All applicants must provide documentation of their completed undergraduate degree (a bachelor's degree or its equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution prior to matriculation. (Applicants who have not completed their bachelor's degree by the time they submit their application for admission may be admitted to CMU Australia with the condition they submit their final transcript, including their date of graduation, prior to the start of their first semester at CMU Australia.)

For the Graduate Certificate in BIDA and the Advanced Certificate in BIDA applicants need a recently completed IT undergraduate degree. If applicants do not have this but have 3 or more years of recent professional IT work experience they are still eligible to apply.

All Information Technology programs require programming experience in data structures and an object-oriented programming language such as C, C++ or Java. Students who do not have this experience must achieve a grade of B or higher in one of the Java courses listed on this page.

The 12-month track requires 3 or more years of professional work experience.

The 21-month track does not require any work experience.

For the Graduate Certificate in BIDA and the Advanced Certificate in BIDA applicants need 3 or more years of recent professional IT work experience.  If applicants do not have this work experience but have recently completed IT undergraduate degree they are still eligible to apply.

If you have not taken quantitative courses in your undergraduate studies, you may be required to take the CMU Institutional Maths Online Test.  

About CMU IMOT:

• The test is free of charge.
• It is a one hour test comprising 32 multiple choice questions.  The topics include basic algebra, calculus and statistics calculations.
• The test can only be taken once and you will need to achieve a minimum score of 75%. 

How to Apply:

• Submit your online application.
• After you have submitted your application, send your request to sit for CMU IMOT to admissions@australia.cmu.edu.
• CMU-A admissions team will then get back to you with the instructions on how to take the test.

Australian Permanent Residents who have not studied or worked in Australia for more than 5 years are required to submit scores from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - Academic or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  **There is an exemption for citizens from certain countries as stated below.

Citizens of the following countries who have undertaken secondary and/or tertiary study in English in the national education system (or equivalent) and/or at a recognised, local university in any of the countries listed below:

It is strongly recommended for applicants to take the TOEFL or IELTS at least one month prior to the application deadline..

If your test date is within one month of the application deadline, please be sure to email the scores to the office of admissions

You may submit scores from up to 4 valid TOEFL or IELTS exam dates. CMU Australia will use the highest score verified in each section if you have taken the exam more than one time. For every score you wish to include with your application, you must report the exam date(s) and submit the official score report(s). We will not accept exam scores for test dates that are not listed on the application.

TOEFL 

• iBT preferred
• Scores must be submitted directly by Educational Testing Service (ETS). 
• The minimum TOEFL score is 22 on each section of the Internet-based test.

IELTS

• You may submit International English Language Testing System (IELTS) results in place of the TOEFL. 
• The "Academic" format of the IELTS is required. 
• Test scores must be submitted directly by IELTS. 
• The minimum IELTS score is 6.5 overall and 6.0 in each band. 

If you took either of these tests more than two years ago, you MUST take it again. The testing agency will not verify scores more than two years old.

If your score is below the minimum on either exam, you should consider retaking the TOEFL/IELTS before applying. 

Applicants are required to submit a resume. Please submit a one or two page summary of your education skills, accomplishments, employment experience and volunteer experience. The resume must be current and include all part-time and full-time work experience, the dates of when the employment began and ended and a brief description of your responsibilities under the title of the position.

Your resume should contain only true information and your own, original writing. If you include a quote or text written by any other person or published in any printed or online format, you must surround the copied text in quotation marks (") and indicate the original source of the text. Information reported on your resume is subject to verification. CMU Australia utilises several methods to identify plagiarised and falsified content in uploaded documents. Submission of false or plagiarised material as part of the application for admission may result in automatic denial of admission to any degree program.

You are required to submit an essay (approximately 1,000 words) describing  your academic and professional background, your career goals, and how the program will help you achieve your goals.

Your essay should contain only true information and your own, original writing.  Your essay should be typed on a computer, saved electronically, and uploaded to the application (please do not scan a printed essay). If you include a quote or text written by any other person or published in any printed or online format, you must surround the copied text in quotation marks (") and indicate the original source of the text. CMU Australia utilises several methods to identify plagiarised and falsified content in uploaded documents. Submission of false or plagiarised material as part of the application for admission may result in automatic denial of admission to any degree program.

You may complete a video interview or prepare and submit a short video essay with your application for admission. The video interview and/or video essay are optional, but they are strongly recommended for non-native speakers of English. We encourage all applicants to consider completing the video interview as a preferred alternative to submitting the optional video essay. If you submit the optional video interview as well as the optional video essay, both will be reviewed by the admissions committee, but submitting both may not necessarily improve your chances for admission.

Video Interview

We are happy to now offer an automated, online video interview to all applicants as a preferred alternative to submitting the optional video essay, particularly for non-native speakers of English.

Please Note: After you begin the video interview, you will not be able to pause, cancel or re-record any of your answers. Please keep this in mind as you decide when and where to complete your video interview. The video (and audio) must be of you, the applicant (not a proxy).

Instructions: Please click on the Check-In URL on the Essays and Uploads page of the online application to begin your interview. The link should appear within ten minutes of completing and saving the Degree Information page in your application. You will also receive an email invitation from Kira Talent with this Check-In URL. Please refresh your browser if the URL is not yet visible. The Check-In URL will remain available after you submit your online application. If you wish to include a video interview with your application, please complete the video interview no later than 7 days after you submit the online application.

