Computer Science

The computer science program at CMU-Q equips students with a strong theoretical foundation in computer science so they can remain current as technologies and systems change.

Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar follows the curriculum of the CMU School of Computer Science. One of the first computer science schools in the world, SCS continues to be a global leader in research and education.

Students in the Computer Science Program acquire skills that transcend technological trends. The program encourages teamwork and communication in both technical and multi-disciplinary contexts.

Computer Science students have identical graduation requirements as students at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Graduates have CMU degrees, conferred from the U.S. campus.

Students who would like to study Artificial Intelligence or Computer Science apply to a common Computing at CMU-Q year without declaring a major. At the end of the first academic year, Computing at CMU-Q students will declare a major of either AI or CS.

Learn more about applying to AI or CS

Program at a Glance

Since computing is a discipline with strong links to many fields, the Carnegie Mellon program gives students unparalleled flexibility to pursue their interests.

The computer science degree at CMU-Q includes:

Mathematics and probability
Programming
Computer systems
Computer science theory and algorithms
A minor in a second field or a computer science concentration
Coursework in general education

Students at CMU-Q have many opportunities to engage in research, including a senior thesis project, independent study, or internships with a CMU-Q research group.

Program Details

Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science curriculum provides students with a core set of skills: mathematical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, and the fundamentals of programming.

Through mathematics and probability courses, students develop the formal foundations to remain current as technologies change. Intensive project-oriented courses provide insight into the practical issues of building and maintaining systems, and a required minor or concentration offers substantial depth in a second field.

Standard Completion Time: 4 Years
Minimum units required for degree: 360 units
- Computer Science: 125
- Mathematics: 58
- Technical communication: 9
- Science or Engineering: 36
- Humanities or Arts: 63
- Minor or concentration requirement and electives: 63
- Core@CM: 3
- First-Year Seminar: 3

See the CMU Undergraduate Catalog for more information about the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Learn more about the courses at CMU.

Areas of Study and Concentrations

CMU-Q first-year students in both the Computer Science Program and the Artificial Intelligence Program start with the same core computing background. Students in the Computer Science Program then focus their studies in several key areas.

Software Engineering

Learn to develop, test, and maintain software systems using industry-standard tools and engineering principles.

Robust and Secure Systems

Study how to build systems that are reliable, fault-tolerant, and protected against security threats.

Theory and Logic

Delve into the mathematical and logical foundations of computing, including algorithms, automata, and formal reasoning.

Artificial Intelligence

Explore how machines can learn, reason, and make decisions using techniques like machine learning and large language models (LLMs).

Human-Computer Interaction

Design and evaluate AI tools that are intuitive, effective, and centered around user needs and experiences.

Robotics

Design and program intelligent machines that sense, move, and interact with their environment autonomously.

Concentration Areas

Algorithms and Complexity
Computer Systems
Machine Learning*
Principles of Programming Languages
Security and Privacy*

*These concentrations have some requirements that must be completed remotely or at the Pittsburgh campus.

Projects and Research

Students in the Computer Science Program put their knowledge into practice through in-depth projects and research. This experience enhances learning and encourages creative problem-solving.

This is a small sample of course projects that CMU-Q students have worked on:

Integrative Analysis of Protein Networks Using Graph Database Paradigms
e-Rshad: Prototyping Inclusive Indoor Navigation Wearable for Individuals with Visual Impairments
Hail to the Text: Transferring Political Styles for Enhanced Speech Generation
Enhancing Disordered Speech from Children Using Generative Adversarial Network and Speech Impairment Severity
A Prototype System for Efficient Edge-based Inference
Leveraging Foundation Models for Enhanced Edge-Offloading Systems
Efficient Pre-training Techniques for Speech and Audio Large Language Models
Deep Learning in 3D: Enhancing Point Cloud Data for Real-World Applications
Indoor Mapmaking: From Map Drawing to Navigable Representations
Design and Formalization of Blockchain Oracles
Optimizing NVMe Storage Operations for the Linux Kernel

Computer Science Research

Carnegie Mellon University is a world leader in computer science research, and this research culture extends to the Qatar campus.

Exposure to cutting-edge research is critical for our computer science students. Students at CMU-Q have many opportunities to engage in research: they can pursue a senior thesis, independent study guided by a faculty mentor, or an internship with one of the CMU-Q research groups.

Learn more about undergraduate research opportunities at CMU-Q

Individualize your degree

Arts and Sciences

Academic Support

Student Research and Innovation

Career Pathways

Graduates find work as software engineers, machine learning specialists, network architects, data scientists, cybersecurity engineers or roboticists. They can also work in emerging fields such as language technology, computational biology, human-computer interaction and robotics.

Learn more about our graduates and where they are working to impact the world around them.

Map of Computer Science Alumni working around the world.

“With the opportunities at CMU, I was able to find challenging research beginning in my first year. I am so thankful for all of the professors and mentors who guided me during my undergraduate education.”

Omar Khattab, Class of 2019

PhD, Computer Science, Stanford University

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, MIT

“That is where we as CMU-Q grads have an advantage. Our education hasn’t been about specific content, but how to learn, think and problem-solve.”

Sabih Bin Wasi, Class of 2015, Founder and CEO, Stellic

“What CMU does is it teaches you to become a quick learner. Of course we learned algorithms and knowledge in general, but we also learned to quickly take in new knowledge and become an expert at it.”

Fahim Dalvi, Class of 2014, Senior Software Engineer, Arabic Language Technologies, QCRI

Meet the Faculty

Faculty members include experts in Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, computational morphology, cybersecurity, database management systems, mobile and pervasive computing, natural language processing, parallel computer architectures, and wireless embedded systems.