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Carnegie Mellon University
Academics

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How strong are the academics at Carnegie Mellon University?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

6:1
Student to faculty ratio
22
Average class size
79%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Carnegie Mellon has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
666
10-19
560
20-29
214
30-39
98
40-49
61
50-99
137
100+
67

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Carnegie Mellon University:

97%
First-year retention rate
79%
4-year grad rate
94%
6-year grad rate

The average base annual salary of students who were employed within six months of graduation is $116,882. This is higher than the national average of $48,300.

$116,882
$48,300 (National Average)

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Carnegie Mellon University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Computer Science
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Business Administration and Management, General
Systems Science and Theory
Mechanical Engineering
93.2
118.16
143.12
168.08
193.04
218

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 36
  • Architecture 15
  • Environmental Design/Architecture 0
Area
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 0
  • Russian Studies 0
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
  • Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 0
  • African Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Neuroscience 21
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 21
  • Computational Biology 11
  • Computational Biology 2
  • Biomechanics 1
  • Biophysics 1
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other 0
  • Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other 0
  • Biostatistics 0
  • Biometry/Biometrics 0
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 174
  • Business Administration and Management, General 10
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 1
  • Marketing/Marketing Management, General 0
  • Actuarial Science 0
  • Management Information Systems and Services, Other 0
  • International Business/Trade/Commerce 0
  • Finance and Financial Management Services, Other 0
  • Finance, General 0
  • Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other 0
  • Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 0
  • Business/Managerial Economics 0
  • Operations Management and Supervision 0
Communication
  • Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia 1
  • Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 218
  • Information Technology 48
  • Artificial Intelligence 45
  • Computer Science 37
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 10
  • Artificial Intelligence 7
  • Information Technology 6
  • Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other 0
  • Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other 0
  • Information Technology Project Management 0
  • Computer Software and Media Applications, Other 0
  • Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation 0
  • Computer Graphics 0
  • Computer Programming, Other 0
Education
  • Multicultural Education 0
Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 192
  • Mechanical Engineering 114
  • Chemical Engineering 51
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 47
  • Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering 23
  • Civil Engineering, General 21
  • Engineering, General 15
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 11
  • Engineering, Other 2
  • Engineering, Other 0
  • Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering 0
  • Electromechanical Engineering 0
  • Operations Research 0
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 0
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 0
  • Engineering, General 0
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
  • Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians 3
  • Nanotechnology 0
  • Engineering Design 0
  • Biomedical Technology/Technician 0
  • Audio Engineering Technology/Technician 0
  • Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing 4
  • Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing 4
  • Creative Writing 4
  • Creative Writing 1
  • English Language and Literature, General 1
  • Rhetoric and Composition 0
  • English Language and Literature, General 0
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Apparel and Textile Manufacture 0
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 2
  • French Language and Literature 2
  • Russian Language and Literature 2
  • Japanese Language and Literature 2
  • Chinese Language and Literature 2
  • Linguistics 2
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 1
  • Russian Language and Literature 1
  • Japanese Language and Literature 1
  • Linguistics 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
  • Spanish Language and Literature 0
  • French Language and Literature 0
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
  • German Language and Literature 0
  • Chinese Language and Literature 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other 0
  • Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other 0
History
  • History, Other 11
  • History, Other 3
  • History, General 0
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 29
  • General Studies 7
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Statistics, General 106
  • Statistics, General 58
  • Mathematics, General 24
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other 23
  • Computational Mathematics 23
  • Financial Mathematics 11
  • Computational Mathematics 5
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other 4
  • Mathematical Statistics and Probability 4
  • Mathematics, General 4
  • Statistics, Other 1
  • Statistics, Other 1
  • Computational and Applied Mathematics 1
  • Mathematics, Other 0
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Systems Science and Theory 138
  • Systems Science and Theory 15
  • Cognitive Science, General 14
  • Biopsychology 6
  • International/Globalization Studies 2
  • Cognitive Science, General 1
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 0
  • Linguistics and Computer Science 0
  • Behavioral Sciences 0
  • Science, Technology and Society 0
  • Medieval and Renaissance Studies 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 4
  • Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General 0
  • Environmental Science 0
  • Environmental Studies 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Applied and Professional Ethics 7
  • Logic 3
  • Philosophy 3
  • Philosophy 3
  • Applied and Professional Ethics 1
  • Philosophy, Other 0
Physical Sciences
  • Materials Science 32
  • Chemistry, General 25
  • Physics, General 14
  • Astrophysics 7
  • Theoretical and Mathematical Physics 6
  • Chemistry, Other 4
  • Physics, Other 1
  • Physical Sciences, Other 0
  • Materials Sciences, Other 0
  • Chemical Physics 0
  • Polymer Chemistry 0
  • Physical Sciences, General 0
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 18
  • Psychology, General 2
  • Psychology, Other 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
  • Public Policy Analysis, General 1
  • Public Policy Analysis, General 0
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 46
  • International Relations and Affairs 16
  • International Relations and Affairs 4
  • Applied Economics 1
  • Applied Economics 1
  • Social Sciences, Other 0
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 0
  • Sociology, General 0
  • Political Science and Government, Other 0
  • Political Science and Government, General 0
  • International Economics 0
  • Archeology 0
  • Anthropology, Other 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 44
  • Design and Visual Communications, General 36
  • Art/Art Studies, General 21
  • Voice and Opera 10
  • Music Performance, General 7
  • Music Technology 5
  • Stringed Instruments 4
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 4
  • Music Theory and Composition 3
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 3
  • Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General 1
  • Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other 1
  • Game and Interactive Media Design 1
  • Visual and Performing Arts, Other 0
  • Fine and Studio Arts Management 0
  • Music, Other 0
  • Jazz/Jazz Studies 0
  • Musicology and Ethnomusicology 0
  • Intermedia/Multimedia 0
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 0
  • Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other 0
  • Cinematography and Film/Video Production 0
  • Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other 0
  • Directing and Theatrical Production 0
  • Design and Applied Arts, Other 0
  • Digital Arts 0
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