These fresh classes, majors and certificates open new possibilities

Autumn may be for turning over a new leaf — but for Pitt students, it’s also the time to seek new possibilities. There are myriad new courses on tap for students this fall, tackling subjects as varied as space engineering, Appalachian culture and African museums.

Read on to learn more about the University’s latest academic offerings and, don’t forget, the add/drop period ends Sept. 4.

Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

When it comes to the Dietrich School’s latest offerings, there’s a little something for everyone — whether you want to be a star by earning a Musical Theatre Certificate or learn about the stars with an astronomy minor.

Also new this year is a  Computational Linguistics Certificate that will equip undergraduate students with the domain knowledge of computational linguistics, language technologies and natural language processing. Or, get to know corbels, rafter tails, dormers and more by earning a history of art and architecture minor. Lastly, students pursuing the new Journalism Certificate will gain hands-on experience in everything from podcasting and longform narrative to understanding media law and the ethics of AI-generated content.

The Dietrich School also added several courses that count toward general education requirements, including Exhibitions and Museums in Africa (HAA 1028), Savoring the Language in Chinese Food Culture (CHIN 1029) and Taboo Desires Through a Global Lens (SLAV 1006).

School of Business

The School of Business is expanding its programming at the intersection of AI, analytics and management. The new Master of Science in Analytics and Applications of AI for Business is a nine-month, full-time, in-person, STEM-designated graduate program that prepares students to use analytics and AI to solve business challenges and lead emerging tech initiatives. Students can also pursue an online MS in Management, a flexible program that builds foundational business knowledge alongside practical, career-focused skills across accounting, marketing, operations, leadership and applied AI.

At the undergraduate level, the school has introduced the Pitt Business Culinary Management Certificate, offered in partnership with the Community College of Allegheny County, which pairs Pitt coursework in management or entrepreneurship with hands-on culinary training in meat and seafood or baking and pastry tracks, preparing students for leadership roles across the growing restaurant and hospitality industry.

School of Education

The School of Education launches several new programs this fall. Students can earn a Certificate in Infant Mental Health online and pick up an in-demand skill set that supports children from birth to age 3. Another online option at both the master’s and certificate level is reading education. Suitable for current teachers and educators, this pathway leads to state-level certification as a reading specialist. Students can earn the certificate alone for 24 credits or pair it with a master’s degree for an additional six credits. Lastly, undergraduate students can earn a minor in teaching English as an additional language. This course prepares students for roles in schools and communities where multilingualism is growing — and where skilled educators are needed.

School of Nursing

With a near-zero unemployment rate of just 0.6%, a job as a nurse practitioner is a surefire way to job security — and thanks to the School of Nursing’s new hybrid Master of Science in Nursing Nurse Practitioner program, earning nurse practitioner credentials is even easier. The coursework is delivered digitally in a flexible format, helping students to advance their education without stepping away from their careers or communities.

[Plus, read about a new PhD in Health Professions Education from ICRE.]

School of Public and International Affairs

The new course Violent Politics (PIA 1104) examines why political competition sometimes turns violent, and how policy can move conflict toward peaceful resolution. Drawing on real cases, topics covered in the course include civil war, election violence, ethnic and religious violence, genocide, insurgency, riots, state repression, terrorism and war.

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health is expanding its curriculum with four new innovative courses. For graduate students, Maternal and Child Health Leadership 1 (CSD 2092) is an interdisciplinary leadership course that primarily focuses on skills that enhance effective teamwork for practitioners who serve children with disabilities and their families. Another graduate course, Foundations in Social Epidemiology (EPIDEM 2130), provides students with a groundwork in the theory and framing that underpins how social structures and environmental factors shape public health outcomes.

In undergraduate offerings, explore public health frameworks, systems-thinking tools and strategies for community partner engagement through Introduction to Public Health Program Implementation (PUBHLT 0404). Additionally, Stories, Systems, and Solutions: Public Health Discourse Across the Wall (PUBHLT 0405) brings Pitt students and residents of a State Correctional Institute together to learn side by side. Designed around principles of dialogue, mutual learning and social transformation, the course creates a shared space where “inside” and “outside” students engage as peers to critically examine the relationships among individual health, community well-being and the structural systems that shape them.

Swanson School of Engineering

The Swanson School is creating more opportunities for students to explore the final frontier with two new space engineering pathways: a graduate certificate and an undergraduate minor. Each program — open to science and engineering students — prepares students to enter the space workforce. The curriculum includes skills in operating advanced spacecraft systems, applications for on-board sensing, processing and storage, plus AI integration.

This fall, the school is also debuting the BS in Natural Gas, Renewables, and Oil Engineering, a major that combines traditional oil and gas engineering with renewable systems across the department’s diverse academic and research portfolios in energy. Graduates of the program will be prepared to meet ever-changing demands of global energy.

Pitt-Bradford

To meet the needs of working nurses, Pitt-Bradford’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has moved to Pitt Online. The asynchronous virtual program allows students to complete coursework on their own schedule while still engaging in meaningful interactions with faculty and peers through discussions, small-group activities and clinical experiences.

In another nod to boosting regional health care, Pitt-Bradford in partnership with Pitt Dental and Universal Primary Care is offering dental residents the opportunity to practice rural dentistry at a local clinic as well as to train hygienists and assistants under the supervision of Pitt Dental Medicine faculty.

Pitt-Bradford is also inaugurating an anthropology course in Appalachian Culture (ANTH 0235) with a practicum that covers the broad influences of economic change, political organization and popular culture on the region. Students will collaborate with Pitt-Bradford’s Plants and People Lab for a project on growing local food resiliency.

Pitt-Johnstown

On the Johnstown campus, students can discover new topics in geology and criminology. Explore issues of access and ways to make the food system less wasteful from production to consumption in Sustainable Food and Agriculture (GEO 1030) or embark on an in-depth study of soil formation and wetland policy in Hydric Soils and Wetlands (GEO 1110). Interventions, support systems and data are in focus in the new class on Victimology (CRIM 0164), while Juvenile Law (CRIM 0253) dives into case law specific to child victims and offenders. The campus is also introducing a new special topics course on India (HIST 1810).

Photography by Aimee Obidzinski