What the University of Pittsburgh's Computer Science Department Offers

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt CS) is part of the School of Computing and Information and offers a full ladder of degree programs — from a BS in Computer Science through an MS and a PhD — alongside research opportunities, student clubs, and a location in a city the department describes as consistently voted one of the most livable in the US. It's a fit if you want a research-active department with a range of undergraduate majors and minors, a defined graduate path, and a campus in an urban setting. The department marked 59 years of computer science at Pitt, and as of February 2024 its community included 37 full-time faculty members, two staff members, over 100 graduate students, over 900 pre-CS/CS majors, and thousands of alumni.

Degree programs

The department organizes its offerings by level, and the site lists distinct requirements and policies for each.

Undergraduate

• BS in Computer Science — with eligibility for the major, degree requirements, capstone options, policies, and a sample plan of study
• Minor in Computer Science
• BS in Computational Biology
• BS in Data Science
• BS + MS in Computer Science — an accelerated combined path

Graduate

• MS in Computer Science — with its own degree requirements and policies
• PhD in Computer Science — with its own degree requirements and policies

If you're comparing options, the practical distinction is breadth versus depth: the BS gives you the core major with a capstone; the BS+MS lets you extend into graduate work; the MS and PhD are standalone graduate degrees with separate admissions.

Research and undergraduate research

Research is a stated emphasis. The department says its faculty "are well known for their research world-wide and work on externally funded research projects, many of which have a positive impact on our community," and the site highlights a "Research with Impact" theme alongside a PittSmartLiving project photo. Research areas are listed under a dedicated Research section, and there is a separate Undergraduate Research page — useful if you want to get into a lab before graduating rather than waiting for graduate school.

Admissions: how to apply

The site separates admissions by level, so check the right page before you start:

• Undergraduate Admission Requirements and How to apply
• Graduate Admission Requirements and How to apply

The department does not publish its application deadlines, test policies, or fee details on the pages summarized here, so confirm those on the official admissions pages before planning a timeline.

Student life and community

Student life is framed as extending beyond the classroom. The department's clubs (co-)organize events and activities, and the site names:

• Computer Science Club (CSC)
• Computer Science GSO (CS GSO)
• Minority Association in Computing (MAC)
• Women in Computer Science (WiCS)

It also points to a 2019 SheInnovates event described as Pitt's Women Hackathon. There are additional resources for current students: advising information (undergraduate and graduate), course schedules and descriptions, forms, and inclusive classroom and mental health resources.

Location: Pittsburgh as a home base

The department devotes a section to its city — "Home = Pittsburgh" — noting it is located in the City of Pittsburgh, which it describes as consistently voted one of the most livable cities in the US. For prospective students, that matters less as a slogan and more as a practical factor: an urban campus, a local tech and research ecosystem, and a city you'd actually live in for four-plus years.

How to decide if it fits

The main gaps to fill in yourself: current tuition and funding, application deadlines, and specific research area listings — none of those details appear in the material summarized here, so go to the department's admissions and research pages directly.