Training Program

Doctoral Degree

Application Procedures

Apply to the Program

To earn the doctoral degree in Biomedical Informatics, a trainee must complete a program of study approved by a committee of biomedical informatics faculty. This program must include successful completion of:

  • the required coursework
  • a preliminary evaluation
  • a MS-level research project involving significant research, design, or development work, and a written report
  • a comprehensive examination composed by the doctoral committee
  • 18 or more credits of research work leading to an acceptable dissertation
  • the accomplishments listed in the Additional Requirements
  • Dissertation Proposal Meeting (also called the Dissertation Prospectus Meeting) and Admission into Doctoral Candidacy
  • Doctoral Dissertation Defense
Curriculum: 

To earn the doctoral degree in Biomedical Informatics, a trainee must complete a program of study approved by a committee of biomedical informatics faculty. This program must include successful completion of (a) the required coursework described below; (b) a preliminary evaluation; (c) an MS-level research project involving significant research, design, or development work and a written report; (d) a comprehensive examination composed by the doctoral committee; (e) 18 or more credits of research work leading to an acceptable dissertation; and (f) the accomplishments listed in the Requirements prior to Admission to Doctoral Candidacy section.

All required courses must be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of the Journal Clubs, Biomedical Informatics Colloquiums and some Independent and/or Dissertation Studies (to be determined by faculty advisors). A minimum grade of “B” is required in all graduate courses. The doctoral committee may waive course requirements that have been satisfied through prior university-level study, in accordance with the Committee on Graduate Studies guidelines. A trainee must comply with the regulations of the Committee on Graduate Studies, as well as those regulations established by the biomedical informatics faculty. We expect that the average full time trainee will complete the degree in four years.

Up to 30 credits – grade “B” or better – from a master’s program in another institution or another department within the University of Pittsburgh can be considered for transfer towards the Biomedical Informatics Doctoral degree. In recognition of graduate study beyond the masters’ degree successfully completed elsewhere or within the University of Pittsburgh, no more than 12 additional credits may be accepted at the time of admission to meet the minimum credit requirement. (At least three terms, or 36 credits, of full-time doctoral study, or the equivalent in part-time study, must be successfully completed at the University of Pittsburgh.) Acceptance of transfer credit must be discussed between the trainee and advisor, and approved by the Chair of Curriculum Committee. Doctoral trainees who enter the program with a masters or higher degree (for example, a physician or nurse practitioner) may choose to, but will not be required to, earn a master’s degree in biomedical informatics as part of routine progression to the doctorate.

The doctoral degree in Biomedical Informatics requires at least 72 credits that include 28 credits of required coursework, 3 masters research credits and 18 dissertation credits. 

Essential Series

The essential series courses should be taken during the first semester, if needed.

BIOINF 2012: Problem-Oriented Programming (3 credits)

[Strongly recommended for trainees who have little or no programming experience]

BIOINF 2013: Introduction to Patient Care and Clinical Environments (3 credits)

[Strongly recommended for trainees who do not have U.S. clinical exposure and are likely to pursue health informatics]

BIOINF 2015: Mathematics for Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)

[Strongly recommended for trainees who have past course work in fewer than 2 of the following 3 areas: calculus, linear algebra, and probability]

Biology: TBA or check with Training Program Coordinator

[Strongly recommended for trainees who have no biological training and are likely to purse bioinformatics]

 

Foundation Series (9 required credits)

BIOINF 2011: Foundations of Clinical and Public Health Informatics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2051: Foundations of Bioinformatics (3 courses)

BIOINF 2118:  Statistical Foundations of Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)

 

Research Methods Series (9 required credits)

BIOINF 2119: Artificial Intelligence Methods for Biomedical Informatics I (3 credits)

BIOINF 2120: Artificial Intelligence Methods for Biomedical Informatics II (3 credits)

BIOINF 2121: Human Computer Interaction and Evaluation (3 credits)

 

Research Skills Series (7 required credits)

BIOINF 2032: Biomedical Informatics Journal Club (1 credit)

BIOINF 2014: Biomedical Informatics Project Course

BIOINF 2134: Publication and Presentation in Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)

 

Teaching Practicum (3 required credits)

BIOINF 3998: Biomedical Informatics Teaching Practicum (3 credits).

Each trainee is required to complete 3 credits (8 hours per week for one term) of teaching assistant service in biomedical informatics courses – in consultation with biomedical informatics faculty. 

