Master's in AI (AIM) Application Process

You must submit a completed application form via our online application system to be considered for admission to Heinz College. Heinz College does not charge an application fee.

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All applicants who have completed (or will complete) their Bachelor’s degree in the United States must have an official transcript of their undergraduate studies submitted directly to Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College by their undergraduate university.

All applicants who have completed (or will complete) their Bachelor’s degree outside the United States must have a course-by-course transcript evaluation report submitted directly to Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College via an approved transcript evaluation service.

All applicants must earn a Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution (or its equivalent) prior to the date they would begin their studies at Heinz College. If you have not completed your Bachelor's degree by the time you submit your application for admission to Heinz College, you may be admitted on the condition that you submit your final, official transcript, including your date of graduation, prior to the start of your first semester at Heinz College. 

How to submit your official transcript or course-by-course evaluation report

We are committed to reducing barriers and increasing access for all applicants. We assess applicants holistically and take into consideration many factors, including quantitative background and experience.

Applicants are REQUIRED to submit GRE/GMAT scores or applicants can qualify for a waiver of the GRE/GMAT requirement by submitting one (1)  or more of the following within their application for admission:

1. Evidence of Prior Quantitative Coursework- At a minimum, applicants can demonstrate their preparedness by having earned an “A” or higher in a college-level, credit-bearing, Calculus class and Statistics class. Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Calculus and Statistics will satisfy this requirement if it appears on the undergraduate transcript as college credit.  Only classes listed on the undergraduate or other official transcript(s) will be considered.
2. Undergraduate transcript from Carnegie Mellon University– Applicants who have or will complete their undergraduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University are eligible for a waiver of the GRE/GMAT requirement.

Approval of all requests to waive the GRE/ GMAT requirement is at the discretion of the admissions committee. The admissions committee reserves the right to require GRE/GMAT scores be submitted (prior to completing their review of the application) if the applicant’s coursework does not meet the minimum standard for enrollment. 

Prospective AIM students are NOT ELIGIBLE for waiver of the GRE/GMAT requirement based on their work experience.

Well-qualified applicants who do not demonstrate the necessary math proficiency within their application may be admitted conditionally as described below.

If you are going to submit scores, click here for detailed information on submitting your standardized test scores.

If your native language (mother tongue) is not English, you are required to submit an official score report from the TOEFL, IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test. The only exceptions are for:

1. Students who have worked or studied for five or more years in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, and/or Zambia.
2. Students who studied for four years of their undergrad education in the United States and earned their bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited US school (students are encouraged to provide unofficial copies of the English Language Proficiency exam they used when they applied to their undergraduate institution as part of their application to Heinz College).
   

Students who are required to submit test scores must have the scores reported directly to Heinz College by the testing service. When required, we strongly recommend that you take the exam at least one month prior to the application deadline.

How to submit English proficiency exam results

You are required to have two (2) recommendation forms submitted on your behalf. Recommendations should be provided by employers, supervisors, professors, or others who are able to comment on your professional and educational goals and potential. At least one (1) of your recommenders should know you in a professional setting (full-time employment, internship, part-time employment, research, non-academic extracurricular activity, etc.). You may opt to have up to three (3) recommendations submitted in support of your application.

Please note: recommendations from friends, family members or acquaintances, and other sources not able to evaluate applicants on an academic or professional basis, will not be accepted.

Letters of recommendation must be written in or translated into English. Your recommendations must be submitted electronically through the online application system by your recommenders. We do not accept recommendations submitted on paper.

How to submit your recommendations

You are required to upload your résumé to the application system. Please submit a one- or two-page summary of your education skills, accomplishments, employment experiences, and volunteer experiences. The résumé MUST be current and include all part-time and full-time work experience, the dates of when the employment began and ended, and a brief description of your responsibilities under the title of the position. Click here for an example of a résumé.

Please consider using the "Optional Essay" to address the reason for any "gap" in your résumé, if applicable.

Your résumé should contain only true information and your own, original content. If you include a quote or text written by any other person or published in any printed or online format, you must surround the copied text in quotation marks (") and indicate the original source of the text. Information reported on your résumé is subject to verification. The Heinz College Office of Admissions utilizes several methods to identify plagiarized and falsified content in uploaded documents. Submission of false or plagiarized material as part of the application for admission may result in automatic denial of admission to any degree program.

