Breadth Electives

You select a minimum of 36 units of breadth electives that align with your personal and professional goals. Breadth electives allow for significant customization of the degree toward your specific interests, and their selection is generally made in consultation with an EST&P academic advisor.

Most engineering graduate courses are acceptable as breadth electives. Graduate courses satisfy this requirement if they do not have significant overlap with other courses taken by the student. Up to 18 units of pre-approved graduate level classes at Carnegie Mellon, outside the College of Engineering, can be counted toward the breadth elective requirement. Up to 12 units of advisor-approved upper-level undergraduate coursework (400 or 500 level) can be counted toward the breadth elective requirement, when the course is needed as preparation for a graduate class. Up to 12 units of the breadth elective requirement can be satisfied by taking Master's Project or Independent Study units.

If you are pursuing an Advanced Study degree, up to 12 units of appropriate coursework may count as fulfilling both Breadth Electives and Advanced Study units.

Selection of breadth elective courses is generally made in consultation with your EST&P academic advisor. Sample advising notes for Fall 2022 are available for reference. More details about breadth elective selections are available in the EST&P Student Handbook.