Master's Programs Admissions

 You must submit the following with your application.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Submitting GRE scores is highly recommended. If you cannot provide them, please briefly explain in your application. GRE scores are waived for applicants who have graduated from, or are enrolled at, Carnegie Mellon University.

TOEFL or IELTS Test: If you are an international applicant and your native language (language spoken from birth) is not English, an official copy of an English proficiency score report is required. The English proficiency requirement cannot be waived for any reason. We strongly encourage applicants to take either the TOEFL or IELTS. In cases where these are not available it is acceptable to take the Duolingo test. We discourage the use of the "TOEFL IPT Plus for China", since speaking is not scored. Additional details are provided on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Transcripts: A PDF of your most recent transcript from each college and/or university you attended, even if no degree was granted.

Resume/CV: Please submit in PDF format.

Statement of Purpose: Provide a concise one- or two-page essay describing your primary research interests, related experiences and objective in pursuing a Masters in computer science.

Three letters of recommendation: At least two letters should be from faculty or recent employers.

• Early application deadline fee $80 per program.

• Application fee after November 29, $100 per program.

We expect all applicants to submit payment with their online application. However, we do waive the required fee under certain circumstances. Fees for application to a limited number of our programs can be waived for participants in certain programs. In addition, if you are unable to pay the application fee, SCS will consider a fee waiver request.

Visit the SCS Fee Waivers page.

To apply to the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) program please use the School of Computer Science Online Application. Students are admitted for the fall semester and cannot begin in the spring. 

For more on the application process, please refer to the SCS Online Graduate Application Instructions.

For general questions about applying to master's degree programs in the School of Computer Science contact: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/about-scs/contact

Scholarships and financial assistance to the Master of Science Program are not offered by the program at this time.

General financial information is available via the following resources:

Graduate Tuition and Fees:
https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/tuition/graduate/scs.html

Carnegie Mellon Graduate Student Financial Aid:
https://www.cmu.edu/sfs/financial-aid/graduate/index.html

he Fifth Year Master’s Program is open only to undergraduate students in the School of Computer science completing a B.S. or major in Computer Science. Students must provide:

• A 1-2 page curriculum vitae.

• A letter of recommendation from your academic sponsor.

• Students from the Qatar campus who have not yet identified an advisor can instead have a letter of recommendation from any faculty member familiar with their research. 

• A second letter of recommendation. This letter can come from another faculty member or possibly and outside source (eg., supervisor from a summer internship).

• A two-page statement that covers the following three areas:

  1. A short description of your career goals.

  2. An overview of your research experience and how it prepared you for this program.

  3. A description of the research you plan to undertake if accepted into the Fifth Year Master’s Program

  4. Students who are working towards a BS in AI from CMU should also include a short paragraph describing how they will satisfy the additional breadth requirements

• A Carnegie Mellon transcript. An unofficial copy of your transcript is acceptable.

• Completed application and advisor form.

There is no application fee to apply for the Fifth Year Master's Program

Complete the application and advisor form and provide the items indicated above.

Once completed deliver all required components — including forms, letters of recommendation, CV, etc. — to:

Tracy Farbacher, 7117 Gates Center for Computer Science

Or email competed PDF documents to Tracy at: tt1b@andrew.cmu.edu.

You can also mail them to:

School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
c/o Tracy Farbacher / 5th Year
7117 Gates Center for Computer Science
5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Complete the application and advisor form and provide the items indicated above.

Once completed deliver all required components — including forms, letters of recommendation, CV, etc. — to:

Tracy Farbacher, 7117 Gates Center for Computer Science

Or email competed PDF documents to Tracy at: tt1b@andrew.cmu.edu.

You can also mail them to:

School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
c/o Tracy Farbacher / 5th Year
7117 Gates Center for Computer Science
5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213