Master’s Comprehensive Exam

The research project is required of master’s and PhD trainees. The research paper is expected to be 20-30 pages double spaced type, inclusive of abstract, figures, tables and references, and to include Objective, Background, Design, Measurements, Results, and Conclusion (or the equivalent, dependent on the specific research focus). There is the strong expectation that trainees will submit their projects for publication to appropriate journals and conferences, such as JAMIA, AMIA, or other respected academic publications in their field of study. All trainees should refer to the Master’s Research Project Requirements below for detailed description of this requirement, including committee, timeline, and deliverables.

A master’s project committee will oversee the student’s research progress, including the oral comprehensive examination. Under the guidance of his/her research advisor, a student will choose a topic, convene a committee, develop a proposal, and discuss it with the project committee in a proposal meeting before the end of the first term of the second year of full-time master’s study.A minimum of three faculty members will form the committee. Two committee members must be BMI TP Core Faculty members, including the chair. These requirements also apply to the thesis option.  The trainee must provide the TP Coordinator the names of the committee members.

Trainees have the option of developing their project into a formal master’s thesis. It is expected that those trainees who choose the thesis option will additionally satisfy all University requirements, including format and submission of copies, for the master’s thesis. For more information, see www.gradstudents.pitt.edu/ University policy requires submission of thesis to be in electronic form for the master’s degree, see https://www.dins.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/ms_thesis_manual_fall_2022.pdf