PhD in Software Engineering

Carnegie Mellon University (United States) · 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

About University:

Carnegie Mellon University is a private institution that was founded in 1900. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,022, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 155 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Carnegie Mellon University's ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #26. Its tuition and fees are $58,924. Carnegie Mellon University, founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is located in Pittsburgh, which offers dining and entertainment options as well as professional sports teams including the Penguins (hockey), Steelers (football) and Pirates (baseball). Only freshmen are required to live on campus, but the university guarantees housing for all four years, and the majority of students choose to remain on campus. Nearly 20 percent of the student population is affiliated with Greek life, which consists of more than 20 fraternities and sororities. The Carnegie Mellon Tartans compete in NCAA Division III competitions, and the Kiltie Band, which sports full Scottish regalia, performs at every home football game. Carnegie Mellon is known for its programs in science and technology, but its seven schools and colleges include the College of Fine Arts and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its graduate programs include the highly ranked Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Institute of Technology and School of Computer Science. Undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon have the opportunity to participate in research and can even receive grants or summer fellowships to support research in their field of study. Randy Pausch, author of the New York Times best-selling book "The Last Lecture," was a professor at Carnegie Mellon.

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About University:

Carnegie Mellon University is a private institution that was founded in 1900. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,022, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 155 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Carnegie Mellon University's ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #26. Its tuition and fees are $58,924. Carnegie Mellon University, founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is located in Pittsburgh, which offers dining and entertainment options as well as professional sports teams including the Penguins (hockey), Steelers (football) and Pirates (baseball). Only freshmen are required to live on campus, but the university guarantees housing for all four years, and the majority of students choose to remain on campus. Nearly 20 percent of the student population is affiliated with Greek life, which consists of more than 20 fraternities and sororities. The Carnegie Mellon Tartans compete in NCAA Division III competitions, and the Kiltie Band, which sports full Scottish regalia, performs at every home football game. Carnegie Mellon is known for its programs in science and technology, but its seven schools and colleges include the College of Fine Arts and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its graduate programs include the highly ranked Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Institute of Technology and School of Computer Science. Undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon have the opportunity to participate in research and can even receive grants or summer fellowships to support research in their field of study. Randy Pausch, author of the New York Times best-selling book "The Last Lecture," was a professor at Carnegie Mellon.

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Program Details:

Program Website

Basic Info

Institute

School of Computer Science

Degree

PhD

Duration

5-6 years

STEM Designated

Yes

Program

Software Engineering

Expense

Living Expenses

$34200

Tuition Fee (Domestic)

$50000

Tuition Fee (International)

$50000

Eligibility

Minimum/ Avg Score

TOEFL

100

IELTS

7

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Intake Deadline 1

20 Nov, 2025

(August-2026)

Intake Deadline 2

11 Dec, 2025

(August-2026)

Document Required:

  • Degree Transcript

    Common Document

  • Letter of Recommendation (LOR)

    University Specific

    Submit three letters of recommendation. Recommenders should know you relatively well and be able to evaluate the quality of your previous work. Recommenders that can speak about your research skills are more useful than letters commenting on your performance in coursework. At least two should be from faculty or recent employers. With the online application, letters will be requested and submitted electronically. Paper recommendations will not be accepted.

  • Resume

    Common Document

    Submit your current Resume. Outline any applicable: your education, research experience, work experience, publications, presentations, scholarships awarded, prizes and honors received, society memberships, and any relevant extracurricular activities.

  • Statement of Purpose (SOP)

    University Specific

    Tell us why you are interested in a Ph.D. in Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. If you have been involved in any kind of research, briefly describe the problem, approach, and results. Describe a problem you are interested in solving as a researcher, and if you have preliminary ideas, how you would go about solving it. Talk about your general interests in software engineering (beyond the problem above), and if you are interested in working with particular faculty, mention their names.

  • Test Score Report

    Common Document

    TOEFL/IELTS/DET

  • Miscellaneous

    University Specific

    Statement of industry/government experience (optional): Some applicants have significant experience in industry or government (e.g., internship, co-op, capstone course, consulting, or a full-time position) and that experience may inform their view on research, their research interests, and their motivation to pursue graduate studies. While the statement of purpose should make the connection, an additional optional statement of industry/government experience allows interested applicants to go into more detail. Note, industry/government experience is not required for this PhD program--we encourage applications from all students with strong interests in software engineering, regardless of prior experience.

  • Published Papers

    University Specific

    Publications (optional): Some applicants have experience publishing their research. In addition to your resume, you can list publications in the application system. You may submit copies of unpublished drafts, papers under review, and thesis documents. Please make the publications available to the committee as PDF uploads or links.

  • Research Experience

    Common Document

    Statement of research experience (optional): Some applicants have extensive research experience beyond what can be described in a concise statement of purpose or would like to share additional specific details. An extra statement of research experience can be used to go into more depth on prior research projects.

  • Writing Sample

    University Specific

    Samples of writing, presenting, coding (optional): Some applicants may want to share additional evidence of their communication skills, such as technical or nontechnical writing, slides, or recorded presentations, or their programming skills. Link to those from your resume.

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