Tuition for graduate students enrolled part-time is based on the number of units taken. In addition, all students carrying 19 or more units are assessed a nonrefundable activity fee for the academic year. Tuition and fees are due and payable at the time of semester registration. Students should be prepared to meet all financial obligations until the first salary or stipend payments are made. Additional funding may be available for students from under-represented groups.
Financial aid is administered through the individual departments and programs in the college.
The Master of Science degree requirements can usually be completed on a part-time basis within three to four years, in part through the substitution of additional course work, or project work for a graduate research thesis project according to the departmental stipulations. All students are encouraged to complete the degree program as rapidly as possible. Consequently, students intending to become Ph.D. degree candidates must consult their faculty advisors concerning the appropriate format and timing of their qualifying examinations and residency no later than when they have completed 45 units of course work at Carnegie Mellon beyond the M.S. degree. Special Students and Transfer Credit Applicants with a degree of Bachelor of Science may be admitted as part-time special students with no intention of working toward a graduate degree. Some of them may wish to become degree candidates later.