Courses

Generally-speaking, students are encouraged to choose courses within the school of choice.  Cross-registering from one school to another may require special permission.  Available courses and their descriptions may be found in different ways.

  • Pitt's Course Descriptions webpage. Although the courses may not reflect those of the upcoming semesters, incoming students may use the schedules from the previous semesters. However, there maybe slight schedule changes from year to year. As the descriptions may be brief, additional course information, such as syllabi, maybe found on the specific departmental webpages.  This source typically lists past descriptions from the most recent fall, spring and summer terms.  This tool is strictly for the Oakland campus.   
  • Undergraduate Catalog webpage. For a full list of all courses offered through Pitt, students may consult the catalog.  Unlike the Course Descriptions webpage or the Class Search webpage, the catalog shows all classes that have been offered through a particular department. It is not a schedule showing what is being offered within a specific term.  
  • Pitt Class Search webpage.  Although this method is more user friendly, it does typically does not show as many semesters as the Pitt Course Descriptions website.  It does, however, show the courses as well for the other regional campuses.  
  • Individual Academic Departmental webpages.  Review the full list of undergraduate academic departments or click on the major pages listed on the left.  

 

Pitt does not organize classes necessarily as Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior level coursework.  Courses are determined by pre-requisites.  Generally-speaking courses with lower numbers maybe considered less in difficulty of content, but that is not always the case as this practice has not been followed since there are just too many now.  So, therefore, how should one search for the appropriate courses?  

When utilizing the Course Descriptions webpage: 

  • Go to the Course Descriptions website and search for a particular subject.  The example here is "Chemistry," which is under the “Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences”
  • Using the Fall schedule, review what kind of courses are available.  Note that CHEM 2000-level and higher courses are graduate and exchange students are not permitted to take graduate level courses.  
  • Take CHEM 0310 – Organic Chemistry I, for instance (any of the sections available).  When you click on the course link, you will see the “Description” and then the “Pre-requisite(s).”  For CHEM 0310, they are “PREQ: (CHEM 0120 or 0720 or 0770 or 0970 or 0102 or CHEM 0420) or (CHEM 0112 and 0114).”  You may also want to use the departmental website, which you will search for at pitt.edu.  The Department of Chemistry’s website has the course information for individual courses like this- http://www.chem.pitt.edu/undergraduate/major-requirements.  
  • You will have to compare these lists to what has been taken at your home institution.  If an equivalent class has not been taken then the pre-reqs you have not been met and then, you are not eligible.