Congratulations on Your Admission to
Carnegie Mellon University!
Here’s why you should choose to become a Tartan.
A Program Built for Innovation
Become a part of Carnegie Mellon’s globally-recognized academic community, renowned for cutting-edge leadership in tech and beyond.
The INI is an integral part of the world-class College of Engineering, founded to address an industry need for engineers who could translate between disciplines. Our program is interdisciplinary, which means our students also take courses across the university's many other top-ranked schools and colleges:
CMU is ranked #1 in Artificial Intelligence and #7 in Engineering.*
*U.S. News & World Report 2024, Graduate Rankings
Our powerful network of nearly 3,000 alumni are leaders in major companies, agencies and organizations.
We have the #1 cybersecurity master’s program* in the country.
*Fortune Education, 2025
Did you know?
- We were founded in 1989 to educate interdisciplinary computer scientists and communications engineers
- Wi-Fi was born at the INI in 1989.
- Research opportunities abound. We're partnered with CyLab, Carnegie Mellon's security and privacy institute.
- We have the winningest team in Capture-the-Flag competitions, Carnegie Mellon University’s hacking team, the Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP).
- Say hello to Scotty. Andrew Carnegie, CMU's founder, kept a Scottish terrier as his pet. Today, the Scotty Dog is our mascot.
Rigorous Curriculum & Flexible Pathways
With the ability to customize your education with technical, business and policy courses from across the university, you’ll create a specialized education that aligns your passions with your career goals.
Hands-on Opportunities
The work you do in the classroom could turn into a groundbreaking research project, an innovative startup company or even the next great technology powerhouse.
Flexible Study Options
Design a program that fits your needs by completing your degree in three (Standard) or four (Advanced) semesters. Learn more
Interdisciplinary Coursework
Gain deep technical knowledge complemented by business and policy courses, projects and real-world experience.
Get to Know Your Program
Specializations and Research Opportunities
Specializations and Certificates
We offer several certificates and tracks that allow you to specialize your expertise: Cyber Forensics and Incident Response (CyFIR) Track, Cyber Defense Concentration and Cyber Operations Specialization.
Research and Projects
As an INI student, you’ll join a culture of collaboration and discovery as a Research Assistant (RA) or by completing a master’s thesis, Practicum project or independent study.
See recent research
Bicoastal: TECH Fellowship
The TECH Fellowship equips you with the knowledge, network and practical experiences to become a technical entrepreneur.
Available for MSIT-IS and MSMITE only
Supportive Student Services
We believe that culture matters, and we're committed to ensuring our teaching and learning environment is inviting and supportive for all students. An unparalleled student experience is what sets the INI apart.
From our in-house career and enrollment advising to your dedicated faculty advisor, you’ll find the support you need to thrive. Our two student organizations create a sense of community through social and cultural events, service opportunities and professional development.
Culture Matters
We're here to support you! Read about what makes the INI experience so unique. Learn More
Internships & Career Outcomes
Today’s INI students are tomorrow’s leaders and innovators. We're here to equip you with the tools to build your future.
Our students intern at top technology companies, startups and government agencies. Our alumni go on to successful careers all around the world, from founding innovative companies to leading technology transformations for the federal government.
Ready to be inspired? Check out out our internship and career outcomes.Career and Internship Outcomes
The data below represents the first full-time job INI students secure after graduation, reported annually by Carnegie Mellon's Career & Professional Development Center. Currently, the data below reflects career outcomes up to May 2024, meaning we have only a few data points from our Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering - information Security (MSAIE-IS). Common data points include hiring companies, graduate and professional schools, starting salaries and geographic location.
Meet Daniel Carr - Your Career Services Support!
We’re one of few departments at CMU that offers in-house, customized career services to support you throughout your internship and job search.
First Destination Career Highlights: 2024
Information Networking
(MSIN)
Median Salary: $136,000
Top Employers: Apple, Oracle, TikTok, Abobe
Top Locations: San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; New York City, New York
Information Security
(MSIS)
Median Salary: $147,000
Top Employers: Amazon, Affirm, Anchorage Digital, Apple
Top Locations: San Francisco, California; Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania; Washington D.C; New York City, New York
Information Technology
(MSIT-IS)
Median Salary: $140,000
Top Employers: TikTok, Twitter (X), Walmart, Amazon Web Services
Top Locations: San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; New York City, New York
Mobile and IoT Engineering
(MSMITE)
Median Salary: $135,000
Top Employers: Apple, Walmart, Alibaba Group, Amazon
Top Locations: San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California
Internship Spotlight
Amazon
joined Amazon as a security engineering intern at the Sunnyvale office. She was part of the product security team.
Palo Alto Networks
Leon Feldmann spent his summer at Palo Alto Networks as a Product Security Intern focusing in cloud security and application security. He enjoyed activities like virtual escape rooms, CTFs, Hackathons, murder mysteries and getting to know company leadership.
Meta
Xinyi Hu landed a Meta Software Engineer Internship. She loved the open art store on the Meta campus and being able to play video games throughout the day.
Adobe
Adrian Jenkins interned at Adobe as a Software Engineer (Reliability Engineering). He enjoyed improving his familiarity with CI/CD process and skills in Python programming as well as playing basketball on the rooftop court at the San Jose.
Powerful Alumni Network
No matter how far you go, you’ll always have a home at the INI.
Graduates from the INI join an incredible global network of over 3,000 alumni. Our INI alumni go on to serve high-powered companies, tech startups and government agencies. They return to INI to recruit, mentor and inspire current students to follow their path to success.
INI Alumni Spotlight
Tyelisa Shields
Sr. Information Security Compliance Program Manager at
Tyelisa is currently a Sr. Information Security Compliance Program Manager where she d
Yen-Ming Chen
Senior Manager at Apple
Yen-Ming has over 15 years of technical and management experience in Risk, Security and Compliance covering various technologies, countries and industrial regulations. He has also sponsored practicum projects for INI and served on the INI's Alumni Leadership Council.
Erye Hernandez
Threat Analysis Group at Google
Erye is an experienced security researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the computer and network security industry. She is also a powerhouse member of CMU's Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP), participating in seven “World Series of Hacking,” competitions at DefCon.
Henry Howland
Cyber Security Engineer at
Henry is a highly capable cybersecurity engineer with experience in the areas of incident response, detection engineering, systems programming, and vulnerability research. He landed a dream job as a security analyst at SpaceX after graduating in December 2022.
Amit Zavery
President, CPO, and COO at ServiceNow
Deboshree Dutta
Founder & CEO, Criya (YC W22) |ex-PayPal Head of Product
Now the founder of Criya AI, Deb was previously Head of Product at PayPal, where she led a global team of experienced product managers and engineers. As an active advocate for women in tech, she serves as a founding member and San Francisco Bay Area chapter lead for Women in Product, a platform that connects like-minded women from around the world.
Samuel Edoho-Eket
President and founder of PrismSix Technologies
Samuel is president and founder of PrismSix Technologies and a certified, leading cybersecurity, telecommunications and project management expert. He has over 20 years of experience supporting both the Department of War (DoW) and commercial sectors.
Samuel is the SFS 2024 Hall of Fame Recipient.
Devika Yeragudipati Devarakond
Security Engineer at Apple
Devika has had a profound impact as a leader and passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity initiatives involving women in tech. Her dedication and willingness to share her knowledge and real-world experiences have made her a valuable mentor to many aspiring professionals in the security field.
Devika was named one of Google’s Women Techmakers and McKinsey’s Next Generation Women Leaders.