Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon College of Science: Programs and Research

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools in 1900. It became the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1912 and, in 1967, Carnegie Mellon University after merging with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. The Mellon College of Science (MCS) is one of the seven colleges within CMU, playing a vital role in scientific education and research.

Overview of the Mellon College of Science

The Mellon College of Science (MCS) provides undergraduate training for future scientists. The MCS curriculum emphasizes problem-solving, communication, and analytical skills, and teaches students the value of hard work and discipline, all within the context of rigorous training in each field. MCS aspires to ensure its undergraduates leave with a strong sense of personal integrity, social responsibility, ethics, ability to work with diverse others, global engagement, and personal health and well-being.

Departments and Degree Programs

Each department in MCS offers degrees and programs that allow students to explore particular fields within a science discipline. The MCS Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics each outline their degree programs and courses in the departmental sections.

Double Degree Programs and Student-Defined Majors

Some students choose to gain expertise by following a double degree program, resulting in two distinct bachelor’s degrees. With a well-thought proposal, students may pursue a major they have designed to meet their particular interests and goals by creating a Student-Defined Major.

Core Education Outcomes and Breadth Requirements

Students pursuing any MCS bachelor’s degree will fulfill the 15 Core Education outcomes through their primary MCS major and by completing technical and nontechnical breadth requirements before graduation.

Technical Breadth Requirement

As 21st-century practicing scientists or mathematicians, graduates will work with others from a variety of technical backgrounds. A student must take at least 9 units, outside of their primary major department, from each of four categories. These may include prerequisite courses or courses required by their major department but must be outside their home department. AP/IB/Cambridge credit may NOT be used to fulfill these requirements. At least three of these courses must be taken in their first year. The specific requirements for each category (A, B, C, and D) are determined by the student's specific department. Some of the majors in MCS require certain courses from the technical breadth requirement that are necessary for either prerequisite knowledge in the major or scientific breadth.

Nontechnical Breadth Requirements

The nontechnical breadth requirements require students to develop a personalized plan for their course selection and meta-curricular participation to maximize their CMU experience. This requirement must be completed no later than the penultimate semester. Any student who finds an appropriate Carnegie Mellon course not on the pre-approved elective list below that might fulfill this requirement should contact their home department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies to review the course description to determine if it can be substituted. In addition, transfer courses will also be considered for this category.

ENGAGE Courses

The ENGAGE courses are self-directed learning opportunities (using the MyCORE online platform) designed to enhance students’ engagement with wellness, the arts, and community service. Option 1: 38-402 may be substituted for BOTH 38-330 AND 38-430.

Cultural or Global Understanding Course(s)

Cultural or global understanding course(s) may be taken at any time. Nine (9) or more units from the following group of courses will fulfill this requirement. Any student who finds an appropriate Carnegie Mellon course not on the list below that might fulfill this requirement should contact their home department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies to review the course description to determine if it can be substituted. Cultural and global understanding courses that are taken while studying abroad can be used to fulfill this category. In addition, transfer courses will also be considered for this category. 79-262Modern China: From the Birth of Mao … *Please note the units on the following course options. †Please note the category requirement is for 9+ units.

For the Nontechnical Electives requirement, students must complete a minimum of four courses totaling at least 36 units with a maximum of 18 units from AP/IB/Cambridge exam credit. To fulfill this requirement, students must complete a minimum of four (4) nontechnical courses totaling at least 36 units in the College of Fine Arts, the Tepper School of Business, and/or the Dietrich College for Humanities and Social Sciences. AP/IB/Cambridge exam credit cannot be used to fulfill the Science and Society Requirement.

Read also: Choosing a Social Science Major

Double Counting

Double counting occurs when a student attempts to use one course to meet more than one major, college, or university degree requirement. Generally speaking, students are permitted to double count courses from the MCS Core Education requirements towards their primary major, additional major, or additional minor requirements. The goals of the MCS core technical breadth requirements are different from the goals of the non-technical breadth requirements.

