Carnegie mellon university online masters computer science

The admissions processes for our three master's options vary. Students applying to the Master’s program in Computer Science must apply online. Instructions for each program are available below.

M.S. in Computer Science

The Master of Science in Computer Science program uses the School of Computer Science online application for admissions. Students are admitted for the fall semester and cannot begin in the spring. 

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

• Application opens September 6, 2022
• Early Deadline Tuesday, November 29, 2022 (3 p.m. EST)
• Final Deadline Monday, December 12, 2022 (3 p.m. EST)
• Applications and all supporting documents, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the final deadline. 

APPLICATION FEES

• 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.

ADMISSIONS Requirements

You must submit the following with your application.

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are 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.
• 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.
• A PDF of your most recent transcript from each college and/or university you attended, even if no degree was granted.
• Your resume in PDF format.
• Your Statement of Purpose — 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 of which are from faculty or recent employers.

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 email: 

For questions specific to the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) please email:

Fifth Year Master’s Program

The Fifth Year Master’s Program is administered by the Computer Science Department, but students can elect to complete research projects in areas throughout the School of Computer Science. Students should submit a formal application in the middle of the fall semester or in the beginning of the spring semester of their senior year. The deadlines are listed below. Students from the Pittsburgh campus must identify their research advisor in their application, but students from the Qatar can apply without advisor and identify an advisor after they have been admitted.

Important Deadlines - Fifth Year Admissions

The program has the following admissions deadlines for students starting the MS in Spring 2023 or Summer or Fall 2023:

• Application deadline for the Spring is Wednesday, October 12, 2022
• Decisions will be announced Friday, November 11, 2022.

• Application deadline for the Fall is Wednesday, January 25, 2023.
• Decisions will be announced Friday, February 17, 2023.

APPLICATION Fees

There is no fee to apply for the Fifth Year Master's program.

ADMISSIONS Requirements

The 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.

How to Apply to the Fifth Year Master's

Complete the application and advisor form and provide the items indicated above. Once completed, deliver the forms and all required components to Tracy Farbacher, 7117 Gates Center for Computer Science or email competed PDF documents to Tracy at: .

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

Accelerated MBA Program

Students wishing to earn an undergraduate computer science degree and an MBA in five academic years can apply to the Accelerated MBA program in the Tepper School of Business. Admissions information and requirements can be found on Tepper's web site.