Elective Courses (9 or more credits)

Electives are chosen by the trainee — which must be approved by the trainee’s advisor — and consist of 2xxx or higher level courses that address trainee’s educational and career goals. Courses that are not listed below can also be chosen with approval from the trainee’s advisor.

BIOINF 2016: Foundations of Translational Bioinformatics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2052: Introduction to Computational Structural Biology (3 credits)

BIOINF 2053: Sequence Analysis Laboratory (3 credits) (Directed Study)

BIOINF 2054: Statistical Foundations for Bioinformatics Data Mining (3 credits)

BIOINF 2056: Bioinformatics of Gene Regulation (2 credits)

BIOINF 2057: Elements in Statistical Learning (3 credits)

BIOINF 2058: Bayesian & Empirical Bayes Computational Methods (3 credits)

BIOINF 2059: Bayesian & Empirical Bayes Statistical Methods (3 credits)

BIOINF 2060: Computational Genomics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2101: Probabilistic Methods for Computer-based Decision Support (3 credits)

BIOINF 2110: Concepts of Software Project Engineering in Health Care (3 credits)

BIOINF 2111: Cognitive Studies for Health Informatics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2113: Realtime Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (3 credits)

BIOINF 2116: Computational Thinking for Biomedical Scientists (1 or 3 credits)

BIOINF 2117: Applied Medical Informatics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2124: Principles of Global Health Informatics (3 credits)

BIOINF 2125: Informatics and Industry ( 1 credit)

Research (21 credits)

BIOINF 2480: Master’s Level Research Project (3 credits minimum).

Trainees pursuing a doctoral degree should have completed the master’s-level research project/thesis by the end of the summer term of the second year of full-time study.  

BIOINF 3999: Doctoral Dissertation Research (18 credits minimum) 

Additional Requirements

Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research: This requirement must be satisfied within the first month of beginning any academic program at the Department Biomedical Informatics. Trainees are required to complete the following modules at http://cme.hs.pitt.edu:

  • Research Integrity (formerly module 1)
  • Human Subjects Research in Social and Behavioral Sciences (formerly module 2B)
  • HIPAA Researchers Privacy Requirements (formerly module 6)

Attendance at and participation in the Department Biomedical Informatics’ invited lectures, symposia, conferences, etc, e.g., The Annual Lindberg Lecture and particularly the Annual Training Program Retreat. Such lectures are considered to be important educational experiences, and introduce trainees to the primary researchers and their work in the field of biomedical informatics. 

Doctoral trainees are required to produce one first-author, peer-reviewed conference or journal paper per year beginning in their second year of graduate study.

Preliminary Evaluation: 

Biomedical Informatics Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation

I. Overview

Every graduate student wishing to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Informatics must pass the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation. The purpose of the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation is to determine whether the student has a comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of biomedical informatics topics and an understanding of the relationship among these topics and to assess the student's analytic ability, creativity, and potential for successful completion of the PhD program in Biomedical Informatics. The Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation consists of (1) a Preliminary Written Examination, (2) a review of the student’s grades during course of study at DBMI, and (3) an assessment of the student’s research capability. The Biomedical Informatics Training Program Core Faculty will assess students on these three criteria. A student may be required to take a follow-up Oral Examination if performance on the Preliminary Written Examination is deemed borderline.

II. Process for Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation

The Biomedical Informatics Training Program (“TP”) Core Faculty Committee will oversee the doctoral preliminary evaluation process for all Biomedical Informatics doctoral students. For each student eligible for the Doctoral Preliminary Examination, the Training Program Coordinator will provide the TP Core Faculty with the following information:

(1) Results of the Preliminary Written Examination, which is described in Section III Preliminary Written Examination Guidelines;

(2) Grades from courses taken while a student at DBMI; and

(3) A written statement of the student’s research capability for research from each student’s research advisor.

The research capability of each student will be determined based on a written assessment by the research advisor indicating whether or not the student has a well-formulated project or hypothesis and has made incremental progress in researching this. Qualities that will be part of the assessment letter include creativity of the student in terms of generating research ideas, problem formulation and problem solving skills, along with independence in conducting research. If the student has not been with the research advisor for at least one semester, we will also request a written assessment from the student’s previous research advisor.