You are required to upload the required essay to the application system.

Your essay should address the following three questions. We recommend that your total essay length should be 700 words minimum (up to 1,100 words suggested maximum). Please give each section of your essay the appropriate heading for each question.

1. Career Goals: What are your career goals after completing graduate school? (Recommended response length: 150-300 words)
2. Prior Experience: How have your prior experiences (professional, academic, and/or personal) prepared you for graduate study and informed your career goals? (Recommended response length: 400-500 words)
3. Why Heinz College: How will attending this degree program at Heinz College help you achieve your career goals? (Recommended response length: 150-300 words)

Your essay should contain only true information and your own, original content. You should not use artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, to write any portion of your essay. If you include a quote or text written by any other person or published in any printed or online format, you must surround the copied text in quotation marks (") and indicate the original source of the text. Information reported on your résumé is subject to verification. The Heinz College Office of Admissions utilizes several methods to identify plagiarized, AI-generated, and falsified content in uploaded documents. Submission of false, plagiarized or AI-generated material as part of the application for admission may result in automatic denial of admission to any degree program.

You may choose to submit an essay in which you comment on any item(s) in your application that you consider worthy of further explanation. We are mostly interested in having you address any gaps in your professional experience, or anything you would consider a weakness that could have an impact on your admission status. Please limit optional essays to no more than 250 words.

Your essay should contain only true information and your own, original content. You should not use artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, to write any portion of your essay. If you include a quote or text written by any other person or published in any printed or online format, you must surround the copied text in quotation marks (") and indicate the original source of the text. Information reported on your résumé is subject to verification. The Heinz College Office of Admissions utilizes several methods to identify plagiarized, AI-generated, and falsified content in uploaded documents. Submission of false, plagiarized or AI-generated material as part of the application for admission may result in automatic denial of admission to any degree program.

The completion of a short video interview is extremely important for applicants to the AIM program, especially individuals unable to visit campus prior to the application deadline or those who are non-native English speakers. 

You will receive an email invitation to complete the video interview after you submit your online application and after we receive your official undergraduate transcript (or course-by-course evaluation report).

How and when to complete the video interview

Heinz College is committed to ensuring the integrity of our admissions process and the reputation of our educational programs. We also want to protect and enhance the value of the degrees that we confer. As an enrolling student, you will be required to successfully complete a verification process of your admission application materials. The verification process will be completed by an outside, independent contractor hired by Heinz College and Carnegie Mellon University.

The purpose of this background check is to protect all stakeholders of the program (students, faculty, staff, and alumni) from those who would falsify their backgrounds to gain an unfair advantage in the admissions process. We believe that this verification will support our efforts to ensure integrity throughout the program. Upon admission, you will receive more details about this process from the Office of Admissions.

AIM students who have not completed a Python course prior to admission will be required to take and pass an “Introduction to Python” course prior to matriculation. Students can enroll in one of the following pre-approved classes prior to the start of their first semester in the AIM program:

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO EXTENSION

At UC San Diego Extension, the following class have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to MSPPM - Data Analytics at Heinz College:

Python Programming Fundamentals (Course # CSE-41273)

Note that this class lists a prerequisite, but some students have been successful without the formal prerequisite course if they have previously studied programming on their own.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ EXTENSION

At UC Santa Cruz Extension, the following class have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to MSPPM - Data Analytics at Heinz College:

Python: Object-Oriented Programming (Course # CMPR.X420)

Note that this class lists a prerequisite, but some students have been successful without the formal prerequisite course if they have previously studied programming on their own.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

At Boston University, the following class have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to MSPPM - Data Analytics at Heinz College:

Information Structures with Python (Course # MET CS 521)

HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL

At Harvard Extension School, the following class have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to MSPPM - Data Analytics at Heinz College:

Introduction to Computer Science with Python (Course # CSCI E-7)

EXCELSIOR COLLEGE

At Excelsior College, the following class have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to MSPPM - Data Analytics at Heinz College:

Fundamentals of Programming (Course # IT 211)

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO EXTENSION

At UC San Diego Extension, the following two classes have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to Heinz College:

Java Programming I: Fundamental Java Concepts (Course # CSE-40479)

Note that this class lists a prerequisite course, but some students have been successful without the formal prerequisite course if they have previously studied programming on their own.

