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 Noelle Kramer at nlk58@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
Fall 2025 (Term 2261)
- AFRCNA 1710 - AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH ISSUES
- ANTH 0538 - THE ARCHEOLOGIST LOOKS AT DEATH
- ANTH 0620 - BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0680 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0768 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
- ANTH 1752 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD
- ANTH 1761- PATIENTS AND HEALERS: MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 1
- BIOENG 1241 - SOCIETAL, POLITICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOENGINEERING
- BIOSC 0350 - GENETICS
- BIOSC 1000 - BIOCHEMISTRY
- BIOSC 1010 - COMMUNICATING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
- BIOSC 1200 - VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY
- BIOSC 1500 - CELL BIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1850 - MICROBIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1865 - MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1950 - MOLECULAR GENETICS LABORATORY
- BIOSC 1999 - MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
- COMMRC 1181 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- CSD 1020 - NATURE OF LANGUAGE
- CSD 1024 - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF HEARING
- EM 1152 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- EM 1153 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE EDUCATION
- EM 1155 - LEGAL ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- EM 1170 - CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE 1
- ENGCMP 0535 - WRITING IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE PROFESSIONS
- ENGCMP 0540 - INTRODUCTION TO DISABILITY STUDIES
- GEOL 1055 - ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
- HAA 0018 - DEATH IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
- HIST 0791 - HEALTH CONTROVERSIES IN HISTORY: ETHICS, PUBLICS, INTERVENTIONS
- HIST 1084 - FOOD AND HISTORY
- HIST 1090 - HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
- HIST 1476 - RELIGION AND HEALING IN CHINA
- HIST 1695 - ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
- HIST 1706 - DRUGS IN GLOBAL HISTORY
- NROSCI 0080 - BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 0081 - DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 1011 - FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
- NROSCI 1012 - NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
- NROSCI 1017 - SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
- NROSCI 1036 - NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
- NROSCI 1250 - HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
- NUR 0031 - MICROBIOLOGY
- NUR 1680 - INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS AND MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS
- PEDC 1300 - NUTRITION IN EXERCISE AND SPORT
- PHIL 0360 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
- PSY 0160 - PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
- PSY 0205 - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
- PSY 0310 - DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0422 - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0505 - INTRO TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1052 - TOPICS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1110 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
- PSY 1112 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY LAB
- PSY 1210 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1225 -PSYCHOLOGY OF EMOTION
- PSY 1230 - PSYCHOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING
- PUBHLT 1001 - INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH
- PUBSRV 1305 - HEALTH, LAW AND ETHICS
- REHSCI 1230 - REHABILITATION ETHICS
- REHSCI 1240 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- REHSCI 1280 - PSYCH AND SOCLGY OF DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1290 - PRACTICAL ISSUES IN DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1292 - DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN HEALTH, DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
- RELGST 1521 - ASIAN RELIGION PERSPECTIVES ON BIOETHICS
- RELGST 1558 - BUDDHISM AND PSYCHOLOGY
- RELGST 1560 - RELIGION AND HEALING IN CHINA
- SOC 0446 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
- SOC 0471 - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
- SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
- SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS
- SOC 1488 - HISTORY MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
Summer 2025 (Term 2257)
- ANTH 0538 - THE ARCHEOLOGIST LOOKS AT DEATH
- ANTH 0620 - BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0680 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0768 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
- ANTH 1752 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD
- BIOENG 1241 - SOCIETAL, POLITICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOENGINEERING
- BIOSC 0350 - GENETICS
- BIOSC 1000 - BIOCHEMISTRY
- COMMRC 1181 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- EM 1102 - EMERGENCY MEDICINE TECHNICIAN
- HIST 1090 - HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
- NROSCI 0080 - BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 0081 - DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
- PSY 0160 - PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
- PSY 0205 - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
- PSY 0310 - DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1210 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1215 - HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
- SOC 0471 - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
- SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
- SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS
Spring 2025 (Term 2254)
- AFRCNA 1309 - WOMEN OF AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
- AFRCNA 1510 - HEALTH IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
- ANTH 0538 - THE ARCHEOLOGIST LOOKS AT DEATH
- ANTH 0620 - BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0680 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0768 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
- BIOENG 1241 - SOCIETAL, POLITICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOENGINEERING
- BIOSC 0350 - GENETICS
- BIOSC 0815 - GENES AND DISEASES FOR NON-MAJORS
- BIOSC 1000 - BIOCHEMISTRY
- BIOSC 1010 - COMMUNICATING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
- BIOSC 1280 - MICROBIAL GENETICS
- BIOSC 1440 - ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
- BIOSC 1455 - HUMAN ENDOCRINOLOGY
- BIOSC 1500 - CELL BIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1850 - MICROBIOLOGY
- COMMRC 1181 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- CSD 1025 - HEARING SCIENCE
- CSD 1026 - SPEECH SCIENCE
- CSD 1030 - LAB IN SPEECH SCIENCE
- ECON 0220- INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH ECONOMICS
- EM 1102 - EMERGENCY MEDICINE TECHNICIAN
- ENGCMP 0535 - WRITING IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE PROFESSIONS
- ENGCMP 0540 - INTRODUCTION TO DISABILITY STUDIES
- ENGCMP 1102 - LANGUAGE OF MEDICINE
- ENGLIT 0541 - LITERATURE AND MEDICINE
- GEOL 1055 - ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
- HIST 0709 - HISTORY OF GLOBAL HEALTH
- HIST 1084 - FOOD AND HISTORY
- HIST 1090 - HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
- HIST 1725 - DISEASE AND HEALTH IN MODERN AFRICA
- HIST 1769 HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND MEMORY
- JS 1252 HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND MEMORY
- NROSCI 0080 - BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 0081 - DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 1011 - FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
- NROSCI 1012 - NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