Honors Program

Several departments in MCS offer students an opportunity to participate in a departmental honors degree program. Some of these programs result in a master’s degree along with the bachelor’s degree (see next section on accelerated master’s programs). Honors B.S./M.S. Honors B.S./M.S. Honors B.S./M.S. Honors B.S./M.S. Earned a cumulative grade point average of ≥3.20 (by the end of their seventh semester or by the time of graduation) and carried out significant research. Typically, this would consist of an academic project carried out for at least two semesters. However, a single project that spans a summer and a semester or that the research mentor deems to be significant and sustained, even if the student worked for pay rather than credit, will be allowed. In addition, some form of public dissemination of this research, which has been approved by the MCS Senior Associate Dean for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, such as a peer reviewed publication, research thesis, or presentation at an external scientific meeting is required. The Meeting of the Minds by itself is not sufficient and participation in a pre-approved judged competition (eg. Final approval of nominations for MCS Honors will come from the Dean of MCS and the MCS Senior Associate Dean for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives.

Interdisciplinary Programs

The Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences and the Mellon College of Science have joined together to establish the interdisciplinary Program in Environmental & Sustainability Studies offering a Minor or an Additional Major.

Research Centers and Initiatives

MCS is home to several research centers and initiatives, including:

The Center of Atmospheric Particle Studies: Aims to be the world leader in science, engineering, and policy covering the full role of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.
The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition: A joint program between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
The Center for Nonlinear Analysis: Established in 1991, with a special focus on applications emphasizing new and innovative methods to study contemporary issues in materials science.

Academic Performance and Standing

Each semester MCS recognizes those students with outstanding academic records by naming them to the Dean’s List. In order to maintain good academic standing, students from the Mellon College of Science must attain at least minimum quality point averages for each semester (as well as cumulatively), and also make and maintain adequate progress toward completing their degree requirements. Completing ≥80% of attempted units in a semester (calculated using total units carried when grades are entered).

Academic Actions

When a student fails to meet minimum performance criteria, it normally results in an “academic action.” Depending on the circumstances, one of the following actions is taken: Academic Warning, Continued Academic Warning, Suspension, or Drop. These academic actions are recommended by the college's departments based on the guidelines described below. Academic actions are not meant to be punitive and are put into place to support student success. These actions are designed to notify students of specific academic requirements, outline goals for completion, and identify avenues of support to help students succeed. Students on academic action (except drop) will be asked to identify a plan of action to use resources to improve their academic performance.

Academic Warning

The term of Warning is one semester as a full-time student. A student who does not meet minimum standards at the end of one semester of Warning will be suspended.

Academic Suspension

A student who has been academically suspended and who is not employed by the University must absent themselves from campus and is, for the term of the suspension, barred from all activities and affiliations that stem from one’s status as an enrolled student. These include registering or enrolling for courses, sitting in on classes, living in residence halls or Greek houses, membership and participation in student activities, and employment in student jobs. Students returning from suspension should plan to work with their advisor and Associate Dean for undergraduate affairs at least 30 days prior to the semester they plan to return. Ideally, students will connect with the Associate Dean several weeks before registration for the semester of planned return. Upon return, students will be on Final Academic Warning. Students in this situation must work closely with all available resources (particularly their academic advisor) to ensure all resources are being properly used to maximize success to avoid progression to academic drop.

Academic Drop

This is a permanent severance from the Mellon College of Science. A student who has been academically dropped and who is not employed by the University must absent themselves from campus and is barred from all activities and affiliations that stem from one’s status as an enrolled student.

Appeals Process

Submit a formal written appeal to the Associate Dean of the college responsible for the decision, with a copy to the dean, requesting review of the action including all relevant materials to substantiate the inconsistency in policy and to support their concerns. If, after carrying out the steps of either process described above, the student believes that the matter has not been adequately resolved, or if no decision has been rendered by the appropriate date, the student may appeal at the university level. To appeal at the university level, the student must present copies of all documents and a formal letter of appeal to the provost. Appeals to the Provost office are due within 5 days of a decision from the student's college-level appeal.

Course Overloads

Advisors can, in accordance with these policies, approve overloads up to 61 units. Associate Dean approval is required for overload requests over 61 units. Eligibility to overload based on QPA does not automatically allow the student to register for an overload. Rather, students must petition and discuss the proposed overload with their primary academic advisor. The discussion will include the reason for overload (additional major/minor, trying to graduate early, etc.). The first opportunity to register for a course overload is after registration week for the proposed overload semester. Registration week for the spring semester is usually the third week in November; for the fall semester, it is usually the third week in April. If as a result of final grades for the current semester a student approved to overload for the next semester falls below the overload eligibility criteria listed above, the academic advisor may withdraw the overload permission.

