Overview of the Certificate Program
The undergraduate program in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine is designed to offer a group of related courses in the areas of medical ethics, the nature of explanation and evidence in the biomedical sciences, and social problems such as assessments of alternative forms of health care delivery. The program is likely to be of particular interest to pre-medical and pre-professional health care students, but is intended to appeal to all students interested in social and philosophical problems in the biomedical sciences.
Students interested in obtaining the the undergraduate certificate should apply as early in their course work as possible. Normally, satisfactory completion of one course in the two-term core sequence, History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) 0612 or 0613, is required for admission into the certificate program.
Survey
Please complete the Qualtrics survey below if you are interested in completing the CFM Certificate. We will be sending out email updates and a copy of your electronic CFM certificate upon graduation.
Please email Delaney Szekely at drs190@pitt.edu if you have any questions.
Declare the CFM Certificate
Please use the link below to declare the CFM certificate. This will enable you to check the progress of completing the certificate. This certificate can be declared at any time.
Please make sure you still declare it on your graduation application.
https://www.asundergrad.pitt.edu/student-toolkit/forms
Instructions to Receive Certificate on Transcript and Electronic Certificate
To receive the certificate on your transcript, you need to include it on your graduation application. (Failing to list the CFM Certificate will remove it from your academic record.) You will need to have fulfilled all the Requirements as listed below. The CFM will not appear on your transcript until after you graduate.
Once you graduate and the final transcript has been posted, you will receive an electronic certificate via the email you included in your CFM Survey.
Requirements
- The two introductory core courses (HPS 0612 and 0613) in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine.
- A two-term college-level course in biology.
- Two additional courses in a variety of departments dealing with social and conceptual issues in the biomedical sciences. The two elective courses must be in different departments.
- Students must achieve at least a C grade in each of the required courses, and at least a C+ average in the overall certificate requirements.
Core Courses from the History and Philosophy of Science Department
- HPS 0612 Mind and Medicine 3 Credits
This course focuses on questions of the aims of medicine, its scientific status and its relation to the natural sciences. These questions are pursued in the context of psychiatry, neurology, genetics, and the process of physical diagnosis.
- HPS 0613 Morality and Medicine 3 Credits
This course is an introduction to the ethical, legal, and social problems which are part of the modern practice of medicine. It begins with a brief introduction to various types of moral theories (e.g., Kantian, Utilitarian, Naturalistic) followed by discussions of truth-telling in medicine, informed consent, euthanasia, abortion, and the relation between political systems and health care. The focus throughout will be on the role of moral values in medical treatment.
Important Certificate Information
- All required courses must be completed with a "C" average or better. Pass/fail grades do not count.
- IMPORTANT: Your two upper-level elective courses MUST be from two different departments.
- The department will furnish a list of courses which satisfy the requirements in the "Other" or "Upper Level" category. It will be available online at the beginning of each registration period or by stopping in the office or phoning the department at 412-624-5896.
- If you require academic advising with respect to the required courses, please make an appointment to see Professor Paolo Palmieri, 1101 Cathedral of Learning, e-mail:pap7@pitt.edu.
- Use CFMED as the Plan Code on your registration form to ensure proper credit on your final transcript.
- During the first few weeks of your final term of your senior year fill out an additional application from the Arts and Sciences Dean's Office (Graduation Information). This will ensure the processing of the certificate information onto your transcript. If this process is not completed in a timely manner, a processing fee will be assessed by the Registrar.
Alternative Elective Courses to Satisfy the Conceptual Foundations Requirement
If you believe that there is a course that deals with the social and conceptual issues in the biomedical sciences, and that it should satisfy the elective requirement for the certification, you must:
- Obtain the description of the course;
- Write a very short explanation of why the course ought to count toward satisfaction of the elective requirement, by showing how it deals with social or conceptual issues in the biomedical sciences; and
- Submit both to the Undergraduate Advisor for approval.
These are the courses that are considered as electives for the CFM Certificate Program. Please make an appointment to see Professor Paolo Palmieri (pap7@pitt.edu) for permission to use other courses. This list can also be found on our website: www.hps.pitt.edu Please click “Undergraduate Program”.
Approved Elective Courses
Spring 2023
AFRCAN 1510 – HEALTH IN THE AFRICAN DISPORA
ANTH 0538 – THE ARCHEOLGISTS LOOKS AT DEATH
ANTH 0620 – BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 0680 – INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 0768 – HUMAN SEXUALITY IN CROSS CULTURE
ANTH1752 – ANTHROPOLGY OF FOOD
BIOENG 1241 – SOCIETAL, POLITICAL, AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOENGINEERING
BIOSC 0350 – GENETICS
CSD 1025 – HEARING SCIENCE
CSD 1026 – SPEECH SCIENCE
CSD 1030 – LAB IN SPEECH SCIENCE
ECON 0220 – INTRO TO HEALTH ECONOMICS
EM 1102 - EMERGENCY MEDICINE TECHNICIAN
ENGCOMP 0540 - INTRODUCTION TO DISABILITY STUDIES
ENGLIT 0541 – LITERATURE AND MEDICINE
GEOL 1055 – ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
HAA 0018 – DEATH IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
HIST 1084 – FOOD AND HISTORY
HIST 1090 – HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
HIST 1695 – ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
HIST 1769 – HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND MEMORY
JS 1252 – HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND MEMORY
NROSCI 0080 – BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
NROSCI 0081 – DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
NROSCI 1011 – FUNCATIONAL NEUROANATOMY
NROSCI 1012 – NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
NRCSCI 1017 – SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
NRCSCI 1250 – HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
NUR 0031 – MICROBIOLOGY
PEDC 1300 – NUTRITION IN EXERCISE AND SPORT
PS 1263 – HEALTH POLICY AND HUMAN FLOURISHING
PSY 0160 – PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
PSY 0205 – PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
PSY 0310 – DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 0422 – COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 0510 – SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
PSY 1057 – TOPICS IN BIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 1112 – PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY RESEARCH WRITING PRACTICUM
PSY 1230 – PSYCHOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING
PSY 1235 - ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE
PUBHLT 1001 – INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH
PUBHLT 1002 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN GLOBAL HEALTH
REHSCI 1280 – PSYCH AND SOCIOLOGY OF DISABILITY
REHSCI 1290 – PRACTICAL ISSUES IN DISABILITY
REHISCI 1292 – DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN HEALTH, DISABILITY, AND REHABILITION
RELGST 1402 – HEALTH AND RELIGION
RELGST 1558 – BUDDHISM AND PSYCHOLOGY
RELGST 1722 – HEALING, SHAMANISM, AND SPIRITUAL POSSESSION
RELGST 1725 – DEATH AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONS
SOC 0446 – SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
SOC 0471 – DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
SOC 0477 – MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
SOC 1450 – HEATH AND ILLNESS
SOC 1488 – HISTORY MEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE
10-17-22