FAQ

Congratulations on being on our waitlist. We understand this is a stressful time for you and you are likely balancing offers from other programs and institutions. Know we will do our best to keep you updated about your status. We ask for first round admission offers to make a decision by March 31st so we can provide an answer to those on our waitlist in advance of April 15th.

While there is not a scheduled open house for admitted Masters students, you are welcome to visit the Robotics Institute on your own, at any time. You should first contact the faculty you are interested in meeting to make sure they will be available during your planned visit. This will help ensure your time on campus is as informative as possible.

The MSR program occasionally grants an admission deferral for up to one year. To request a one year deferral, the student must send a written request (email is acceptable) to the Program Manager, Barbara Jean (B.J.) Fecich no later than March 31st.

No, to be considered for the Doctoral program you need to apply through the standard application process.

Some student elect to share their job information via the Robotics Institute Alumni page. Additional detailed job information is available via the Career and Professional Development Center.

Unfortuantely, we do not allow students to transfer courses from other institutions to count towards their MSR degree.

First year graduate students attend a week-long RI Orientation the week before fall classes begin. This contains departmental on-boarding, research overviews, departmental information and social/ community networking events. Masters students will be responsible for finding their own advisor and have until the end of October to do so. Since most of the Masters students are self-supported, it is important to find an advisor that, has the time to advise you, an advising approach that coincides with your personality and who has a project that you would be interested in working on.

Please refer to the listing of Robotics Faculty and Research Areas pages for details.

If you already have a connection with a faculty research advisor in RI they must provide funding details prior to June 30th for fall funding (tuition coverage and/or stipend). This is a strict deadline with no exceptions. If you do not already have a connection with an RI faculty member who is willing to advise you for fall it will be hard to make that connection prior to the June 30th deadline. Faculty typically ask students to wait until fall orientation events before they discuss lab and funding availability. Once you have connected with an advisor, it is relatively common for them to have some funding available in subsequent semesters, but again, there are no guarantees. Funding for spring is due in mid-November. We cannot predict if funding will become available during any part of your 24-month program. You should be prepared to be a self-supported Masters student throughout the duration of the program.

A decent percentage of MSR students receive funding for at least a portion of their program. The percentage of students funded varies greatly on the semester and incoming funding opportunities. There is no way for us to predict your chances of funding. Faculty have the option to fund 0-100% of a monthly stipend and/or tuition on a semester basis. It depends on your research advisor, the funding sources, project(s) you are working on and your skillset. We cannot predict if funding will become available during any part of your 24-month program. You should be prepared to be a self-supported Masters student throughout the duration of the program.

While there are a few Teaching Assistantships (TA) available, it is not encouraged unless you have taken the course here at CMU; even then, it’s challenging to balance research, course work, a personal life, and being a TA. You are eligible for an RI TA position beginning in your second semester. Most MS-Research students do not consider being a TA a viable option. If English is not your first language you would also need to take the ITA test to demonstrate adequate language and communication ability prior to be hired as a TA.

Office of International Education provides estimates for incoming international students, actual cost may vary. If you require an I-20 or DS-2019 you must provide proof of financial support for the first academic year of study. Additional information can be found here: https://www.cmu.edu/oie/foreign-students/index.html

There is not an explicit deadline for you to mail the required documents. However, your Certificate of Eligibility will be sent to you within four-six weeks of receipt of all necessary documents. Packages containing incomplete or insufficient information will not be processed. You should plan accordingly and act as promptly as possible to avoid unnecessary delays. We anticipate a rather lengthy visa acquisition process this year.

No, unfortunately, we cannot extend the length of the program or the date on your I-20/visa documentation. You must complete all Master’s degree requirements within 24 months.