This fall, the educational benefits policy for Pitt staff and faculty has been undergoing some updates to streamline how the University administers these benefits, including combining the four relevant policies into one.
While those changes are now on hold as the University and the Staff Union of Pitt negotiate their first contract, it’s a good time to remind Pitt employees about those benefits, including those available for themselves and for their spouses, domestic partners and dependent children. The education benefit is part of Pitt staff’s overall compensation package.
Personal use
In the 2023-24 academic year, 1,893 staff members used their education benefits to pursue undergraduate or graduate degree or just take classes for personal enrichment.
The benefits the University provides are among the best in the nation, including the education benefits, Melissa Kluchurosky, director of benefits in the Office of Human Resources, told Pittwire.
“Health and well-being are the foundation of the employee experience, and as an institution of higher education, the University values lifelong learning,” she said.
Pitt contributes 97% of undergraduate tuition, up to eight credits per term, and 90% of graduate tuition, up to six credits per term, for full-time staff members.
The admissions process for staff members is determined by the type of education they are pursuing. If a staff member is a non-degree-seeking student, they will enter the University though the College of General Studies, but a staff member re-enrolling at Pitt or pursuing a second bachelor’s degree will need to follow the admission guidelines set forth by the specific school overseeing their program.
If a staff member seeks to earn their first bachelor’s or master’s degree, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid processes their admission.
The spring class schedule is out now, and staff members interested in enrolling next semester who have questions about education benefits are encouraged to call the Office of Human Resources’ benefits customer support phone number at 833-852-2210 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for assistance.
Dependents and spouses
The University also offers education benefits to the dependents and spouses or domestic partners of full-time staff members.
Dependent children who are admitted to any of Pitt’s campuses are eligible for the education benefits for 12 terms of undergraduate level coursework. The benefit covers 100% of tuition.
Spouses or domestic partners are eligible for up to six credits per term, with tuition covered at 90 percent.
Don’t forget the regionals
Dependents of Pitt staff members can, if accepted, attend any of the University’s campuses. The three main regional campuses — Bradford, Greensburg and Johnstown — each offer a variety of programs, along with small classes and labs. They are all situated on residential campuses and offer housing, club and competitive sports, dining, entertainment options and all the other amenities of student life.
Bradford: The average class size is 17 and the student-faculty ratio is 12:1, with just over 1,000 students in fall 2023. The campus offers more than 40 majors, including a new major in emergency medicine in cooperation with Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
In each major, students get hands-on experience. For example, criminal justice and forensic science majors conduct research in the lab and solve mock crime scenes in the Crime Scene Investigation House. Engineering and information technology students work on projects in all areas of the new George B. Duke Engineering and Information Technologies Building, including in the machine shop, makerspace, VR lab, and fluid mechanics lab that includes a wind tunnel.
Students also have the opportunity to conduct research, study abroad, and serve on an internship. Pitt-Bradford students have interned at Google, NYC Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Greensburg: The student-to-faculty ratio is 16-to-1 and the average class size is 17.5, with a student population of around 1,300.
Programs popular with Pitt staff dependents include: nursing, management, psychology, pre-education, criminal justice, biological studies and information technology.
The new Life Science Building opened in January 2023 to house nursing, health science, biology, microbiology and chemistry labs.
The Frederick Honors College also expanded to Pitt–Greensburg this fall, which gives students the additional opportunities, incentives, and recognition for high academic attainment.
Johnstown: With 2,200 students and around 50 majors, Johnstown is the largest of Pitt’s regional campuses. It has an average class size of 18 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 14-1.
The programs with the largest enrollment are business, which includes accounting, marketing and more; education, for early childhood, middle and secondary levels; biology; criminal justice; and multimedia & digital culture.
Pitt–Johnstown also offers an in-person, part-time master of social work program, which has the same standards, and requirements as the program in Oakland. Johnstown also is the only regional campus where students can complete a four-year degree in chemical, civil, computer, electrical or mechanical engineering.
— Susan Jones
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