a final grade (or your file must contain a memo from your advisor stating that the course is not required for the degree)
• Full (not provisional) admission status

Registration Requirement for Graduating Students

Degree-seeking student must be registered for at least one credit or for FTDR (for doctoral students completing full-time dissertation research) in the term of graduation. Students planning to graduate in June must register for at least one credit or FTDR in 6-week session 1. To graduate in August, you may register for summer term, or for any summer session, including 6-week session 1. If you applied for June graduation and registered for 6-week session 1, you can apply for August graduation without further registration, but you must reapply by submitting a new graduation application and prior degree form. 

Note: international students need permission from the Office of International Services to register for less than a full-time credit load.

Students graduating with a certificate only do not need to register in the term of graduation, as long as they registered during the 12 months prior to graduation.

If you have not registered for three terms, you are no longer an active student. Consult with your department student services staff to discuss criteria for re-admission.

Applying to Graduate -- No fees at this time

You must apply to graduate by completing an Application for Graduation (PDF - form must be printed in landscape orientation; Scan grad app and prior degree form) and a Prior Degree Form (PDF). Deadlines and instructions are listed in the table below. Contact Joanne Pegher with questions.

Be sure to list your Pitt email on the Application for Graduation and a non-Pitt email on the Prior Degree Form. Your name on the application must be the same as it appears in the PeopleSoft system. You will be required to provide legal documentation (e.g., marriage certificate, divorce decree, valid passport) to the Office of the Registrar to use a different name on the graduation application.

If you are graduating with two Pitt Public Health degrees, or a Pitt Public Health degree and a Pitt Public Health certificate, you may enter all information on one application form. If degrees and/or certificates will be awarded by another school in addition to Pitt Public Health, an application must be submitted to each school. If you are graduating with a joint degree, please indicate this on the second page of the graduation application beneath the area for degrees.

Note: your Academic Department/Student Plan is PPBHL and your Department is BCHS, BIOST, EOH, EPIDEM, HPM, HUGEN, IDM; or MULTI PROGRAM. For Name of Degree/Cert, list degree and/or specific certificate.

Titles: Only doctoral students who intend to graduate in April need to provide the title of their dissertation. Those submitting an essay or thesis never need to include their titles on the application.

Applications for graduation are valid for only one graduation date. If you postpone graduation, you must reapply by completing and submitting another application.

For a comprehensive, printable table of important dates and deadlines, refer to the graduation dates table. The table is updated as dates are released by the Office of the University Registrar. Be sure to email your Word document to have formatting reviewed by Joanne Pegher. Scan grad app and prior degree form to jpegher@pitt.edu

Note that graduation ceremonies happen once per calendar year, at the end of the spring term. These events honor graduates from the previous June, August, and December and the current April term. 

The events appear below on the April graduation calendar based on when they occur, but June, August, and December grads are also invited. More on these events at publichealth.pitt.edu/graduationweekend. 

Electronic copies of Essay Approval Forms, ETD Approval Forms, and Report on Requirements for Master’s Degree, Doctoral Degree and Certificate Programs forms are now available. Please ensure that the student name and information are included on the form, that the form is filled out and then use it to collect committee/reader signatures. Ideally this will be accomplished on a single form, but we can be flexible (e.g. signatures on multiple copies of the same form). Send the completed form(s) to Joanne Pegher and your department liaison.

• Report on Requirements - Certificate
• Report on Requirements - Doctoral Degree
• Report on Requirements - Master's Degree
• Essay Approval Form (for essays) 
• ETD Approval Form (for thesis and dissertations) 

The following are additional requirements for graduation and now include options for electronic submission. All completed electronic documents should be sent to Joanne Pegher.