The university began as the Carnegie Technical Schools, founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1900.

School of Art at CMU is a degree-granting institution and a division of the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with concentrations in four major fields: Painting, Drawing, Print Media and Printmaking (PD3); Electronic and Time-Based Media (ETB); Sculpture, Installation and Site Specific work (SIS); and Contextual Practices (CP). The school emphasizes Postmodern, conceptual, and abstract art making ahead of classical training, though this varies largely depending on faculty.

A B.Arch curriculum that distinguishes CMU SoA completely by leveraging the unparalleled opportunities at Carnegie Mellon. Our students graduate with a professional degree that prepares them to excel in practice — but that also launches them into key specialties within the profession.

BXA Programs: The BXA Intercollege Degree Programs are designed for students who want to turn talent and passion into viable professions for the future through a challenging academic regimen. BXA students pursue their goals with the help of multifaceted advising, innovative pedagogical strategies, and a focus on the impact arts have on technology and vice versa.

The goal of the Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA), the Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA), and the Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts (BCSA) BXA Intercollege Degree Programs is to allow a select group of students who demonstrate interest and accomplishment in the fine arts and the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences, computer science, and emerging media to explore beyond the traditional academic major, or integrate more than one field of study across disciplines.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Common App

MANDATORY PORTFOLIO

12-20 pieces on Slideroom  

WRITING SAMPLE

Common App Essay & Personal

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

1 Counselor 
1 Teacher

INTERVIEW

Optional

APPLICATIONS DEADLINES

Early Decision: Nov 1
Regular Decision: Jan 1 
Portfolio by Jan 15 

FACT!

The Digital Arts Studio [DAS] provides digital imaging and fabrication services and support, focused on large format printing, large-format scanning, and 3D printing and consultation with School of Art technicians.  

What makes your school’s art & design programs different & unique from other art & design school programs?

The CMU School of Architecture has a long history of deep disciplinary excellence in architecture, as do other top-ranked peer institutions. What distinguishes CMU SoA from other schools is our position within one of the world’s leading research and entrepreneurship institutions. Our unique undergraduate curriculum allows students to take full advantage of all that CMU has to offer. Carnegie Mellon’s computer science and

engineering schools, for instance, are widely considered the best in the world. At many universities, departments are kept separate—but CMU is committed to interdisciplinary learning and research. To take

full advantage of this, the School of Architecture has structured its undergraduate curriculum such that students learn architecture fundamentals in the first three years, and forge their own paths with a great amount of freedom in the fourth and fifth years. More on that in our response to question 2.

What are the top 3 features?

1. Our 5-year BArch curriculum. All students begin with a highly scripted three-year core sequence of courses and studios — the fundamental architecture education essential for every professional. In the fourth and fifth years, students follow a path forged by their own interests, choosing an Advanced Synthesis Option

Studio (ASOS) and electives each semester. Some students take a traditional path in the fourth and fifth years, choosing a variety of studios and electives intended to prepare them professionally to design complex buildings and systems. Others specialize — taking, for instance, four robotics-based ASOSes, plus university-wide robotics-related electives. (Not incidentally, at Carnegie Mellon, “university-wide robotics-related electives” are the best in the world.) Other students take a hybrid approach, selecting studios and electives that create unique aggregates: sustainable computational design, or public-interest urban design, for example. It’s a “choose your own journey” approach to architecture education.

2. Our state-of-the-art facilities. From day one, students have access to the Design Fabrication Lab(dFAB), whose design, prototyping, and manufacturing equipment includes two industrial robotic arms with automated tooling, laser cutters, vacuum formers and laminators, 3D printers, and a CNC router; the Computational Design (CoDe) Lab, a maker-space designed to facilitate collaboration among architects, computer scientists, artists and engineers in the realm of physical computing; the Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace (IW), a “living and lived-in laboratory” for the study of building systems; and the 3800SF wood and metal-shop. Our architecture students are unquestionably at home in the geeky-intellectual oasis that is CMU, but they also get their hands dirty with both traditional and incredibly cutting-edge tools and spaces.

3. Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh now tops dozens of “Most Liveable Cities” lists. On its face, this fact is great for CMU students. The city is thriving (over 70 unique neighborhoods, world-class cultural institutions, gorgeous public parks) with tons to explore — but small enough in which to get a foothold. But context is perhaps more important to architecture students than to any others. Student designers learn differently in an urban environment than in a rural or suburban environment. Pittsburgh is our laboratory partner. The city is home to a number of elite architectural firms, whose leaders teach in our undergraduate design studios. Students’ education, then, is an excellent combination of world-class research and front-lines practice. 

Can students take courses in other schools or majors?

Absolutely; in fact, it’s encouraged and expected. See the description of our undergraduate curriculum in #2 above.

What steps do you take to evaluate a student’s candidacy, apart from reviewing their creative portfolio?