Internal and External Transfer Students

This section describes the variety of entry points into the Mellon College of Science for students already admitted to a university (Carnegie Mellon or another university). MCS does not accept undeclared internal transfer students. Students will need to declare which major they intend to pursue upon transfer into MCS at the time of application. The list of prerequisite courses for each department are listed below. Students will not be considered for transfer on the basis of AP/IB/Cambridge scores alone. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students applying for transfer into MCS must have approval from the new department (through the director of undergraduate studies/affairs in the MCS department) and from the MCS Senior Associate Dean for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives. Students can complete the application for transfer with the MCS departmental program director. Entering undergraduate students admitted to MCS can choose to pursue any major within MCS. This choice is usually made prior to the first semester of the sophomore year (normally during the second semester of the first year) and does not require approval by any department. Students who have declared a major in MCS and wish to transfer into another department within MCS must meet the prerequisites listed above and have approval from the relevant department program director for their intended major (see the internal transfer form for details) and from the MCS Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Student Success. Undergraduate students admitted to colleges other than MCS and wishing to transfer into an MCS department should consult with the relevant department program director for their intended major (see the internal transfer form for details) and obtain approval from the MCS Senior Associate Dean for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives. Students must meet the prerequisites of their intended department (listed above). A student first applies through the Office of Admission. If the Office of Admission believes the applicant is acceptable, the student’s record is sent to the appropriate department for evaluation and a decision on acceptance.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to graduate, undergraduate students must complete all course requirements for their program with a cumulative Quality Point Average of at least 2.00 for all courses taken. Students will be required to meet the residency requirement and to have met all financial obligations to the university before being awarded a degree. The residency requirement is detailed in the Academic Regulations section of the catalog. University Honors are automatically awarded to students who have earned a cumulative Q.P.A…

Campus and Facilities

Carnegie Mellon's 157.2 acre (63 ha) main campus is five miles (8 km) from downtown Pittsburgh, between Schenley Park and the neighborhoods of Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland. Carnegie Mellon is bordered to the west by the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. For decades, the center of student life on campus was Skibo Hall, the university's student union. Built in the 1950s, Skibo Hall's design was typical of mid-century modern architecture but was poorly equipped to deal with advances in computer and internet connectivity. The original Skibo Hall was razed in the summer of 1994 and replaced by a new student union that is fully Wi-Fi enabled. Known as the University Center, the building was dedicated in 1996. A large grassy area known as "The Cut" forms the backbone of the campus, with a separate grassy area known as "The Mall" running perpendicular. A panoramic view of Carnegie Mellon University's Pittsburgh campus from the College of Fine Arts Lawn.From left to right: College of Fine Arts, Hunt Library, Baker and Porter Hall, Hamerschlag Hall, University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning (in the background), Wean Hall and Doherty Hall, Purnell Center, and the Cohon University Center. There was little change to the campus between the first and second World War. A 1938 master plan by Githens and Keally suggested acquisition of new land along Forbes Avenue, but the plan was not fully implemented. The period starting with the construction of the Hall of the Arts building (former home of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration) in 1952 and ending with Wean Hall in 1971 saw the institutional change from Carnegie Institute of Technology to Carnegie Mellon University. Around this time an expanding student population demanded improved facilities for student life, athletics and libraries. The buildings of this era reflected contemporary architectural styles. The International Style, with its rejection of historical tradition and its emphases on functionalism and expression of structure, had been in vogue in European settings since the 1930s. It came late to the Carnegie Mellon campus because of the hiatus in building activity and a general reluctance among American universities to abandon historical styles. By the 1960s, the International Style was adopted to accomplish needed expansion quickly and affordably with the swelling of student ranks in the aftermath of the GI Bill in 1944. Baker Hall was renovated in the early 2000s, and new chemistry labs were established in Doherty Hall soon after. In 2006, Carnegie Mellon Trustee Jill Gansman Kraus donated the 80-foot (24 m)-tall sculpture Walking to the Sky, which was placed on the lawn facing Forbes Avenue between the Cohon University Center and Warner Hall. The Gates Hillman Complex opened for occupancy on August 7, 2009.[38] It sits on a 5.6-acre (2.3 ha) site on the university's West Campus, surrounded by Cyert Hall, the Purnell Center for the Arts, Doherty Hall, Newell-Simon Hall, Smith Hall, Hamburg Hall, and the Robert Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center. It contains 318 offices as well as labs, computer clusters, lecture halls, classrooms and a 255-seat auditorium. The Gates Hillman Complex was made possible by a $20 million lead gift from the Gates Foundation and an additional $10 million grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. In September 2012, Carnegie Mellon announced the construction of the Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall on the Pittsburgh campus. The building is situated between Hamerschlag Hall, Roberts Hall, and Wean Hall and houses the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Bertucci Nanotechnology Lab, Engineering Research Accelerator (formerly known as the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems), Disruptive Health Technologies Institute, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. In November 2013, Carnegie Mellon announced a $67 million gift from David Tepper, who previously donated $56 million, to develop the Tepper Quadrangle on the north campus. In April 2015, Carnegie Mellon, in collaboration with Jones Lang LaSalle, announced the planning of a second office space structure, alongside the Robert Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center, an upscale and full-service hotel, and retail and dining development along Forbes Avenue. This complex will connect to the Tepper Quadrangle, the Heinz College, the Tata Consultancy Services Building, and the Gates-Hillman Center to create an innovation corridor on the university campus. Alongside the Tepper Quad and Hamburg Hall, Carnegie Mellon finished construction in 2020 on TCS Hall, an innovation center made possible with a $35 million gift from Tata Consultancy Services. Carnegie Mellon announced plans to collaborate with Emerald Cloud Lab to construct the world's first cloud lab in a university setting. The Carnegie Mellon University Cloud Lab was planned to be completed by the spring of 2023. Carnegie Mellon also planned to construct a new mechanical engineering building by fall 2023 (Scaife Hall), a new $105 million athletics center by fall 2024 (Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics), a $210 million Science Futures Building (R.K.

