Information Technology (MSIT) 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

For the current admission cycle, submission of GRE/GMAT test results is optional.

Although this year is test-optional, we will accept and consider GRE or GMAT scores from students who have previously taken either of these exams. If you think your scores are reflective of your ability and potential, you may share the scores as part of your application for consideration. If you are going to submit scores, click here for detailed information on submitting your standardized test scores.

Please note, MSIT - Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (MSIT-BIDA) Pathway Applicants:

For the current admission cycle, submission of GRE/GMAT test results will be optional but recommended as part of the holistic review and evaluation of applications to the MSIT-BIDA pathway. Although the GRE/GMAT will be optional, they are strongly recommended if you are applying for admission to the MSIT-BIDA pathway and your transcript does not contain significant coursework in Mathematics, Computer Science, or other heavily quantitative disciplines (in order for you to provide evidence of your quantitative abilities). We assess applicants holistically and take into consideration many factors, including computational background and skill. This skill can be demonstrated by the submission of GRE/GMAT scores and/ or by coursework in computer science, advanced algrebra/ precalculus (and/ or calculus), statistics, and/ or related areas. If you are going to submit scores, click here for more information.

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 4 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 them 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.

Click for detailed instructions on submitting your English proficiency 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.

Click here for detailed instructions on submitting your recommendations

You are required to upload your résumé to the application system. Please submit a one- or two-page summary of your education background, 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.

MSIT is designed for working professionals who have have three or more years of relevant, post-undergraduate, full-time work experience. If you do not yet have this level of work experience, please contact us to discuss your background before you apply.

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.

MSIT is designed for working professionals who have have three or more years of relevant, post-undergraduate, full-time work experience. If you do not yet have this level of work experience, please contact us to discuss your background before you apply.

The admisisons committee will review the submitted CV/Resume to identify an applicants work experience history.

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 optional for applicants to the MSIT program, but may be helpful to the Admissions Committee.

Click here for detailed instructions on completing a 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.

Carnegie Mellon University seeks authorization, licensure, or exemption, as applicable, in various U.S. states and territories in compliance with U.S. Federal and State regulations that govern the offering and delivery of distance education programs and courses in those states and territories. Information is provided concerning the University’s current authorizations, licensure, and exemptions for the offering and delivery of distance education programs and courses.

For important information regarding Distance Education, please view the University’s Consumer Information website.

Inquiries regarding state authorizations may be directed to: Director of Enrollment Services, Carnegie Mellon University, Warner Hall A19, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, Telephone: 412-268-5399, Email: krieg@andrew.cmu.edu

If you have questions regarding the MSIT application process, please contact David Danenberg at the Heinz College Office of Admissions at davidbd@andrew.cmu.edu

Individuals who have U.S. sanctions levied against them or who are ordinarily resident of U.S. sanctioned countries or expecting to live in certain U.S. sanctioned countries while participating in the program as a student are not eligible for admission to all or certain programs at Carnegie Mellon University due to U.S. legal restrictions or prohibitions.

Applications from these individuals or residents of these countries will, if restricted or prohibited, not be accepted. If a non-sanctioned individual is admitted to a program while ordinarily resident or living in a non-U.S. sanctioned country and his/her status, residency or country in which he/she is then living while participating in the program subsequently changes during the program to one of the countries listed, continued enrollment in the program may be terminated and/or restricted due to U.S. legal restrictions and/or prohibitions and the individual may not be able to complete his/her degree.

Information Technology Management students must complete a college-level, object-oriented programming course prior to the first day of classes. See the "Required Prerequisite Programming Coursework" section below for more information.

To be successful in the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Track, we suggest that BIDA students complete a college-level, object-oriented programming course (Java or Python) or an R programming course prior to matriculation. Demonstrated ability (via academics, test scores and/or work experience) to synthesize complex quantitative and qualitative concepts is highly recommended.

To be successful in the Information Security and Assurance Track, we suggest that students entering these programs complete a college-level, object-oriented programming course in Java or Python prior to matriculation.

MSIT-ITM applicants must satisfy the object-oriented programming requirement to be considered for admission (see above for detailed requirements for each track of study).

To ensure this requirement is met by each enrolling student, the admissions Committee will look for proof of each applicant's applied technical background/experience listed on the transcript(s) and résumé submitted to the Office of Admissions. Specific examples of applied skills include:

• independently write programs in approved languages (Java, C++)
• compile, de-bug and execute programs

If the committee determines that an applicant's hands-on technical background does not meet the faculty's requirement for the MISM or MSIT program, the student may be required to complete an object-oriented programming course prior to enrollment in the program. This condition will be included in the offer of admission and will require that you take a pre-approved course at an accredited university and achieve a grade of B or better in the course. Students offered admission with the condition of successfully completing an object-oriented programming course prior to enrollment should contact the Office of Admissions to verify that the course you’ve selected meets the faculty's standards.

Please note the following:  

• Java is the preferred programming language for MSIT-ITM (other programming language accepted is C++)
• Must be a college-/ university-level course at an accredited institution
• Must be for credit and a grade
• The course may be taken on-campus or online 

Courses that do not grant credit and a grade will not fulfill this requirement, even if you receive a certificate of completion for the course.

If you are prospective student who wishes to complete the prerequisite programming course for admission to Heinz College, please consider the following "Pre-Approved Java Programming Courses" as you look for suitable classes.

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)

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.