Here is what you can expect if you complete the video interview:

• You will first receive instructions and the system will help you ensure that your computer is set up correctly to begin the interview.
• You will then have a chance to answer two randomised practice questions an unlimited number of times to become comfortable with the system. Immediately after responding to each practice question, you will have a chance to watch your practice video. (Your practice videos will not be saved nor will they be sent to Carnegie Mellon University.)
• When you begin the actual interview, you will be asked three (3) randomised questions.
• After you see and hear the question, you will have 20 seconds to think about your answer.
• After the preparation time ends, your computer will automatically begin to record your answer.
• You will have 60 seconds to provide each answer. You will have only one chance to answer each question.
• You will not be able to pause the interview after it starts.
• You will not be able to re-record any answer after the interview begins.
• You may complete your video interview before or after you submit the online application, but you will only be able to complete the interview one time. If you want to ensure that your video interview is reviewed by the admissions committee, please be sure to complete your interview within 7 days after you submit the online application (at the latest).
• Just like a real, live interview, you will not be able to view your answer to any questions nor will you be able to view your completed interview.

At the conclusion of your interview, you will see a very short Thank You video to confirm your video submission. You will also receive a confirmation email from Kira Talent after your video interview has been completed. Your video interview will automatically be added to your online application. If you have not submitted your online application at the time that you record your video interview, please remember to complete and submit your online application after recording your interview.

Video Essay

If you decide to submit a video essay, please prepare a one-minute-long video that lets the admission committee know who you are, what you do well, and what you are looking to achieve in your graduate study at the CMU Australia. Please note that the video must be of the you, the applicant (not a proxy). If there is more than one person in the video, please clarify which person is you, the applicant. What you do or say is totally up to you as long as you provide the information requested.

Upload the video to an easily accessible website (such as YouTube) and give us the URL and any required access codes in the appropriate fields within the application for admission. It is the applicant’s responsibility to correctly configure the security and access settings for the video. We recommend that the applicant use the strongest privacy settings available while still allowing access to the CMU Australia. If using YouTube, we suggest using the “Unlisted Video” setting so that only individuals who have the URL can view it. The applicant is also responsible for adhering to the terms and conditions of the website used to share the video essay. Following evaluation of the video essay, CMU Australia will retain a short excerpt or screen shot of the video as a part of the official student record.

We are unable to watch videos that come in any form other than a URL link. We will not accept videos sent by email or on DVD through the mail.

All applicants are required to have two (2) recommendation forms submitted on their behalf. Recommendations should be provided from employers, supervisors, professors, or others who are able to comment on your professional and educational goals and potential. At least one (1) of your recommenders should know you in a professional setting (full-time employment, internship, part-time employment, research, non-academic extracurricular activity, etc.) You may opt to have up to three (3) recommendations submitted in support of your application.

Please note: recommendations from friends, family members or acquaintances, and other sources not able to evaluate applicants on an academic or professional basis, will not be accepted.

Recommendations are submitted electronically through the online application system by your recommenders.   We do not accept recommendations submitted on paper.

You must enter the names and contact information for each recommendation provider into the application system. Prior to requesting that your recommendation providers complete the recommendation online, be sure to check with them to ensure that you register them with the correct (preferably professional) email address.

Please let your recommenders know that they may upload an electronic document or scanned copy of a paper-based recommendation using the online system rather than using the text box response fields (but they must upload their recommendation via the online system).

All recommenders will be asked to provide brief answers to the following questions. Recommenders may skip questions that are not applicable to what they know about you.

• How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?  Please clearly indicate your position in relation to the applicant (i.e. - professor/instructor, direct supervisor, mentor, advisor, colleague, etc.).
• Do you believe the applicant gives her/his maximum effort and perseveres towards the stated goal when given a task, assignment or project?  Please provide details to support your answer.
• Discuss how the applicant works in a group (including interpersonal skills) and/or functions in a leadership role.
• Describe the applicant's ability to communicate in oral and written form.
• Provide an example where the applicant worked to solve a problem or handled a difficult situation in a professional manner.
• If you are able, please describe the applicant's understanding of, background in and commitment to this academic/professional field.
• Please share any additional information about the applicant’s personal qualities, maturity, academic or professional record which you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee.
• Please select your overall recommendation regarding this individual's application for admission for graduate study at Carnegie Mellon University. (Recommenders must select one of these responses: Strongly recommend, Recommend, Recommend with reservations, Do not recommend.)

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We accept transcripts sent directly from the registrar of your institution or certified copies. 

Transcripts sent by your institution could be emailed electronically OR mailed to the Admissions Office in a sealed envelope (unopened) and signed across the seal by the registrar's office to :    

Admissions Office
Carnegie Mellon University in Australia
Torrens Building
220 Victoria Square
Adelaide SA 5000
Australia

Tel: +61 8 8201 9900

Email: admissions@cmu.edu.au

CMU Australia is committed to ensuring the integrity of our admissions process and the reputation of our educational programs. We also want to protect and enhance the value of the degrees that we confer. All enrolling students will be required to successfully complete a verification process of their admission application materials. The verification process will be completed by an outside, independent contractor hired by the Heinz College and Carnegie Mellon University.

The purpose of this background check is to protect all stakeholders of the program (students, faculty, staff and alumni) from those who would falsify their backgrounds to gain an unfair advantage in the admissions process. We have made the decision to implement an independent verification process of all application materials for any master's student enrolling at CMU Australia. We believe that this verification will support our efforts to ensure integrity throughout the program. Upon admission, you will receive more details about this process.

Students who have accepted the offer of admission will be contacted by the Office of Admissions regarding the verification process prior to the start of their first semester.