Other Colleges and Schools within CMU

The Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Emphasizes the study of the human condition through rigorous analysis and technology.
The H. John Heinz III College of Information Systems and Public Policy: Offers master's degrees in Public Policy and Management, Health Care Policy and Management, Medical Management, Public Management, Information Systems and Management, Information Technology, and Information Security Policy and Management.
The School of Computer Science: Recognized internationally as one of the top schools for computer science.
The Tepper School of Business: Offers undergraduate programs in Business Administration and Economics, master's degrees in Business Administration (MBA), Product Management (MSPM) and joint degrees in Computational Finance (MSCF).
College of Engineering

Additional Programs

In addition to research and academic institutions, the university hosts several other educationally driven programs. The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences, a state-funded summer program that aims to foster interest in science amongst gifted high school students is run on campus every summer. The university also runs Carnegie Mellon Pre-College, a six-week residential program for rising juniors and seniors in high school and the Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS), a free-of-charge STEM immersion program for students from underrepresented backgrounds. The Cyert Center for Early Education is a child care center for Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff, as well as an observational setting for students in child development courses. Carnegie Mellon also runs the Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology (IDeATe) Network to provide university-wide arts and technology education to students from every college. IDeATe allows students to take minors or concentrations in Animation and Special Effects, Entrepreneurship for Creative Industries, Game Design, Intelligent Environments, Learning Media, Media Design, Physical Computing, and Sound Design. IDeAte will also offer graduate master's degrees in Emerging Media, Game Design, Integrative Innovation for Products and Services, Computational Data Science, Urban Design, and Production Technology and Management. IDeATe also manages the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) in conjunction with the School of Computer Science and the College of Fine Arts. Each master's degree program has an option to study in the CMU Integrative Media Program (IMP) at Steiner Studios in New York City.

Rankings and Reputation

News & World Report placed Carnegie Mellon in a tie with Washington University in St. Louis, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Michigan for 20th place among American research universities in their 2025-2026 rankings. Many of its graduate programs have been ranked in national and international surveys. News ranked Carnegie Mellon as having 23 graduate programs in the Top 10 nationwide and 16 in the Top 5.

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