Java Programming II: Core Java Programming (Course # CSE-40480)

We prefer that you take this class, because it covers “exceptions handling," and it also covers deeper-level topics that will better prepare you for the MISM program. UCSD Extension CSE-40479 (or similar experience) is listed as a prerequisite for this class.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY EXTENSION

At UC Berkeley Extension, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

Java: Discovering Its Power (Course # EL ENG X436.2)

Note that prerequisite courses are listed for this class, but some students have been successful without the formal prerequisite courses if they previously studied Java (or C++) on their own. (C++ is similar to Java.)

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ EXTENSION

At UCSC Extension, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

Java Programming I (Course # CMPR.X412)

Includes a module on learning to code with Generative AI. Note that no prerequisite is listed. Search the page for the course number (CMPR.X412) and click on the course number to view all upcoming sections.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

At Boston University, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

MET CS 520 Information Structures with Java

Note that this class has a prerequisite, which MUST be waived per the instructor’s consent. In order to waive the prerequisite, please email the instructor who is teaching the course that semester (BU provides you that email address) with any previous technology or programming skills. If the professor grants you a waiver, please forward that waiver to METCSAPP@bu.edu. The team at BU will manually register you as a non-degree seeking student.

Please note: Because of the prerequisite requirement, you cannot register for this course online. It must be registered for manually after gaining the prerequisite waiver. 

HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL

At Harvard Extension School, the following two classes have been pre-approved as prerequisite programming courses for admission to Heinz College. Note that Java I is a prerequisite to Java II and is intended for students with no previous programming background.

CSCI E-10A Introduction to Computer Science Using Java I

Note that this class is generally offered during the Fall Semester.

CSCI E-10B Introduction to Computer Science Using Java II

Note that this class is generally offered during the Spring Semester. This course lists a prerequisite, but some students have been successful without the formal prerequisite course if they possess the equivalent experience in a high-level programming language such as C, C++, or Java.

 PARKLAND COLLEGE

At Parkland College, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

CSC 140 Computer Science I (Java)

 FOOTHILL COLLEGE

At Foothill College, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

C S 1A Object-Oriented Programming Methodologies in Java

C S 2A Object-Oriented Programming Methodologies in C++

Excelsior College

At Excelsior College, the following class has been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

IT210 Object Oriented Programming

Note that you may enroll in the 8 or 15 week sections. Both section types offer the same content, with the 8-week long courses covering the material at a faster pace.

Carnegie Mellon University (Current CMU Students Only)

At Carnegie Mellon University, the following classes have been pre-approved as a prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College:

17-214: Principles of Software Construction: Objects, Design, and Concurrency

15-121: Introduction to Data Structures

Note that prerequisite courses may be required and students should consult with their advisor prior to registering for the course.

Students admitted to the AIM program are required to have undergraduate coursework in calculus and statistics prior to their first semester at Heinz College. You can meet this requirement by completing college-level courses with a grade of B or higher covering these topics.

Students may want to consider enrolling in prerequisite coursework prior to applying for admission. Taking a calculus and/or statistics course is a great way to show the Admissions Committee you are proactively preparing for graduate school and fulfilling the prerequisites for enrollment.

Prospective students who want to complete the prerequisite quantitative courses for admission to Heinz College should consider the descriptions below when looking for suitable classes in calculus and/or statistics.

CALCULUS

Identify a college-level course that covers basic concepts including limits, derivatives, definite and indefinite integrals. At a minimum, the course should develop methods for application of those concepts to problems like curve sketching, related rates, linear and quadratic approximations, and maximum/minimum problems.

STATISTICS

Identify an introductory, college-level course in probability/statistics. An appropriate course would be designed for students with very little or no background in statistics. At the conclusion of the course, students should have the basic tools for analyzing data and outcomes involving probabilistic circumstances. Topics should include probability and probability tables, conditional probability, Bayes' Rule, random variables and expected value, and a basic understanding of normal distribution and hypothesis testing.

Review our accelerated master's program info sheet for detailed information on the AIM Accelerated Master's Program for Carnegie Mellon University undergraduate students.