Master of Science in Learning Engineering

The world’s first and foremost program for learning engineering

Join Carnegie Mellon University in our audacious, unconventional and interdisciplinary approach to research, education and performance. United by curiosity and driven by passion, together we continue to forge new ground and deploy our expertise to make real, practical change that benefits all of humankind.

Program Information

What is Learning Engineering?

Learning Engineering applies scientific, engineering, and human-centered design principles to systematically improve learning environments and outcomes. Grounded in cognitive science and educational data analytics, learning engineers design, deploy, and continuously refine evidence-based educational technologies.

A 16-Month Professional Degree

The Master of Science in Learning Engineering (MSLE), formerly known as METALS, is an intense, interdisciplinary technical program taught in the School of Computer Science by our world-renowned faculty. It condenses a traditional two-year graduate program into sixteen months.

Core Mastery: Deep dive into learning principles, technology design, and analytics.
Capstone Project: Tackle a substantial industry project with an external client.
Summer Semester: Take Summer Practicum or Special Research in HCI to prepare for industry roles or PhD applications.

Watch this video to learn how we use learning engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

Worth Knowing

• In 1955, Herb Simon—one of CMU’s 21 Nobel Laureates—invented Learning Engineering. Carnegie Mellon remains home to the premier program in the field.

• While Special Research in HCI helps build a research portfolio, this program is distinct from the HCII PhD track and does not guarantee direct admission into that program.

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Why a Master of Science in Learning Engineering?

“In the era of AI and big data, the MSLE program provides students with the critical skills to be leaders in educational technology. We are at the forefront of using Educational Data Mining and Intelligent Tutoring Systems to truly personalize learning. Our curriculum doesn’t just teach you about these technologies—it empowers you to design and build them. We train students to collect and analyze large-scale learning data to inform instructional decisions and create more effective, data-driven educational technologies founded on the learning sciences. Our students learn to not only understand how technology works but also how to use it to create better learning outcomes for everyone.”

~ John Stamper, Ph.D. — MSLE Program Director; Associate Professor, HCII

What Our Alumni Say

“In just one year, the MSLE program helped me learn how to build intelligent tutors, design educational games and collaborate with real classrooms. In my first semester, I dove into impactful projects for my courses, including building an adaptive ASL tutor for Personalized Online Learning and co-designing a Duolingo extension with high school students for Learning Media Design. I wrapped up the semester by presenting my paper at an international conference … “

Pragati Maheshwary (2025 Alumni)

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Learning Engineering @ Carnegie Mellon

Why Carnegie Mellon?

Carnegie Mellon is a place like no other. World renown for its interdisciplinary nature, rigor and deep knowledge in learning science, human-computer interaction, psychology, design and computer science.

As an MSLE student you will experience a vibrant research ecosystem, deep industry partnerships, expansive elective offerings, and well-engineered core courses that make it the best learning engineering program in the world.

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Living in Pittsburgh

Why You?

Our students learn in a collaborative, project-based environment. In interdisciplinary teams, you learn how to apply cutting-edge research to engineer effective, instrumented learning experiences that will be continuously improved. This makes the program particularly valuable for those who want to drive meaningful change.

You put everything you learn into practice in two capstone projects and an internship.

Our small cohorts ensure individualized, supportive attention focused on your success.

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After You Graduate

Housed in the School of Computer Science, MSLE is a technical, data-driven, practical, and impactful program. Graduates are trained to be changemakers who engineer effective, data-driven learning experiences.

Graduates take on positions from learning engineers to product managers and more. Based on the strength of the research program, many alumni go on to PhD programs.

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