- NROSCI 1017 - SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
- NROSCI 1030 - PSYCHTRC DISORDERS AND BRAIN FUNCTION
- NROSCI 1250 - HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
- NUR 0031 - MICROBIOLOGY
- NUR 1680 - INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS AND MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS
- PEDC 1300 - NUTRITION IN EXERCISE AND SPORT
- PHIL 0360- INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
- PHIL 1360 - BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
- PS 1263 - HEALTH POICY AND HUMAN FLOURISHING
- PSY 0160 - PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
- PSY 0205 - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
- PSY 0310 - DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0422 - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0505 INTRO TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0510 - SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
- PSY 1052 - TOPICS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1057 - TOPICS IN BIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1112 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY LAB
- PSY 1210 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1215 - HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1225 - PSYCHOLOGYOF EMOTION
- PSY 1230 - PSYCHOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING
- PSY 1235 - ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE
- PUBHLT 1001 - INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH
- PUBSRV 1305 - HEALTH, LAW AND ETHICS
- REHSCI 1280 - PSYCH AND SOCLGY OF DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1290 - PRACTICAL ISSUES IN DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1292 - DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN HEALTH, DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
- RELGST 1252 - HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND MEMORY
- RELGST 1402 - HEALTH AND RELIGION
- RELGST 1558 - BUDDHISM AND PSYCHOLOGY
- RELGST 1575 - LAW AND MEDICINE IN ASIAN RELIGIONS
- RELGST 1722 - HEALING, SHAMANOSM, AND SPIRITUAL POSSESSION
- SOC 0446 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
- SOC 0475 - SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
- SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
- SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS
- SOC 1488 - HISTORY MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
Fall 2024
- AFRCNA 1710 - AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH ISSUES
- ANTH 0538 - THE ARCHEOLOGIST LOOKS AT DEATH
- ANTH 0680 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0768 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
- ANTH 1752 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD
- BIOENG 1241 - SOCIETAL, POLITICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOENGINEERING
- BIOSC 0350 – GENETICS
- BIOSC 1000 – BIOCHEMISTRY
- BIOSC 1010 - COMMUNICATING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
- BIOSC 1200 - VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY
- BIOSC 1500 - CELL BIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1850 – MICROBIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1865 - MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY
- BIOSC 1950 - MOLECULAR GENETICS LABORATORY
- BIOSC 1999 - MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
- COMMRC 1149 - ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC
- COMMRC 1181 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- CSD 1020 - NATURE OF LANGUAGE
- CSD 1024 - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF HEARING
- CSD 1111 - AURAL REHABILITATION
- EM 1102 - EMERGENCY MEDICINE TECHNICIAN
- EM 1152 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- EM 1153 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE EDUCATION
- EM 1155 - LEGAL ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- EM 1170 - CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE 1
- ENGCMP 0535 - WRITING IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE PROFESSIONS
- ENGCMP 0540 - INTRODUCTION TO DISABILITY STUDIES
- GEOL 1055 - ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
- HIST 0791 - HEALTH CONTROVERSIES IN HISTORY: ETHICS, PUBLICS, INTERVENTIONS
- HIST 1084 - FOOD AND HISTORY
- HIST 1090 - HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
- HIST 1476 - RELIGION AND HEALING IN CHINA
- HIST 1695 - ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
- HIST 1706 - DRUGS IN GLOBAL HISTORY
- NROSCI 0080 - BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 0081 - DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 1011 - FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
- NROSCI 1012 – NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
- NROSCI 1017 - SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
- NROSCI 1036 - NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
- NROSCI 1250 - HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
- NUR 0031 – MICROBIOLOGY
- NUR 1680 - INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS AND MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS
- PEDC 1300 - NUTRITION IN EXERCISE AND SPORT
- PHIL 0360 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
- PSY 0160 - PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
- PSY 0205 – PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
- PSY 0310 - DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0422 - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1110 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SEXUALITY
- PSY 1210 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1215 - HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1230 - PSYCHOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING
- PUBHLT 1001 - INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH
- PUBSRV 1305 - HEALTH, LAW AND ETHICS
- REHSCI 1230 - REHABILITATION ETHICS
- REHSCI 1240 - ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
- REHSCI 1280 - PSYCH AND SOCLGY OF DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1290 - PRACTICAL ISSUES IN DISABILITY
- REHSCI 1292 - DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES IN HEALTH, DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
- RELGST 1558 - BUDDHISM AND PSYCHOLOGY
- RELGST 1560 - RELIGION AND HEALING IN CHINA
- SOC 0446 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
- SOC 0471 - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
- SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
- SOC 1324 - SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND MORAL CRUSADES
- SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS
- SOC 1488 - HISTORY MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
Summer 2024
- ANTH 0538 - THE ARCHEOLOGIST LOOKS AT DEATH
- ANTH 0620 - BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0680 - INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- ANTH 0768 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
- ANTH 1752 - ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD
- BIOSC 0350 – GENETICS
- BIOSC 1000 – BIOCHEMISTRY
- BIOSC 1010 - COMMUNICATING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
- BIOSC 1850 – MICROBIOLOGY
- COMMRC 1181 - HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- EM 1102 - EMERGENCY MEDICINE TECHNICIAN
- HIST 1706 - DRUGS IN GLOBAL HISTORY
- NROSCI 0080 - BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
- NROSCI 0081 - DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
- PSY 0160 - PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY
- PSY 0205 – PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
- PSY 0310 - DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 0422 - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1210 - INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- PSY 1215 - HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
- SOC 0446 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
- SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
- SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS
3-5-2024