At Carnegie Mellon West, we understand that being a part-time student means you have a full-time career and professional and personal obligations. We are happy to work with you to make the application process as seamless as possible. Below you will find all necessary information to complete and submit your application. If you have any questions, please contact the admissions office at (650) 335-2808 or email admissions@west.cmu.edu.

Fall 2008 Application Information

Quick Link: Create an account and complete the online application.

Deadlines
Admission Requirements
Transcripts
Letters of Recommendation
GRE or GMAT
TOEFL
Interviews
Coding Diagnostic
Information for Re-Applicants

Admission Requirements

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution
• A completed online application
• Two letters of recommendation
• Official academic transcripts
• Official GRE or GMAT score report
• Java Diagnostic (MS Software Engineering only)
• Application fee (USD $100)
• Interview

Any materials not submitted on-line should be sent directly to us at:

Carnegie Mellon West
ATTN: Admissions
NASA Research Park
Building 23 (MS 23-11)
Moffett Field, CA 94035

Transcripts
You must submit one official transcript from each college or university attended (including community, undergraduate, and graduate programs), even if no degree was granted.  Transcripts must arrive in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution, to be considered official.  If you know you will not be able to get an official copy of your transcripts sent in by the deadline, you may submit unofficial copies and email them to admissions@west.cmu.edu or fax them to 650/603-7032 for the admissions committee to review, so as not to slow down your application process. However, a final decision cannot be confirmed until after your official transcripts are received.

Letters of Recommendation
Request a minimum of two letters of recommendation from individuals who are in a position to evaluate your technical and/or organizational performance. The title of the recommender is not nearly as important as the ability of the recommender to comment on the quality of your work. We prefer professional letters of recommendation, which speak to your performance in the workplace. We suggest that one of your recommendation letters comes from a direct supervisor.  The recommendation process is facilitated through our online application.

GRE or GMAT
Either exam will be accepted; however, we recommend the GMAT for applicants to the MS in Software Management program.  There is no minimum score requirement.  Carnegie Mellon West’s GRE institution code is 4024, and our GMAT program code is 69H-Z3-42. You may petition to waive the GRE or GMAT requirement if you have already earned a qualifying graduate degree. Waiver decisions are made by the admissions committee. Test scores are accepted for five years from the date of the last application deadline date. To schedule a GRE examination, please go to http://gre.org or to schedule a GMAT examination, please go to http://mba.com.

TOEFL
International students who did not attend an institution in which the primary language of instruction was English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination. We do not have a minimum requirement; however, most graduate departments at Carnegie Mellon prefer to see TOEFL scores of 600 for the paper/pencil exam, 250 for the computer-based exam, and 100 for the iBT.  TOEFL scores must be sent by ETS electronically to Carnegie Mellon West. Applicants must also report their TOEFL scores on their application. The institution code for Carnegie Mellon West is 5759.

Interviews
In addition to your application materials, you will be asked to interview with a member of the admissions committee. The interview gives you an opportunity to learn more about the masters program and also enables the admissions committee to learn more about you beyond the written materials you have provided in your application. Specifically, the interview enables the admissions committee to learn more about your communication and interpersonal skills, background, education, and professional goals. Within two weeks of receiving your completed file, a representative from the admissions committee will contact you to schedule an interview. Interviews are required for all applicants and can be done in person or by telephone.

Coding Diagnostic
For MS in Software Engineering applicants only, a coding diagnostic is included as part of your application.  This is a simple application that we ask you to write in order to assess your programming skills.  You may use Java Swing , JSP/ servlets, or any one of the following languages to implement the user interface:

• C++
• Java
• Ruby on Rails
• PhP
• C
• C Sharp

You will be asked to walk through your application during your interview.  During this part of the interview, the focus of the interviewer will be on your ability to explain, step-by-step, your process in creating the code.

Information for Re-Applicants
We welcome re-applicants and appreciate your continued interest in Carnegie Mellon West.  If you applied within two years, we will have your original application on file, and any components you submitted previously, including your transcripts, GRE or GMAT test scores, and recommendation letters.  As a re-applicant, you will need to submit the following:

• An updated application
• One additional letter of recommendation
• Any new test score reports for the GRE or GMAT
• Any new transcripts for classes or degrees you may have received
• An updated resume

The application fee is waived for re-applicants.  Please keep in mind that, in general, the quality of the applicant pools increases each year, so it will be to your advantage to update your application with your most recent accomplishments. 

Questions?
Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or concerns. We can be reached at 650/335-2808 or at admissions@west.cmu.edu.

Quick Link: Create an account and complete the online application.

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