Fifth-Year Master's in Machine Learning

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The Fifth-Year Master's in Machine Learning allows CMU students to complete an M.S. in Machine Learning in one additional year by taking some of the required courses as undergraduates. Interested students apply earlier in their senior year than the standard application deadline and receive the response earlier as well.

Requirements for Consideration

  • Must be graduating with a bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Must take precisely three of the M.S. courses during their undergraduate years, passing each with a grade of B or better. (These courses may also count toward the bachelor's degree.)
  • Must take an introductory ML course no later than the semester they apply, which counts as one of the three M.S. courses. The options are:
    • 10-301 Introduction to Machine Learning
    • 10-701 Introduction to Machine Learning
    • 07-280 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning I
    • Both 10-315 Introduction to Machine Learning and 15-281 Artificial Intelligence — Representation and Problem Solving (counting together as one course)

Differences Between the Standard and Fifth-Year Master's Degrees

  • Since fifth-year master's students have taken three courses for the master's during their undergraduate years, the fifth-year master's can be completed in two semesters instead of the standard three semesters.
  • Fifth-year master's students must complete the program as full-time students (at least 36 units/semester) for two semesters plus a summer.

Typical Schedule

  1. Courses taken in undergraduate program: Intro to ML plus two core or elective courses.
  2. Summer between fourth and fifth years: practicum (internship or research related to machine learning). 
  3. Fall semester: 36-700: Probability and Mathematical Statistics I or 36-705: Intermediate Statistics Statistics; two core or elective courses.
  4. Spring semester: three core or elective courses.

Note: The program is designed for a fall start, but a spring start is possible. If a student will graduate in December instead of May and will enter the Fifth-Year Master's Program in spring instead of fall, they are encouraged to take 36-700 in the fall semester of their senior year as one of the three courses taken as an undergraduate to count toward the master's degree. This provides good preparation for the remaining master's courses and is only offered in the fall. A standard course plan in that case would be 10-301, 10-701, 07-280, or {10-315 + 15-281} no later than junior spring; 36-700 in senior fall; and the third course no later than senior fall.

Recommendations for Prospective Applicants

Students can take 10-301, 10-701, or 07-280 as late as the semester they apply, but should aim to take it during junior year. If taking it in the semester you apply, you should make sure your mid-semester grades include Intro to ML.

Alternatively, instead of taking 10-301, 10-701, or 07-280, a student may instead take both 10-315 and 15-281. Together, these two courses can fulfill the Intro to ML requirement. (Note that they will remain listed as 10-315 and 15-281 on the transcript, and the two of them together count as one course for the purpose of the fifth-year master's.)

Applicants should be aware that only three courses may double-count between the bachelor's and master's degree. Additionally, no courses can be triple-counted, such as being used for a minor, major and the master's. Students will not be required to retake courses, but may need to take additional electives if more than three relevant courses were taken before earning their bachelor's degree.

Applicants should also be aware that we continually review our program requirements and update them as necessary to ensure an appropriate and up-to-date curriculum. Note that the program requirements applicable to you would be those in effect when your admission offer is made, which are not necessarily those in effect today.

The Fifth-Year Master's Program application does not require GRE scores or digital portfolios, and only requires two letters of recommendation instead of three. However, if a student is planning to apply to other graduate programs if they're not admitted to the fifth-year master's, it may be advisable to prepare for those other applications as normal.

The tuition and fees for the fifth-year master's are the same as the standard master's degree. Fifth-year master's students are also considered graduate students, not undergraduates, and so should contact Housing Services if they're living on campus and their financial aid provider (if they have one) to learn what effects this may have.

How to Apply

The fall 2026 application opens the first week of September. The deadline for students applying is October 27, 2025 at 3 pm EST.

Once the application opens you can submit your fall 2026 application via Slate. Select "2026 SCS MS 5th Year Application."

Most students will apply in the fall of the senior year for entry in fifth-year fall, but there is a spring admissions period for students graduating off-cycle. For example, students graduating a semester early can apply in spring of their junior year for entry in fourth-year spring.

We will include a spring deadline when it's available.

The application opens approximately one month before the application deadline. For prospective applicants who want to plan ahead, the materials you should prepare include:

  • Statement of Purpose (one page).
  • Resume or CV.
  • CMU unofficial academic record.
  • Mid-semester grades.
  • At least two letters of recommendation.

For the Statement of Purpose, type a concise one-page statement that includes your objective in pursuing a graduate degree in machine learning; your background in particularly relevant fields; any relevant academic or research experience; and any additional information you wish to supply to the admissions committee.