The TP Core Faculty Committee will discuss each student and will vote to determine the outcome of the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation:

  • Pass—the student passes the Preliminary Evaluation and may continue to pursue a Ph.D.
  • Fail—the student fails the Preliminary Evaluation and may complete an M.S. degree but may not continue on to pursue a Ph.D. A two-thirds majority vote is required to fail a student.
  • Oral Examination Required—an oral exam may be required if the student was evaluated favorably in their grades and in their research capability but did not receive a good score on the Preliminary Written Examination.

If the grade is Oral Examination Required, then the student is required to take an Oral Examination to determine the final outcome of the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation, which is Pass or Fail.

III. Preliminary Written Examination Guidelines

The Preliminary Written Examination is closed book and closed notes.

A. Timing


The Preliminary Written Exam will typically be held in December or January in the middle of the second academic year after entry into the Biomedical Informatics program as a full-time student. Part-time students are required to take the exam after completion of the core courses.
 

B. Committee Composition for the Written Examination


A subset of the TP Core Faculty, the Doctoral Preliminary Examination Committee, will prepare the questions for the exam. The names of the committee members will not be made public. The Exam Coordinator will chair the Examination Committee. Each question on the exam must be approved by majority vote of the Examination Committee. In the case of a tie, the Exam Coordinator will make the determination of whether to include the question in the Written Exam.

C. Number of Attempts


Students have one chance to pass the exam. Some students may be required to take an Oral Exam. If so, the student’s performance on the Oral Exam will determine whether the student passes the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation.

On rare occasions, a student may be permitted a second attempt to take the Preliminary Written Examination, and will need to petition in writing to the Training Program Director. This petition may be filed at anytime during the course of the Preliminary Evaluation.
 

D. Exam Scope


Students taking the exam for the first time will receive identical written exams. The exam is meant to assess the breadth of the student’s knowledge in fundamental biomedical informatics concepts. Exam questions are based on material covered in all required classes for the first three semesters, including the basic classes and the foundational classes. Instructors of the classes will compile a list of learning objectives for the classes that can help guide students in studying for the Written Exam. The topics covered in the core courses shown below will form the basis of the questions on this examination:

BIOINF 2012: Problem-Oriented Programming in Medical Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2013: Introduction to Patient Care and Clinical Environments (3 credits)
BIOINF 2015: Mathematical Foundations of Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2011: Introduction to Health Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2051: Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2118: Statistical Foundations of Biomedical Informatics (3 credits)
BIOINF 2119: Artificial Intelligence Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 1 (3 credits)
BIOINF 2120: Artificial Intelligence Foundations of Biomedical Informatics 2 (3 credits)
BIOINF 2121: Human Computer Interaction and Evaluation (3 credits)
BIOINF 2014: Biomedical Informatics Project Course (3 credits)
BIOINF 2134: Research Writing Practicum (3 credits)
BIOINF 2032: Journal Club (1 credit)

The exam will last a maximum of three hours. All students will be graded on all questions in the exam, regardless of whether or not a student opted out of any of the basic classes due to existing proficiency in the topic. Students are strongly encouraged to study together to prepare for this exam.
 

E. Calculator for the Exam
 

Students may bring a non-programmable calculator to the exam.
 

F. Determining the Score of the Preliminary Written Exam


The score on the Preliminary Written Exam will be determined in two steps.

(1)    Answers will be graded by the faculty member responsible for each question and a numerical score will be given for the answer.

(2)    The individual scores for each answer will then be summed to give an overall score.

The overall score will be used to rank all the students. Students can request their rank (relative to the other students) from the Training Program Coordinator. The student’s score will be provided to the members of the TP Core Faculty Committee, who will consider the student’s score on the Written Examination, the student’s grades, and the student’s research capabilities in voting on a grade for the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation, which has three possible outcomes: Pass, Fail, or Oral Exam Required. An outcome of Fail requires two-thirds majority vote of the TP Core Faculty Committee.

IV. Feedback from the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation

The TP Core Faculty will prepare a letter for each student summarizing the results of the Preliminary Evaluation. The letter will state the outcome of the evaluation (Pass, Fail, or Oral Exam Required) and will describe the TP Core Faculty Committee’s assessment of the student’s strengths and weaknesses. In the case of an Oral Exam Required outcome, the description of a student’s weaknesses on the Written Examination can help guide the student in preparing for the Oral Exam.

