• Yes! We welcome visitors at all times of the year. Please see our Visiting Students page for contact and scheduling information.

• No, it is not. None of the Master programs offered at Carnegie Mellon University is the "first professional" degree in Architecture.
• The Masters of Science in Architecture (MSA) degree that we offer here at Carnegie Mellon is a research-based "post-professional" degree. It is NOT to be confused with a "professional" Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree.

• Please visit our GRE & TOEFL Tests page for information and answers to many of your questions.

• Please visit our Expenses & Financial Aid page, for information and answers to many of your questions.

• No. Every application must be completed, in its entirety, by the Applicant himself/herself.
• Except for applications made by bona-fide not-for-profit organizations (e.g. Fulbright, Amideast), any application filled out wholly or in part by any person other than the Applicant will be disqualified.
• All third parties must declare themselves in writing (email is acceptable) to the Graduate Admission Coordinator prior to beginning an application.

• Please apply through the School of Architecture. The School of Architecture manages applications to the AECM program. The Civil & Environmental Engineering faculty will also review your application.

• A Portfolio is required for applicants to the Master of Urban Design (MUD) program.
• A Portfolio is encouraged for applicants to the Sustainable Design (MSSD) & Master of Architecture (MSA) programs.
• Students applying to other programs are welcome to submit a Portfolio if possible.

• Due to the cost of printing & shipping we DO NOT REQUIRE OR ACCEPT hardcopies of Portfolios. If you send us a hardcopy of your Portfolio it will be discarded. Please save your money.
• We accept ONLY digital [pdf] or online [url] Portfolios.
• Please be sure to read through our How To Apply [pdf] page for details and instructions on Portfolio submission.

• Due to curriculum structure, ALL of our Master-level programs begin in the Fall semester. We accept applications for the Fall semester from October through February 1st.
• Occasionally, we are able to admit PhD students in the Spring. If you would like to be considered for Spring admission, please contact our Graduate Admission Coordinator.

• Yes, but you must fill out an Application for each program. We consider applications to different programs separately, and in many cases the requirements are different.
• You are also required to pay an Application Fee for each application you submit, or it will not be reviewed.

• No. If your application fee is not submitted (via credit card), then your application will not be considered for admission.

Attn: Samantha Carter
Graduate Programs
School of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon University
Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, Room 410
Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

• Due to the volume of mail and e-mail received daily from applicants it may not be possible to respond to individual requests for information. If you have submitted a completed application before the application deadline, then you can continue to login after the deadline has passed to check if your referees have submitted their reference letters and to check if we have received the required hardcopy documents.

• We begin reviewing completed applications shortly after the February 1 deadline. Often we find applications are incomplete and we must remind referees or request copies of test scores, and this is the most common source of delay in our admissions process.
• We typically announce admissions decisions as we make them.
• We usually finish reviewing by the beginning of April.

• It is our general policy to grant admitted students a one (1) year deferral should he or she need it. Most of our programs must be started in the Fall semester, so students who have deferred will be eligible to enroll the following Fall.
• If you would like to request a deferral, please contact our Graduate Admission Coordinator.