Curriculum Committee

The curriculum committee of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is comprised of faculty and students who work together to fulfill the charter of this committee to monitor, govern, and maintain the currency of the four-year curriculum. There are students elected from each class who are voting members of this committee. This committee was charged in 1993 as shown below.

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Charge to the Curriculum Committee

The UPSOM Curriculum Committee, as a standing committee of the faculty, monitors the broad scope of the curriculum and implements and oversees all planned curricular changes.  In addition, it serves as a forum to review and approve course proposals, to study special issues and problems, and to report to the faculty on curricular issues. In fulfilling the above, the curriculum committee will:

  • Establish general educational policy for the School of Medicine
  • Set educational goals and objectives
  • Assess courses, clerkships, student evaluation procedures, and faculty performance
  • Initiate and review proposals for new courses and clerkships
  • Consider student grievances about curricular issues
  • Consider faculty grievances about curricular issues
  • Determine the appropriate sequencing and scheduling of courses and clerkships
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum
  • View the four years of the curriculum as a whole to achieve vertical integration

About the Committee

The curriculum committee (CC) was organized in 1991 as a standing committee of the faculty with student representation and was given responsibility and authority for all four years of medical student education. Learn more about the committee.

Meeting Schedule

View the curriculum committee meeting schedule.

Fundamental Principles

As the faculty of the School of Medicine, we will strive to implement certain curricular principles.

Subcommittees

The Curriculum Committee hosts several subcommittees.

New Elective & Content Changes

The elective curriculum at UPSOM is designed so that students can pursue areas of interest that will deepen and broaden their education.  It is also a time for students to fill in any gaps in clinical knowledge or skills prior to the start of internship.  The procedure necessary for an elective to be added to the School of Medicine Curriculum Courses and to be officially listed in the online Course Catalog can be found here. 

Educational Objectives of the MD Curriculum

The curriculum of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is intended to foster the development of the competencies that the faculty considers to be essential for attainment of the MD degree and for graduates to enter the next stage of professional training.

LCME & Accreditation

UPSOM was most recently accredited by the LCME in 2019. The accreditation process includes a comprehensive self-study process as part of the preparation for a site visit by a team of external reviewers. UPSOM, including the Office of Medical Education and Curriculum Committee, conducts on-going review and revision of the school’s educational programs and related processes.