V. Follow-up Oral Exam

An Oral Exam may be required if the student was evaluated favorably in their grades and in their research capability but did not receive a good score on the Preliminary Written Examination. Students whose Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation results in Oral Examination Required must take an Oral Exam  as soon as feasible but no later than the end of the academic term in which the written exam is taken. The Oral Examination will last a maximum of two hours and will be given by the Doctoral Preliminary Exam Committee and overseen by the Exam Coordinator. The Oral Exam will be based on the same topics that were the basis of the Written Examination. The Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation Committee will vote on a Pass or Fail grade for the Oral Exam. A two-thirds majority vote of the Exam Committee is required to fail a student on the Oral Exam.

If the student passes the Oral Examination, the student passes the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation. If the student fails the Oral Examination, the student fails the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation and may not continue PhD studies in the program.

VI. Preliminary Examination Coordinator

Each year, the Training Program Director will designate a member of the TP Core Faculty to serve one year (September 1-August 31) as the PhD Preliminary Examination Coordinator (“Exam Coordinator”), whose responsibilities are detailed below:

(1)    Work with the Training Program Coordinator and Director to determine the members of the Doctoral Preliminary Examination Committee;

(2)    Chair the Doctoral Preliminary Examination Committee;

(3)    Oversee the Preliminary Written Examination for that year;

a. Communicate with the Exam Committee to collate the questions for the Examination;

b.  Lead the Exam Committee in voting on the contents of the Written Exam;

c.  Collect the Written Examination grades from members of the Exam Committee, and provide them to the Training Program Coordinator;

(4)    Oversee the Oral Examination when necessary;

a.  Lead the Exam Committee in a discussion and vote to determine whether the student passes or fails the Oral Examination;

b.  Communicate the results of the Oral Examination to the Training Program Coordinator.

VII.What happens if a student fails the doctoral preliminary evaluation?

If the outcome of the Doctoral Preliminary Evaluation is Fail—which requires a two-thirds vote of the TP Core Faculty Committee—the student will not be allowed to pursue a PhD. The student may choose to complete an MS degree.

Doctoral Comps: 

Biomedical Informatics Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Guidelines

Overview

The comprehensive examination should be scheduled as the student nears the end of coursework and no later than the first semester after completion of coursework requirements in the doctoral program. The comprehensive examination has both written and oral components, which are overseen by a comprehensive exam committee of four faculty, at least three of whom must be members of the Biomedical Informatics Core Faculty. The scope of the examination is defined by the material in the courses that are used to complete the doctoral curriculum requirements, with an emphasis on those courses beyond the core courses. Thus, the exam concentrates on more advanced material. The section on Written Examination Scope describes in more detail the nature of the exam. The student is encouraged to identify and study the material in which he or she is not confident. The committee develops a written examination. The student prepares written responses to demonstrate mastery of the material. An oral examination will take place after the comprehensive examination committee has read the student’s answers. Successful completion of both written and oral components is required. The Doctoral Comprehensive Oral Examination is closed to the public.

Management

The Biomedical Informatics Training Program (“TP”) Core Faculty Curriculum Committee will oversee the doctoral comprehensive examination process for all Biomedical Informatics Doctoral Program students.

Each year, the TP Core Curriculum Committee will designate one of its members to serve one year (September 1-August 31) as the PhD Comprehensive Examination Coordinator (“Coordinator”), whose responsibilities are detailed below

The Training Program Coordinator will maintain a database of the comprehensive examination process status for each student, including committee members, important dates, and progress. Each student should inform the Training Program Coordinator and his/her Biomedical Informatics advisor of each step of the process. The Doctoral Comprehensive Oral Examination is closed to the public.

Timing

The comprehensive examination should be scheduled as the student nears the end of coursework and no later than the first semester after completion of coursework requirements in the doctoral program. If a student cannot do so for a good reason, he/she must petition the Chair of the Curriculum Committee for a longer period of time in which to schedule the exam. An “I” or “G” grade (i.e., an “Incomplete”) in a course that is a requirement of the doctoral program must be updated to a satisfactory letter grade before a student can sit for the written component of the comprehensive exam, but not necessarily before it is scheduled.

