Graduate Certificate Requirements

Graduate Certificate Program

tudents doing graduate work in the medieval and Renaissance periods require a particularly broad interdisciplinary base in their training. To meet this need, the faculty involved in MRST at the University of Pittsburgh have instituted a certificate program that coordinates a student's training in the medieval and Renaissance areas in such a way as to enrich the work in the major department while forming a coherent and integrated interdisciplinary experience. The interdisciplinary nature of the students' work should be reflected in the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.

he MRST Program comprises a course of studies in one of the conventional disciplines but with a broader and more varied preparation than marks the usual character of a graduate degree in a single discipline. All departments participating in the Program permit the substitution of some "outside" courses for the regular departmental course requirements. Students are encouraged to meet with the Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program in order to discuss their choice of courses.

n completion of coursework and dissertation or thesis, the student is presented with a certificate and the major advisor places in his or her file a report on the special nature of the work toward the certificate. This report can serve as a supplement to the student's professional job-placement dossier. For further details, see the Catalogue of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

General Requirements

or students wishing to complete the MRST certificate at the graduate level, writing a research paper focused on medieval and/or Renaissance Studies is the most important requirement. As specified by the University, a MA certificate also requires at least 15 credits (5 courses) and a PhD certificate requires 18 credits (6 courses). Many of these credits may be drawn from coursework already required for the student’s degree in the home department (for instance, the requirements for English, HAA, or French and Italian). Working with the Director of MRST, the student will create an individually tailored course of study that gives consideration both to the requirements of home departments and to the importance of interdisciplinary study.

MA Certificate Requirements

1. A major interdisciplinary research paper in medieval and/or Renaissance studies. This may be either an MA thesis or a substantial term paper (20 – 30 pages).

2. At least two graduate courses focused on medieval and/or Renaissance studies. We strongly encourage students to take courses outside of their home departments. In some cases—involving, for instance, infrequent course offerings or research abroad—students may petition the Director to reduce the number of courses required.

3. We strongly recommend (but do not require) that MA certificate candidates acquire a reading knowledge of at least one language other than English.

4. A one-page cover letter attached to the research paper. The letter should be addressed to the Program Director and should use direct language and specific examples. In this letter, we would like you to reflect on what you have learned from earning a certificate from the Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. In addition to considerations of your own (which interest us a great deal), please address the following: what were the benefits and challenges of doing an interdisciplinary certificate? Did ideas from one course relate to and/or enhance your work for a course in a different department? Can you compare or combine the different ways in which two or more disciplines taught you to approach texts, objects, or ideas? What did you learn from investigating cultures that are temporally, geographically, and culturally different from your own? Did you feel that the courses you took for the MRST certificate provided you with tools helpful for viewing more clearly not only a distant society but also our own?

PhD Certificate Requirements

1. A PhD thesis of an interdisciplinary nature focused on medieval and/or Renaissance studies.

2. At least four graduate courses focused on medieval and/or Renaissance studies. We strongly encourage students to take courses outside of their home departments. In some cases—involving, for instance, infrequent course offerings or research abroad—students may petition the Director to reduce the number of courses required.

3. A reading knowledge of one language other than English. We also strongly recommend (but do not require) that PhD certificate candidates acquire a reading knowledge of Latin.

4. A one-page cover letter attached to the thesis. The letter should be addressed to the Program Director and should use direct language and specific examples. In this letter, we would like you to reflect on what you have learned from earning a certificate from the Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. In addition to considerations of your own (which interest us a great deal), please address the following: what were the benefits and challenges of doing an interdisciplinary certificate? Did ideas from one course relate to and/or enhance your work for a course in a different department? Can you compare or combine the different ways in which two or more disciplines taught you to approach texts, objects, or ideas? What did you learn from investigating cultures that are temporally, geographically, and culturally different from your own? Did you feel that the courses you took for the MRST certificate provided you with tools helpful for viewing more clearly not only a distant society but also our own?

Admission and Financial Aid

tudents should apply for both admission and financial aid to the department of their intended specialization. Please note that medieval and Renaissance Studies is an interdisciplinary program--not a department--and thus plays no role in the admissions process. However, the Director will be happy to discuss the program with interested students.

For more information about graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, including funding and fellowship opportunities, please see the website: http://www.as.pitt.edu/graduate.

How to Apply for a Certificate

tudents who are already enrolled in a graduate degree program at Pitt can apply for the Certificate at any time during their graduate studies but are encouraged to apply as early in their program of study as possible. To enroll, the student can complete a brief application form available from Amy Nichols, Assistant to the Director, in CL 1328. When students apply for graduation, they must also fill out a graduation form for the certificate.

or further information, write or call the Director, Jennifer Waldron (office phone: 412-624-3246; email: jwaldron@pitt.edu) or the Assistant to the Director, Amy Nichols (aen8@pitt.edu).

Special Features

ach year the Program organizes a series of lectures featuring visiting scholars and distinguished Pitt faculty and post-doctoral fellows. It is expected the certificate students would attend these lectures and events. Please check the calendar of upcoming events for a complete listing of these lectures.

he Program also publishes an annual Newsletter with announcements of lectures and other events, courses to be offered in the field, fellowship possibilities, upcoming professional meetings, and news of student and faculty activities.

Library Resources

he Hillman Library and the Frick Fine Arts Library hold a strong collection of texts, periodicals, reference works in, e.g., art history, political history, and the European literatures of the medieval and Renaissance periods. Other libraries in the area with particular strengths are the Carnegie Public Library (music) and the libraries of Carnegie-Mellon University (history of printing), Duquesne University (theology), and the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (Reformation history).

Support for Research Travel

s a member of the Newberry Library consortium, Pitt encourages students to use the resources and attend the conferences and lectures sponsored by the Newberry in Chicago. (There are funds available for that purpose.) By a special agreement with the Folger Institute in Washington, students needing to do research in areas not covered by the Newberry holdings may use the Folger under the same arrangement. For further information, please see Related Links.

Courses in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

he Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program offers a number of courses, either of its own or through cross-listings with other Departments and Programs. Please consult the School of Arts and Sciences course listings website each semester for a complete listing of courses available in any given term:

MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE STUDIES COURSES SPRING 2010

MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE STUDIES COURSES FALL 2010

MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE STUDIES COURSES SUMMER 2010

For Further Information

or further information, write or call the  Director, Jennifer Waldron

628-B Cathedral of Learning,

University of Pittsburgh,

Pittsburgh, PA 15260;

office phone: 412-624-3246;

email: jwaldron@pitt.edu

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