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
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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.
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 of Science in Computer Science
- Fifth Year Master's
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.
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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.
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.
SCS Faculty Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 Aayush Jain and Aditi Raghunathan, assistant professors in the Computer Science Department, and Jun-Yan Zhu, assistant professor in the Robotics Institute and CSD affiliated faculty, join 123 other researchers announced as fellows this year, chosen from more than a thousand nominations. The fellowship will support each of their unique research goals. Read More
Christini Earns Krulcik Scholarship
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 After Cole Christini experimented with the open-world computer game Minecraft as a kid, he went on to make his own computer games with friends. Then he built an alarm clock in a physical computing class, learned Mandarin, delved into history coursework, and did research into augmented reality for medicine at Cornell. All before he even enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science (SCS). Now, with graduation from the Computer Science Department (CSD) on the horizon, he's earned this year's Scott Robert Krulcik Scholarship in Computer Science. Read MoreACO Seminar - Michael Zheng
A Lovász-Kneser theorem for triangulations
Accessibility Lunch Seminar - Owen Kent
Designing With, Not For: User-Centered Design as a Startup Strategy in Assistive Technology
Joint Theory Lunch Seminar / Doctoral Speaking Skills Talk - Rose Silver
History-Independent Load Balancing