Course List

The Training Program Coordinator begins the process of forming a Comprehensive Examination Committee for a student by requesting from the student a list of all the courses taken that he or she wishes to apply to meet the doctoral curriculum requirements of the program. The student is in charge of selecting which courses to include on thiscourse list, so long as they meet the curriculum requirements for the doctoral program. The student is free to consult with the Exam Coordinator with any questions regarding how to construct the course list.

The course list need not include all courses taken, if more than the minimal number have been taken to satisfy the curriculum requirements. For example, a student may have taken four 3-credit courses from among those listed as eligible electives, which yields a total of 12 credits. Only 9 credits are required to fulfill the doctoral curriculum, however. Thus, the student can choose which three of those four elective courses to include on the course list. The questions that appear on the Comprehensive Examination will be generated based on the material covered by the courses on the course list. In some cases, the Exam Coordinator may ask the Training Program Coordinator to obtain the syllabus for selected courses on the course list in order to assist the Comprehensive Examination Committee in generating exam questions.  

Committee Composition

The Exam Coordinator chooses members for the student’s Comprehensive Examination Committee and informed by the course list and obtains their agreement to serve. The Exam Coordinator will also select the Chair for the committee. A Comprehensive Examination Committee will comprise four faculty, at least three of which must be members of the Training Program Core Faculty. To the extent feasible, at least two members of the Committee will each have expertise in the topics covered by one or more of the elective courses on the student's course list. The student’s Biomedical Informatics research advisor may serve on his/her Comprehensive Examination Committee including in the role of Chair. The student or the student’s advisor may provide informal input to the selection process. However, the Exam Coordinator is the final arbiter of committee composition.

The Comprehensive Examination Committee Chair (“Chair”) will:

  • inform the student of the composition of his/her Comprehensive Examination Committee,
  • arrange the dates of both the written and oral examinations well in advance,
  • oversee the development of the written examination,
  • collect written examination questions from the committee members,
  • distribute the questions to and collect the answers from the student, and coordinate and communicate all other matters related to the process of the comprehensive examination in accordance to these guidelines.

The Training Program Coordinator and the current PhD Comprehensive Examination Coordinator are available to assist the Chair in this process.

Written Examination Scope

The scope of the exam is defined by the course material that is covered in the syllabi of the courses that the student uses to satisfy the curriculum requirements for the doctoral degree. As mentioned above, the exam concentrates on more advanced coursework that is beyond the core courses, although an understanding of the material in the core courses is still expected. Included within the scope of the exam is the expectation that the student has a deep understanding of the concepts covered in that course material, as well as the ability to integrate those concepts creatively to solve problems. Thus, students are expected to be able to demonstrate an ability for critical thinking, conceptual synthesis, and creativity in answering exam questions. The student is also expected to understand basic research methodology that allows him or her to reason soundly about research designs, results of experiments, and conclusions that follow from experimental results.  

Initially, the Exam Coordinator will receive from the Training Program Coordinator a copy of the syllabus for each course the student has taken as part of his or her program of study to meet the requirements of the curriculum. For distribution and elective courses that exceed the curriculum requirements, the student should indicate which subset of those courses to include in the scope of the comprehensive examination. The subset must be sufficient to satisfy the curriculum requirements (e.g., a sufficient number of credits of distribution course work). The Training Program Coordinator will provide the Exam Coordinator with the student’s transcript.

Each member of the Comprehensive Examination Committee will prepare one question to be submitted to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair will provide guidance on the topic area on which each member should focus his or her question. Questions will usually be rooted in the committee members’ areas of expertise. However, in keeping with the “comprehensive” spirit of the exam, committee members are encouraged to develop questions which bridge across more than one course. Each of the four questions of the exam should be designed so that a well-prepared student could answer it in no more than eight hours of total effort.

The Written Examination

The written examination will be completed as a “take-home” examination. The Chair will collate the four questions and send them to the student. The examination is “open book and open notes;” however, the student may not consult other people regarding the examination. The University Honor Code is in effect. The student will have seven days to prepare written responses that demonstrate the student’s mastery of the material and return those responses to the Chair. The Chair will provide members of the Committee with copies of the student’s responses to read.

