Signature Online CMU Experience

Our mission is to create a transformative educational experience for students. You can truly see this commitment in our approach to online learning.

At Carnegie Mellon University, our Learning Engineers partner with faculty experts to combine best practices in learning design with cutting-edge content. Interactive educational technologies are chosen to align with disciplinary teaching needs to create a seamless learning experience. This allows students to focus on mastering knowledge that will take their careers to the next level.  

So, how does it all work?  Glad you asked!

Our online courses are a unique mix of weekly, live online classes with top faculty and flexible learning activities that students can complete on their own time and at their own pace. After hearing directly from experts, students work through carefully curated activities designed to accelerate learning. Every component of the course has been hand selected by experts to ensure efficient mastery of the material.   

Weekly, Live Online Classes

We believe that time spent in the classroom is best used interacting with peers and our world-renowned faculty, not just sitting and listening. As such, live classes are designed to be active learning experiences where learners have significant time interacting with the material along with their peers and faculty.

This is your opportunity to actively apply new knowledge, ask questions, and ensure that you are ready to take what you have learned back to work. Participate in collaborative problem-solving sessions, class discussions about complicated concepts, and collaborative idea generation activities to solve real-world challenges.   

We follow a semester schedule with classes taking place in Eastern Standard Time over a traditional 14-week fall and spring term. We follow the official CMU calendar.  

Class is held in the late afternoon/evening, after work hours, and will meet once per week for 60 minutes with an additional, optional weekly recitation session to provide additional practice and support. All class sessions are held on Zoom. 

Learning Flexibility 

Complementing the live-online classes are a variety of activities, including readings and videos, along with active interaction with the content and, in some cases, collaborative activities with peers in the class.  

But most importantly, these activities are intentionally designed for busy working professionals like yourself. Watch a faculty video before work, or meet with a peer group at 8 p.m. after the kids go to bed. Read and comment on an article during lunch, or complete practice assignments whenever you have a minute to spare.  

At Carnegie Mellon University, you will find a multitude of ways to interact with content in manageable bite-size chunks to support your learning, provide timely feedback, offer opportunities for iteration and developing understanding before you hand in an assignment, take an exam, or apply it at work. With robust support - from instructors, peers and various support services - we put you in control of your learning to ensure mastery of concepts that you can apply immediately.