Mellon College of Science
CMU MCS Areas & Departments
CMU’s Mellon College of Science provides leading edge undergraduate and graduate programs. Explore our academic offerings, specialized departments and research areas.
Blend rigorous academic training and hands-on research experiences with CMU’s Department of Biological Sciences. We offer a Bachelor of Science degree with various specializations and interdisciplinary options, and more than 80% of undergraduate students participate in research.
Graduate programs include a Ph.D. in Biological Science and three interdisciplinary master's programs that can be finished in 2 years or less.
The Department of Biological Sciences provides a vibrant research environment with world-class faculty leading in biological research areas, including:
- Biochemistry/Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Computational Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genomics
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology/Genetics
- Neuroscience
Discover our advanced programs that fuse chemistry education with research opportunities. The Department of Chemistry’s Bachelor of Science program has specializations in biochemistry, polymer science, computational chemistry, environmental science, health professions and management. 90% of chemistry majors participate in undergraduate research projects.
In addition, our renowned faculty leads a highly collaborative Ph.D. program that can help you enter academia, business or government.
The Department of Chemistry conducts world-class research across a wide range of chemical disciplines:
- Atmospheric, Green & Environmental Chemistry
- Biological Chemistry
- Catalysis & Energy
- Materials & Nanoscience
- Physical, Analytical & Theoretical Chemistry
CMU students in our programs study mathematical theory and apply their knowledge across fields and industries. For undergraduates, the Department of Mathematical Sciences provides a Bachelor of Science degree with multiple concentration options. Choose one of our interdisciplinary programs that lets you combine mathematics with economics, fine arts or computational finance.
Our graduate programs include a Ph.D. and several master's degrees, including the Master of Science in Computational Finance (MSCF) offered jointly with other departments. The doctoral program trains mathematical scientists for diverse career opportunities in academia, government and industry.
The Department of Mathematical Sciences students can participate in pioneering research across a wide range of mathematical disciplines:
- Algebra and Number Theory
- Analysis, Calculus of Variations, PDE & Applications
- Combinatorics
- Computational Mathematics, Numerical Analysis, and Optimization
- Geometry
- Logic
- Mathematical Finance
- Probability
Students, postdocs and faculty at the Department of Physics work together, often merging fields, to lead innovative research opportunities. Undergraduate students gain a solid foundation in core physics areas while being able to specialize in areas such as astrophysics, biophysics, nanophysics and high energy physics.
The graduate program trains students at the frontiers of physics research, preparing them to become the next generation of leaders in academia and industry.
The Department of Physics faculty and students conduct research in five major focus areas:
- Astrophysics & Cosmology
- Biological Physics
- Condensed Matter & Nanophysics
- High Energy Physics
- Quark Interaction Research
Since 2018, the researchers at the Neuroscience Institute have crossed academic borders to advance the state of brain science. Our expertise spans from cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence to research on the genetic basis of autism.
The Neuroscience Institute’s research areas are:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Neuro Tech and Engineering
- Systems Neuroscience
A joint computational research center with CMU and the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) helps researchers access powerful systems to solve challenging problems in computational science.
The PSC offers high-performance computing systems, high-speed parallel file systems and leading-edge networking.
CMU’s next big bet to revolutionize science is a future of science initiative that aims to provide opportunities for scientists throughout the university, promoting interdisciplinary cooperation and accelerating CMU's leadership in scientific discovery. Key components of the initiative include:
- Construction of the Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences
- Creation of the world's first university-based cloud lab
- Support for cross-disciplinary scientific research
Research areas for the future science initiative include:
- Computational Finance
- Cosmology
- Life Sciences Breakthroughs
- Materials of the Future
- Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
- Neuroscience
- Quantum Information
- Sustainability Science