The Oral Examination

Within a week after the student submits responses to the written examination, Committee members should read the written examination responses and vote on whether the student’s performance is sufficient to allow the oral examination to be held as scheduled. An email vote is acceptable. If a majority of the committee members deem performance to be insufficient for the student to move on to the oral exam, then the student is considered to have failed the overall exam; otherwise, the student moves on to the oral exam. The oral examination should be scheduled by the Chair to occur if possible no more than four weeks after the responses are received. The oral examination is typically a two-hour meeting at which all Committee members and the student are present. Its scope will be focused on the written examination questions, but may include additional concepts in the student’s program of study for meeting the requirements of the curriculum. The oral examination will culminate in the final decision of the Committee regarding the student’s performance on the comprehensive examination; successful completion of both written and oral components is required to satisfy Ph.D. requirements. The sections below on Outcome Options and Determining Outcomes provide additional details.

Number of Attempts

If a student fails the first Comprehensive Examination (see below the sections on Outcome Options and Determining Outcomes), then he/she is allowed to take the Comprehensive Examination one more time. Consistent with School of Medicine guidelines, the process of re-taking a Comprehensive Examination must be started within 90 days of the date the student was informed that he/she failed the first Comprehensive Examination. A re-take is defined as starting on the date that the written portion of the second Comprehensive Examination is distributed to the student. (See specific information further below regarding the process of re-taking the Comprehensive Examination.) If the student does not receive the second written examination within the 90-day limit due to inaction on the part of the student, then the student will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program at the end of the academic term in which the 90-day limit is reached. In unusual circumstances, exceptions to this policy can only be approved by the Training Program Director.

If the second Comprehensive Examination is failed, then the student is dismissed from the Ph.D. program, effective at the end of the academic term in which the second failed attempt occurred.

Outcome Options

Taking into account both the written and oral portions, the following options are available to the Comprehensive Examination Committee when a student takes the Comprehensive Examination:

  • pass with distinction
  • pass the overall exam
  • fail the overall exam
  • partial pass (see Determining Outcomes below for details)

Determining Outcomes

Initially, the Comprehensive Examination Committee will vote whether the student passed with distinction or not. A pass with distinction should be used only for trainees who demonstrated truly outstanding performance on both the written and oral portions of the Comprehensive Examination. The vote will be determined by a simple majority. If there is a tie vote, then the student will be deemed not to have passed with distinction.

If the student did not pass with distinction, the Comprehensive Examination Committee will vote whether the student has passed or not passed the Comprehensive Examination. The vote will be determined by a simple majority. If there is a tie vote, then the student will be deemed to have passed.

If the result is given the grade ‘not pass’ then the Comprehensive Examination will vote on whether to fail a student or give him or her a partial pass. The vote will be determined by a simple majority. If there is a tie vote, then the student will be deemed to have received a partial pass.

A partial pass (on either the first or second attempt) may be due to problems with the written, oral, or both portions of the exam. It is the Committee’s responsibility to establish the requirements that a student must meet in order to convert a partial pass into a pass. A partial pass must be resolved to a pass or a fail by the Comprehensive Examination Committee, based on how the student performs on the requirements he or she is given. The Committee also sets the amount of time the student will have to meet those requirements. This time limit would typically be less than four weeks, and should not exceed six weeks, except under extraordinary circumstances that must be approved in advance by the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator.

In establishing the requirements associated with a partial pass, the Committee will consider and vote on a proposal; the vote should be to either “accept” or “not accept” of the set of requirements, as determined by a simple majority of the Committee members. If there is a tie vote, then the vote of the Chair will determine the outcome. More than one proposal can be considered and voted upon by the Comprehensive Examination Committee, but the final result of deliberation must be a single set of requirements that the student must meet; those requirements should be communicated to the student by the Chair as promptly as feasible and ideally within one day of when the requirements were established.

As coordinated by the Chair, the Committee will vote on whether the student has either (1) successfully completed the requirements for converting a partial pass into a pass on the Comprehensive Examination, or (2) has not successfully completed the requirements for converting a partial pass into a pass, and thus, fails the Comprehensive Examination on that attempt. Such a vote may occur at a meeting of the Comprehensive Examination Committee or by other means, such as by e-mail. A simple majority vote will rule. If there is a tie vote, then the student will be deemed to have passed the Comprehensive Examination.

Once the Committee has determined that a student has either passed or failed an examination, the “Comprehensive Examination Report” for Doctor of Philosophy through the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will be filled out by the Chair and signed by all members of the Comprehensive Examination Committee. The “Comprehensive Examination Report” should be delivered by the Chair to the Training Program Coordinator, who will submit it to the School of Medicine.

