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Accelerated Master of Science in Learning Engineering

Carnegie Mellon University undergraduates in any major and eligible students from the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE) who have completed the appropriate courses may be eligible to enroll in the Accelerated Master of Science in Learning Engineering (A-MSLE) program—formerly known as the Accelerated Master of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Sciences (A-METALS). This program allows students to complete their master’s degree in as little as two semesters (eight months) after finishing their undergraduate degree.

Eligibility and Prerequisites

To be eligible for the program, students must complete the following three core courses with a grade of B- or higher:

05-823: E-Learning Design Principles and Methods
05-738: Evidence-Based Educational Design
05-360: Interaction Design Fundamentals

Applicants may optionally complete one MSLE elective at the 400 level or above during their undergraduate residency.

Admission Status

The status of an applicant’s offer is contingent upon the completion of the prerequisite coursework listed above:

Official Offer: Granted to applicants who have already completed all three prerequisite courses with a grade of B- or higher at the time of application.
Conditional Offer: Granted to applicants currently enrolled in or planning to take these courses. Admission is finalized once all three courses are completed with a grade of B- or higher.

Program Timeline & Course Sequence

The HCII offers a four-semester, 11-course Master of Science in Learning Engineering (MSLE). The bottom row in the table below illustrates the pathway from the CMU undergraduate program into the Master’s degree. While the core prerequisites can be completed as early as your sophomore or junior year, students intending to join the accelerated program must apply to the HCII by October of their senior year. Admission decisions are released in time for spring registration week.

	Fall I	Spring	Summer	Fall II
Standard MSLE	05823 E-Learning Design Principles and Methods 05738 Evidence-Based Educational Design 05660 Interaction Design Fundamentals Two Electives	05840 Tools for Online Learning 05681 Capstone Project I Three Electives	CPT or Special Research	05682 Capstone Project II
	(Undergrad Senior Year or earlier)	(Undergrad Senior Year)	Fall After Graduation	Spring
Accelerated MSLE	05823 E-Learning Design Principles and Methods 05738 Evidence-Based Educational Design 05360 or 05660 Interaction Design Fundamentals One Elective	05840 Tools for Online Learning 05681 Capstone Project I	05682 Capstone Project II	5 Electives

Key Academic Milestones:

Senior Spring (Undergraduate): While still undergraduates, students begin the master’s curriculum by taking 05-840 (Tools for Online Learning) and 05-681 (Capstone Project I).
Fall (Master’s): After graduation, students take 05-682 (Capstone Project II).
Spring (Master’s): Students complete the program by taking five electives. Students who have already taken optional graduate-level electives as undergraduates must still enroll in at least four electives as master’s students to satisfy residency requirements.

How to Apply

To be considered for the Accelerated MSLE program, you must submit a completed application package. While you may apply as early as February of your junior year, the final deadline is October of your senior year. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis and are typically emailed before spring registration begins in November. A graduate orientation program is held during the week before spring classes begin and accepted accelerated masters students are expected to attend.

Application periods for the Accelerated MSLE program are open for applications during the following periods:

February 3 – March 16, 2026
early September – late October

To apply for admission to the accelerated program, during the early decision application period in the Spring or Fall semesters, please visit the School of Computer Science Admission Page to apply. Please read the instructions carefully and make certain that you have met all requirements when you submit your application. As part of the application you will be required to submit the following:

Statement of Purpose. Type or print a concise statement containing the following information:
1. Your objectives in pursuing an MSLE degree, including your career goals and the reasons you wish to pursue further education at Carnegie Mellon.
2. Your background in learning engineering, educational technology, learning science or other fields relevant to your objective. Describe how your academic, industrial or commercial experience prepares you for admission to the MSLE program. Please verify that your description here is consistent with your resume. You may want to outline the areas of education with which you have experience or exposure (other than as a student).
3. Any additional details you wish to give the Admissions Committee, including any projects on which you have worked.
Resume. Provide a complete up-to-date resume. Order the relevant work experiences chronologically with the most recent first. Clearly distinguish part-time, co-op or intern work from full-time positions.
Transcripts. Submit official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended.
Three Recommendations. The admissions committee wants to know about your ability to successfully complete graduate-level coursework at CMU and to work in interdisciplinary teams at a professional level. You should select letter writers who can best speak to these points. Professors who interacted with you extensively in small classes are a good choice. Employers are appropriate if they can speak to your ability to work in a group at a professional level, but letters that are simply character references will not provide good support for your application.
Application Fee. There is no application fee.