The letters of recommendation may be written by anyone who knows you well. If you have done research with a faculty member, a letter of recommendation from them would be ideal, but note that research experience is not required. When you begin your application, the School of Computer Science (SCS) Graduate Online Application will have you enter the names and email addresses of your recommenders, and your recommenders will be emailed personalized links where they will upload their letters of recommendation.

All materials must be received by the application deadline for consideration that semester. 

Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome applicants from any major at CMU.

No, the Fifth-Year Master's Program does not allow for a thesis option.

Students wishing to complete a master's thesis should instead consider the 20-month, research-based M.S. in Machine Learning - Advanced Study. Please note that the Advanced Study variant does not have a fifth-year pathway, does not have an early admissions cycle, and does not allow any double-counting with the bachelor's degree.

Students should apply in the semester before they graduate. A student graduating in May should apply in the fall, and a student graduating in December should apply in the spring.

We aim to return decisions to applicants approximately 4–6 weeks after they apply.

The deadline for admitted applicants to accept or reject our offer of admission is approximately four weeks after receiving the offer.

The Fifth-Year Master's Program begins the semester after the student earns their bachelor’s degree. Gap semesters are not allowed.

Students who earn their bachelor’s degree in May have the option of completing their practicum in either the summer between their senior and fifth years (leading to a May master’s graduation date) or at the completion of their fifth year (leading to an August master’s graduation date).

Unfortunately, due to the rules regarding student visas, students in F-1 immigration status earning their bachelor’s degree in May cannot fulfill their practicum by completing an internship in the U.S. They must fulfill the practicum requirement either by engaging in summer research at CMU or by completing a summer internship in their home country (or other, non-U.S. country where they have work authorization).

Students in F-1 immigration status who earn their bachelor’s degree in December (and starting their master’s program in the spring) can generally use CPT work benefits to complete their internship in the U.S. in the summer between their two master’s semesters.

International students are encouraged to remain in close consultation with OIE, including notifying them about their plans as soon as they are admitted to the Fifth-Year Master's Program.

Due to the small size of the program, we do not publish statistics for the Fifth-Year Master's Program. However, the program is at least as competitive as the primary master's program in machine learning. We provide the statistics for successful applicants to that program on the Primary M.S. in Machine Learning page.

The Fifth-Year Master's Program application does not include any test scores. However, if a student is planning to apply to other graduate programs if they are not admitted to this one, they should look up what tests are necessary for the programs they would be applying to and take any necessary tests early enough to be eligible to apply to those programs.

Yes, students are welcome to apply to the primary master's program if they are not admitted to the Fifth-Year Master's Program. It is possible to be admitted to the primary master's program even if an application was not accepted for admission to the fifth-year master's. These two application paths have different requirements and are therefore evaluated differently.

Students are not allowed to double-count courses between their bachelor’s degree and the primary master's in machine learning, even if they earned their bachelor’s degree at CMU.

Note that the primarily master's application includes additional components that would need to be prepared in advance of receiving the fifth-year master's decision, such as a third letter of recommendation.

We strongly discourage applicants from applying to the Fifth-Year Master's Program twice. The admissions committee’s decision is unlikely to change. In addition, their decision would not be released until shortly before the student would be earning their bachelor’s, leaving them little time to make alternate plans if they aren’t admitted.

Instead, applicants are welcome to apply to the primary master's program if they are not admitted to the fifth-year program.

No, the decision deadline for admitted applicants is approximately a month after we send our admission letters, which is before other graduate programs would be returning their admissions decisions. If a student is accepting our offer of admission, they should not apply to other graduate programs after receiving our offer. If applications have already been submitted, the student is expected to withdraw them.

No, the Fifth-Year Master's Program requires students to take courses in person at the Pittsburgh campus full-time in both the fall and spring semesters.

The full-time summer practicum may be completed outside Pittsburgh.

The Career and Professional Development Center compiles post-graduate salaries and destination information about all CMU alumni. The data for fifth-year master's alumni is combined with the data for primary machine learning master's alumni.

The Machine Learning Master's Programs Handbook [PDF] contains the full program requirements.

Additional Questions

For questions about the Machine Learning Master's Program that have not been answered on our website, contact the Machine Learning Master's Admissions Coordinator Laura Winter.

Laura Winter holds office hours during Spring and Fall.  Fall office hours are being held on Tuesdays, 2-3 pm in GHC 8003.   You can also email Laura with any questions or to schedule a meeting outside of office hours.

The office hours aren't held when classes aren't in session (e.g., holidays and breaks).