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.
Bachelor's
Admission to all bachelor of science programs in SCS is administered through Carnegie Mellon Undergraduate Admissions. Students accepted into SCS as first-year students are undeclared until the second half of their second semester. At that time, students will select one of the five majors.
Bachelor's in Computer Science Overview
Additional Information
SCS Undergraduate Programs | Turn Tartan Days
AP/IB/Cambridge Credit Information | External Credit Transfer Information
Master's
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 for Master of Science in Computer Science and Fifth Year CS Master's
Additional Information
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 School of Computer Science about other available master's programs to be certain you are selecting the program best suited to your educational goal.
Doctoral
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, which includes the Ph.D. in Computer Science. Ph.D. in Algorithms, Combinatorics and Optimization, and the Ph.D. in Pure and Applied Logic
Quick FAQs & Additional Information
- 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
Visitor info & Campus Maps | Visitor Parking | Campus Tours | Campus Life
Please Note:
The CS undergraduate program is not currently doing in-person visits for prospective students.
Liu Receives NSF CAREER Award
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Yang Liu, an assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for his research advancing the mathematical foundations of algorithms, optimization and data analysis. Read More
Researchers Channel AI To Solve Open Mathematical Problems
Marylee Williamsby Marylee Williams | Thursday, July 9, 2026
Artificial intelligence can accelerate scientific discovery, but it isn't as simple as submitting a single query to an AI model. Research led by a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science and Google is developing new methods to solve some of the hardest open mathematical problems with these models. Read More