Applications to the BArch program are evaluated by both the university’s Office of Admission and the School of Architecture. In addition to university-wide application requirements, we take into consideration the following factors:

1. Quality of creative work. Applicants must submit either a portfolio of creative work or the SoA Design Project. (The portfolio is the best option for students who already have a strong body of creative work completed within the past four years; the design project is the best option for applicants with limited or no portfolio work. The admission committee values the portfolio and
design project equally, so applicants should choose the option that best fits their needs and situation.)

2. Responses to form
questions submitted with the portfolio or design project Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture: Profile for Art, Design & Architecture College Admissions

3. Applicants’ participation in pre-college architecture programs (at CMU or elsewhere) and/or engagement with the profession (e.g. job shadowing or participation in career-oriented programs)

4. On-campus review: not required, but strongly recommended. Applicants who visit campus on scheduled on-campus review days meet with current faculty to discuss their creative work and ask questions about the program. This is an excellent way for applicants to learn more about the school and engage in a conversation about their creative experience and goals — with faculty who may become their professors.

What does your program look for most in the creative portfolio during admissions? What do you think makes an A+ portfolio?

We strongly believe that there is no “special sauce” for a portfolio or design project submission. Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and enter our program with truly unique combinations of skills. An “A+ portfolio” tells a story about you, about what excites your curiosity, about where your creativity leads you (even if it seems unorthodox). We are not looking for polish or technical perfection — we’re looking for your particular brand of making and creativity.

How are new technologies affecting students’ curriculums and/or ways of learning/collaborating at your school?

Of course, advanced technologies have changed architecture education, and our facilities and curriculum help students expose students to cutting-edge design and fabrication tools. But, as one of our faculty members said in a recent interview, we’re moving beyond the unproductive distinction and hierarchy between digital and analog; our students are empowered to use a thoughtful hybrid of both methods in every project.  

How does your program help graduating students with internships or jobs? Can students expect job placement more at your program than in others? If so, how or why? What kinds of job opportunities have you seen students take once they completed their degrees?

Our program uniquely prepares students for a range of careers, from traditional architectural practice, to theoretical academic pursuits, to work in innovative emerging technologies, to entrepreneurial endeavors. The core + options curriculum described above allows students to explore nontraditional ways to apply their studio-based education. Our students and recent alumni work at the world’s most prestigious design firms — but they also work for Motorola, Disney, federal government agencies, and the next big startups. 

Are there any exciting developments for your programs that students should know about?

Our Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS) is a leader in public interest design, which brings high-quality architecture to the people and communities otherwise denied access to it. In their pursuit of thoughtful, innovative, socially-engaged architecture, UDBS students spend hours meeting with community members, developing innovative architectural solutions, and fabricating anything from a modular wardrobe divider, to a mobile neighborhood spray park/water filtration system, to PROJECT RE_, a 10,000SF community space for fabrication, education, and collaboration. 

What is the most distinguished feature at your school?

The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace (IW) is the world’s first “living and lived-in laboratory” for the study of building systems. It acts on a hands-on learning tool for undergraduate and graduate students to create and test system innovations in enclosure, HVAC, daylighting, ventilation, telecommunications, interiors, building controls, and dashboards. 

What is the best advice you have for students entering the art, design & architecture field?

The creative arts require patience, bravery, iteration, and a willingness to appreciate ambiguity. It can be difficult for intelligent, accomplished young people to deviate from the search for a “right” answer. But while architecture certainly requires precision, memorable architecture grows from curiosity, flexibility, and joy.  

Interviewed by Steve Lee Head of the School of Architecture  

RANKING

#22 Times Higher Education in 2015

#School of Architecture Professors Design Intelligence’s “30 Most Admired Educators”  

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Common App

PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS

10 pieces, no more no fewer on Slideroom OR Architecture Design Project (for students w/limited portfolio) 

* All applicants are encouraged to include examples of drawings. Drawings can be from life or
from the imagination, but they should not be copied from a photo or other two-dimensional image. CAD drawings should not be included.

WRITING SAMPLE

Common App Essay & Personal Statement

TRANSCRIPTS 

Required

INTERVIEW

Strongly Recommended 

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

1 Counselor 
1 Teacher

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Early Decision: Nov 1
Regular Decision: Jan 1 
Portfolio by Jan 15 

FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

TOEFL: 102
IELTS: 7.5
PTE: n/a

* Carnegie Mellon carefully reviews the sub-scores of each of these exams and considers those candidates with reading, listening, speaking and writing sub-scores of 25 or more on TOEFL and 7.5 or more on IELTS to be candidates with high levels of English proficiency.

FACT!

Carnegie Mellon worked with IBM in the 1980s to develop Andrew —
a pioneering computer network that links the entire campus through thousands of personal computers and work stations. In 2000, Carnegie Mellon continued its technical tradition with a campus-wide wireless network. Today, Carnegie Mellon consistently ranks as one of the “most wired” campuses in America.

DID YOU KNOW?

Carnegie Mellon’s original campus architect is said to have modeled his design after a ship. The prow of the historic USS Pennsylvania rests atop Roberts Hall, which overlooks Panther Hollow and the Carnegie Museum complex.