Student standing in front of a large window in the Gates Center at Carnegie Mellon University

Prospective Students

Explore information about our academic programs in Computer Science. We offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree studies.

Carnegie Mellon University admits undergraduate students into the School of Computer Science, not directly into the Computer Science Department. The admissions application for the bachelor's program is handled by the Carnegie Mellon Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Master's and doctoral programs in the Computer Science Department handle admissions within the department. The School of Computer Science manages the graduate application for both the master's and doctoral degree levels.

Please refer to "How to Apply" under the appropriate degree level below.

Prospective Student Information

Major declaration occurs during the spring semester of your first year as an SCS student, and all enrolling SCS students have the option to declare any of the five primary majors SCS offers. The department you select in your application does not factor in the admissions process and is only used to provide us with data on student interests for outreach after admission.
Bachelor's Programs Overview
SCS Undergraduate Programs
How to Apply
Turn Tartan Days
AP/IB/Cambridge Credit Information
External Credit Transfer Information
CS_Sample_Curriculum_Schedule.pdf (109.93 KB)
Admission to the master's programs in the Computer Science Department is done via the joint application provided by the School of Computer Science. Admissions decisions are made by admissions review committees internal to the department.
We suggest you read the "Overview" of the programs and "How to Apply" for more detail about CSD master's programs admissions.
Master's Programs Overview
- Master of Science in Computer Science
- Fifth Year Master's
How to Apply
Graduate Education Office
Applicants who apply to the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) program are not automatically considered for any other program in the School of Computer Science. Please review information provided by the Schoto ol of Computer Science about other available master's programs to be certain you are selecting the program best suited to your educational goal.
Admission to the doctoral programs in the Computer Science Department is done via the joint application provided by the School of Computer Science. Admissions decisions are made by admissions review committees internal to the department.
We suggest you read the "Overview" of the programs and "How to Apply" for more detail about CSD doctoral programs admissions.
Doctoral Programs Overview for:
- Ph.D. in Computer Science
- Ph.D. in Algorithms, Combinatorics and Optimization
- Ph.D. in Pure and Applied Logic
Quick FAQs
- Residency and attendance on the Pittsburgh campus is required.
- The Computer Science Department does not offer online or remote doctoral degrees.
- A bachelor's degree is required to be completed before entering the program if you are admitted. A master's degree is not required to apply or enter the program.
- Admitted applicants enter the program in the fall each year. The program does not have a spring or summer admissions cycle.
- Applicants to the doctoral program are not automatically considered for admission to the master's degree program. You must apply to the MSCS program to be considered for admission to that program.
How to Apply
Admitted Doctoral Student Open House
CSD PhD Blog
Graduate Education Office

Visiting CMU

Campus Map | Visitor Parking | Campus Tours | Campus Life

Please Note:

The CS undergraduate program is not currently doing in-person visits for prospective students.

Faculty and Students to Present at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy

Thursday, April 23, 2026

The 47th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Security and Privacy (IEEE S&P 2026) will be held in San Francisco on May 18th through the 21st. Faculty members Limin Jia and Lujo Bauer, as well as postdoctoral fellow Elisaweta Masserova (CSD '25), are serving on the IEEE S&P 2026 Program Committee. The symposium also includes several co-located workshops that feature CMU researchers as organizers and keynote speakers. Additionally, CSD faculty Matt Fredrikson is giving a keynote address at the co-located workshop on Secure Agents for Generative Artificial Intelligence (SAGAI ‘26). Read More

Stock image of the Gates Hillman Center looking up at it on a sunny summer day.

Fujitsu, CMU Launch Joint Center for Physical AI

Aaron Aupperlee

by Aaron Aupperlee | Thursday, April 23, 2026

Fujitsu Limited and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) announced the launch of the Fujitsu-Carnegie Mellon Physical AI Research Center. At the center, Fujitsu and CMU will jointly advance research and development of core technologies to enhance the capabilities and scalability of physical AI, with the aim of serving as a global research hub that drives the social implementation of these technologies. Read More

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