Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bac Program

This two-semester post-baccalaureate fellowship program is designed to help talented students from groups traditionally underrepresented in their academic disciplines, including first-generation graduate students and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, to bridge the gap between an undergraduate degree and a graduate training program. Fellows enjoy financial support and mentoring by both faculty and graduate students as they prepare themselves for a successful program of doctoral studies. In addition to strong research experiences, Fellows will receive professional guidance and focused support for the graduate school application process.

Of those students who have completed the program since 2011, some 85% have gone on to graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere. Some of our earliest Fellows now hold prestigious postdoctoral appointments in fields such as Psychology and Biological Sciences.

The featured programs for academic year 2024-2025 are:

  • Humanities: History of Art and Architecture, Theater Arts
  • Natural Sciences: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geology and Environmental Science, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Psychology
  • Social Sciences: Anthropology, Economics

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents who hold a Bachelor’s degree, are highly motivated, and show strong academic promise but are not quite ready to apply to a doctoral program in their chosen discipline. Through rigorous and extensive course offerings and mentored research opportunities, students will prepare themselves for doctoral study. HMB Fellows will get to know our faculty, our programs, and the wider academic community.

Each Fellow enjoys mentoring by a multigenerational community of faculty and graduate students to support a process of self-empowerment and of conceptualizing graduate studies. The Fellows also form a small, supportive community across the disciplines and participate in cross-departmental mentoring events. Fellows will enroll in a fulltime load of between 9 and 12 graduate or upper-division undergraduate credits per term, often in a combination of formal courses and directed research. If they decide to apply to our doctoral programs (and we hope they will) and if they gain admission, up to 12 graduate credits may be counted towards degree requirements with department approval; alternatively, certain degree requirements may be waived.

The 2024/2025 Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bac Program application is open.  The application deadline is March 15, 2024.

Applications are submitted through GradCas: https://gradcas.liaisoncas.org/apply/

2024/2025 Application Season

Hot Metal Bridge Application Checklist

Hot Metal Bridge Application Instructions

Hot Metal Bridge FAQs

Please direct any questions to program director Philippa Carter at hmbp@pitt.edu.