The Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB) is a cross-institutional Ph.D. program. As such, Ph.D. degrees in Computational Biology are awarded either by the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) or by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The students receive their degree from the University in which their thesis advisor holds his or her primary academic appointment. Successful candidates will be offered admissions from one of the Universities. Nonetheless, it is important to note that training of all students is integrated across both universities and that options exist for students to transfer between universities in the joint program.

Additional program flexibility enables students to affiliate immediately with a dissertation advisor in either university. If a student receives an invitation from a faculty member to join their research group directly, he/she may choose to accept it, with approval of the directors, any time prior to matriculation in the summer. Alternatively she/he may conduct three research rotations in the first semester. In either case, students will generally be matched to advisors no later than the beginning of the Spring semester. If exceptional circumstances do not make this possible additional time and/or rotations will be given to the students to find an appropriate advisor.