Carnegie Mellon CS Requirements?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
1

Hello,

I’ve been reading around College Confidential recently because I will soon be applying for colleges next year and I am very interested in Carnegie Mellon University as a CS major.

I read their website on high school course requirements for the School of Computer Science and I’m concerned about one thing.

SCS: School of Computer Science
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  • 4 years English
  • 4 years Mathematics*
  • 1 year Physics
  • 2 years of Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science
  • 2 years Foreign Language
  • 3 electives

I completed all the required above EXCEPT 2 years of chemistry, biology, or computer science. I have taken Bio freshmen year and currently enrolled in Java (Counts as Computer science). I plan to take Chemistry H next year as a senior. However, do I meet the requirement? Or is it asking for 2 years of the same course, like 2 years of chemistry, or 2 years of biology, or 2 years of Computer science? There is AP CS available at my school and I’m wondering if I have to take it next year to fulfill the requirements…

Thanks for the help!

2

Why don’t you ask the school directly if you are not sure?

3

I’m fairly certain the admissions officer I talked to said it needs to be 2 total years of those three courses. So in your case, by then end of you junior year, you will have taken 1 year of Bio and 1 year of comp sci. So you have the mandatory 2 credits required to apply as a comp sci. And once (or if) you apply, you will have completed chem by the time you graduate, so you’ll be fine.

On a side note, CMU’s comp sci program is absurdly competitive and difficult to get admitted. CMU’s admission policy is unique in that you apply to a school within the university- most schools have policies where you are admitted to the university as a whole, then choose what school interests you the most. I believe the max number of schools within CMU you may apply is 3. Admission to CMU is based on admission to those schools. I wish you the best of luck if and when you apply!

4

CMU is not unique in this respect. At Columbia, Cornell, Penn, and lots of state flagship universities, frosh applicants apply to the division or major as well as the school; changing to a different division or major after enrolling may require a higher GPA than needed to stay in good academic standing or another competitive admission process.