Coordinating a Second Examination

A student who failed the Comprehensive Examination on a first attempt must petition the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator in writing to take the Comprehensive Examination a second time. The student should then work with the Coordinator to find a date and time for receiving the second Examination that is within 90 days of the date the first Comprehensive Examination was failed.

Committee Composition on a Second Attempt

The second Comprehensive Examination Committee will be established according to the above guidelines regarding Committee Composition, with the following additions:

  • The Comprehensive Examination Coordinator and the Curriculum Committee Chair will work together to determine the composition of the second Comprehensive Examination Committee.
  • Whenever feasible, the second Comprehensive Examination Committee will consist of three faculty members who were not on the first Comprehensive Examination Committee and one who was.
  • The student may recommend to the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator one core faculty member to serve on the second Comprehensive Examination Committee. The Coordinator will endeavor to include that faculty member on the Committee, if it is feasible to do so.
  • The Comprehensive Examination Coordinator will provide the student with the names of those faculty who are being proposed as members of the second Comprehensive Examination Committee. The student will have three days to provide written comments and submit written requests for changes to the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator about the proposed second Comprehensive Examination Committee membership. This written correspondence will be regarded as confidential information.
  • The final decision regarding composition of the second Comprehensive Examination Committee will rest with the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator and the Curriculum Committee Chair. The student will be provided the names of the members of the second Comprehensive Examination Committee by the Comprehensive Examination Coordinator.
Dissertation: 

Requirements Prior to Admission to Doctoral Candidacy

The following skills must be demonstrated in the course of graduate study and prior to being admitted to doctoral candidacy. 

  • Writing accomplishment:This is satisfied by submitting a journal article or peer-reviewed conference paper with approval by his/her advisor.
  • Literature search accomplishment:This is satisfied by completing RPF Module 11.

Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree, Doctoral Committee, and the Doctoral Dissertation

To qualify for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, a doctoral trainee must have completed formal coursework with a 3.3 QPA or higher, successfully completed the master’s level project, passed the doctoral comprehensive examination, and received approval of the proposed subject and plan for the dissertation from his/her dissertation committee following a Dissertation Proposal Meeting (also called the Dissertation Prospectus Meeting). Note that 18 credits of dissertation study must be completed after completion of coursework.

The Dissertation Committee usually includes the principal dissertation advisor (responsible for oversight of thee trainee's dissertation research; also referred to as the "major advisor") and three additional members. The role of the Dissertation Committee Chair (responsible for administrative oversight and the final oral examination) may be filled by the dissertation advisor or another committee member. The majority of the committee, including those members filling the roles of the dissertation advisor and the committee Chair, must have Graduate Faculty status. A majority of the committee must be Biomedical Informatics Core Faculty. A minimum of one Graduate Faculty member from the University community who is not a member of the trainee’s training program must participate on the committee. The dissertation committee must be approved by the Director of the training program prior to seeking approval from the Graduate Dean (signed nomination of a doctoral dissertation committee form). Only upon this approval may the trainee meet with his/her committee at their Dissertation Proposal Meeting and proceed with Admission to Candidacy. This doctoral committee has the responsibility to advise the trainee during the progress of the candidate's research and has the authority to require high quality research and/or the rewriting of any portion or the entire dissertation. It conducts the final oral examination and determines whether the dissertation meets acceptable standards. 

The Dissertation Advisor has the responsibility for primary oversight of the progress of the candidate's research. The Dissertation Committee Chair will arrange the dates of the proposal, annual, and final oral examination meetings of the committee well in advance, will oversee submission of all documents and forms requiring committee approval and signatures, and will coordinate and communicate all other matters related to the process of the dissertation in accordance to these guidelines. The Training Program Coordinator is available to assist the Chair in this process. 

An appropriate dissertation project involves a substantive piece of original and independent biomedical informatics research, grounded in an appropriate body of literature and providing a significant contribution to the field. The dissertation must be successfully defended in a public oral defense. 

The dissertation process will follow the applicable regulations and procedures of the University and the School of Medicine, as described in the Regulations Governing Graduate Study at the University of Pittsburgh (see http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/reg.html).

University policy requires submission of dissertations in electronic form for the doctoral degree. See http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/regphd.html#dissertationand specifically http://www.pitt.edu/AFShome/g/r/graduate/public/html/etd/

Projects/Thesis: