School of Arts and Sciences

Learning Through Experience: Enhancing Your Education

In This Section:

Key college experiences such as participating on a faculty member's research team or engaging in service-learning will help you to grow and learn in ways that enhance and complement your education.

In particular, the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) offers undergraduates opportunities to learn outside the classroom and earn academic credit by participating in research, internships, teaching, and service related to their fields of study. These critical experiences give them a chance to apply what they are learning in class and to bring what they learn from these experiences back to the classroom for further study. Experiential learning provides great opportunities for you to explore areas of interest in order to select a major and prepare for graduate school, the world of work, and a fuller, richer life. For more information, contact OEL at 412-624-6828, B-4 Thaw Hall.

Academic Internships*

An academic internship is an approved, monitored work experience that meets specific learning goals related to an academic field of study. This experience highlights the relationship between the practical skills gained in an internship and the academic work done in the classroom. Academic internships provide students with the flexibility to learn many aspects of organizations in which they are interns. Undergraduate students can earn between one and three credits for approved academic internships. Students register for academic internships either through the Office of Experiential Learning (ARTSC 1900) or through an academic department.

Prerequisites for ARTSC 1900 Academic Internships include: 36 credits; at least a 2.25 GPA; a completed Academic Internship Learning Agreement that is approved by the Office of Experiential Learning; and the ARTSC 1900 course must be added to the student's course schedule no later than the Add/Drop deadline for the term. Because students earn credit for academic internships, they do not receive pay for internship work.

You can look for internship opportunities in FutureLinks, a career management system available through Career Services, or make an appointment with the Academic Internship Coordinator in the Office of Experiential Learning. Career Services also has information about internships, through which students do not receive credit, but are paid. To contact Career Services, please call 412-648-7130, or go to 234 William Pitt Union.

Undergraduate Research*

Students can plan, explore, and make an impact in their lives and the world around them through research. In the School of Arts and Sciences, there are several opportunities for research at the undergraduate level.

The Office of Experiential Learning offers the First Experiences in Research program, through which undergraduates partner with faculty mentors from across academic disciplines and participate directly on a faculty mentor's research team. This experience and mentoring helps you see what it would be like to be a neuroscientist, archaeologist, or art historian, for example. You can directly experience and explore careers you have always dreamed of or have just discovered.

While First Experiences in Research is designed particularly for freshmen in their second term, all Arts and Sciences undergraduates may apply. Interested students should contact the Office of Experiential Learning in early fall to find out how to apply for this spring program – contact them at 412-624-6828 or visit B-4 Thaw Hall, mid-campus.

Other research opportunities exist through academic departments. Students are encouraged to consider the fields that most interest them and to explore departmental Web pages to learn about the research of individual faculty members. Students may then contact faculty directly to inquire about assisting with their research.

Opportunities for summer undergraduate research are also available. Students can apply for Undergraduate Research Awards available through the School or Arts and Sciences or the Brackenridge Undergraduate Fellowship through the Honors College.  Both programs make it possible for undergraduates to conduct independent research for 10 weeks during the summer. Some departments offer directed research for academic credit. To find out more about these opportunities, please contact the department of interest directly.

Field research means "learning in the field" through hands-on experience in outdoor laboratories, excavation sites, urban planning meetings, and other site-specific locations that allow students to explore an area of study. Geology, Urban Studies, Biology, and Anthropology are just a few programs that offer field research for credit in locations ranging from Pymatuning to London to Yellowstone National Park. Please check the Course Descriptions and those departments for more information about participating in field research for credit.

Undergraduate Teaching

The School of Arts and Sciences has many opportunities for undergraduates who would like to assist with the teaching of their peers. Programs such as Undergraduates Teaching Undergraduates (UTUs), Peer Led Study Groups, and Tutoring provide opportunities for undergraduates to teach other undergraduates. The Experiences in Teaching program, offered in the fall term, allows undergraduates to begin learning about being a teacher. Undergraduates who have successfully completed a course may apply to work with the professor of that class on specific teaching projects.

These experiences provide a great means to explore careers in teaching. Participants help fellow students learn material they have already mastered, reinforce their own learning, improve their communication and leadership skills, build their college résumé, and gain confidence and satisfaction by helping others learn. To find out more about these opportunities, please contact the Office of Experiential Learning at 412-624-6828 or visit the office in B-4 Thaw Hall.

Service

Service-learning meets community needs while allowing students to apply and broaden skills. Specific School of Arts and Sciences service-learning courses provide opportunities for students to work directly with organizations and have a positive impact in the community while earning credit for the "learning" part of the service-learning experience. For more information about service-learning, please contact the Office of Experiential Learning at 412-624-6828.

Pitt's Student Volunteer Outreach, part of Student Affairs, offers opportunities for students to volunteer with community organizations around the city and beyond. SVO partners students with hundreds of area non-profits, and students may serve in another part of the country for an Alternative Spring Break. Through the Student Organization Resource Center, you can find out about other student clubs and organizations that have service as an integral part of their mission.

Leadership

As undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences work toward mastery in a discipline within the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, students can serve in positions of leadership within the many student organizations on campus and participate in specific programs that prepare them for future leadership roles within their scholarly fields, workplaces, families, and communities.

Students may hone their leadership skills through teaching, tutoring or advising their peers. The Office of Experiential Learning offers the Experiences in Teaching program each fall term and many departments have peer teaching opportunities such as the Chemistry UTU (Undergraduate Teaching Undergraduates). Through the Office of Freshman Programs, students can become UTAs (Undergraduate Teaching Assistants) for the Introduction to Arts and Sciences courses for freshmen. The Advising Center provides preparation and course credit for students who serve as Peer Advisors. The Academic Resource Center provides preparation for students to become tutors or mentors for their peers. Students who have successfully completed introductory science courses can take the ARTSC 0910 Seminar in Peer Helping, a 1-credit preparation course, to become peer leaders in the Peer Led Study Group program, administered through the Office of Experiential Learning.

In addition to these opportunities, students may hold leadership positions in campus organizations, including the Student Government Board (SGB). Through the SGB, students also serve as representatives on faculty committees such as the A&S Undergraduate Council, A&S Council, and the Bellet Teaching Excellence Award Committee.

Arts and Sciences also offers a Leadership Certificate for students who, while majoring in specific academic disciplines, also acquire core leadership competencies through coursework in quantitative reasoning, economic principles, oral and written communications and human architectures. The Leadership Certificate is comprised of 24 credits from these four foundational areas, a capstone course, and participation in co-curricular experiences such as community service and the Emerging Leaders program, a workshop series offered through the Division of Student Affairs.

Experiencing Our Urban Campus

Pitt's urban setting provides a thriving environment for many different activities. We often say that "the city is our campus," and we encourage you to take advantage of what our location has to offer. Getting involved on campus and in the community will help you build a network of friends, acclimate to college life, and provide cultural opportunities, fun, leadership development, and more.

  • The PITT ARTS program offers over 100 free cultural outings a year plus discounted tickets to a variety of arts events, programs, workshops, and shows. For more information or to sign up for the program's e-mail distribution list, visit www.pitt.edu/~pittarts/.
  • Pitt has over 300 student organizations ranging from academic clubs to intramural sports, service organizations to the Student Government Board. To find out more, check out www.studentlife.pitt.edu.
  • As a student here, you may use your student ID to access city and campus attractions - for free! Your ID will give you free admission to the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, which comprise a Museum of Art and a Museum of Natural History (across the street from campus), the Carnegie Science Center (downtown), and The Warhol museum (on the North Side); Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (a five minute walk from campus); and the Mattress Factory art museum on the North Side.
  • If you want to explore the city on your own, use your ID to hop on any Port Authority bus at no charge. Bus route maps are available on the main floor of the William Pitt Union, or call 412-442-2000 for more information.
  • On campus, use your ID to access fitness centers, swimming pools, and athletic facilities – even a climbing wall. Visit www.education.pitt.edu/intramurals/ for more information.

* Note that some academic internships and research take place at facilities external to the University. These facilities may require a criminal background check, an Act 33/34 Clearance (if applicable), and/or a drug screen to determine your eligibility to participate. Some facilities may inquire whether you have been convicted of a misdemeanor, a felony, or a felonious or illegal act associated with alcohol and/or substance abuse.

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