About the Accelerated Master’s Program

The HCII offers a three-semester (12-month), 11-course Master of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Sciences. Undergraduates majors who have taken the three core METALS courses (05823 E-Learning Design Principles and Methods, 85438 Educational Goals, Instruction, and Assessment, and 05392 Interaction Design Overview), and a METALS elective on the 400 level or above, will be considered eligible for the Accelerated Masters program.

These students will be allowed to complete the master’s degree in as little as two semesters (8 months) after their undergraduate degree, instead of the usual three semesters (12 months).

The bottom row in the table below describes how to move from the CMU undergraduate program into and through the master’s program. Students who want to be considered for the accelerated master’s program should apply to the HCII by November 1 of their senior year. Decisions will be made in time for spring registration week.

Undergraduate seniors in their last semester begin the masters program by taking METALS Project I, which is the first half of the master’s-level two-semester project course. They then take METALS Project II in the summer. They finish the program in the fall semester by taking four electives to satisfy the METALS requirement. Students who already took courses as undergrads that would satisfy the master’s electives must still enroll in at least four electives while a master’s student.

How to Apply

The METALS program must receive a completed application package and a $75 application fee no later than November 1 of your senior year. Admission decisions will be 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.

To apply for admission to the accelerated program, please read the following instructions carefully and make certain that you have met all requirements when you submit your application. All necessary forms are with the application. Please feel free to attach additional sheets and/or photocopy forms as necessary.

We would appreciate if you would enclose all materials (including letters of recommendation and transcripts in signed, sealed envelopes) with your application, but they may be sent separately if this is not possible.

1. Application Form. Complete the application form included in this packet; type or print clearly.
2. Statement of Purpose. Type or print a concise statement containing the following information:
3. Your objective in pursuing a METALS degree, including your career goals, and your reasons for choosing to apply to Carnegie Mellon.
4. Your background in 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 METALS 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).
5. Any additional details you wish to give the Admissions Committee, including any projects on which you have worked.
6. 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.
7. Transcripts. Submit official transcripts (photocopies are not acceptable) from all undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended.
8. Recommendation and Evaluation (three parts). This recommendation has two parts. Part 1 is an evaluation form that assesses group work and interpersonal dynamics. Part 2 is a letter of recommendation. The admissions committee wants to know about your ability to do 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.
9. Application Fee. A $75 application fee is due with your application. Applications which are not accompanied by the application fee will be considered incomplete. Please enclose a $75 check made payable to “Carnegie Mellon University” with your application.

Mail all materials, including application fee, to

Jo Bodnar
NSH 3607 / HCII
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213