Academic support

Faculty advising

Faculty advisors play a critical role in your academic and professional progression. They offer expert course and research guidance, facilitate networking, advocate for your academic success, and encourage conference participation. New students are assigned a faculty advisor during the Student Induction Program. Students are expected to schedule a formal meeting with their assigned advisor no later than the first week of the first semester.

Academic advising

All CMU-Africa students are supported by the academic advisor during SIP and continue to receive advising support throughout their student journey. The academic advisor helps students navigate academic policies and requirements, plan their degree pathway, make informed course selections, and access support when academic challenges arise.

Learning resources

  • Digital and physical library: The CMU Digital Library offers full-text access to academic databases, online journals, e-books, and multimedia tools, which are accessible off-campus via VPN. Select physical, hard-copy textbooks can also be borrowed directly from the academic affairs coordinator on campus.
  • Printing facilities: Heavy-duty, multi-functional printers (equipped for 24/7 black-and-white printing, scanning, and copying) are located in Study Room A303 and the D-wing Lower Ground Floor Quiet Space.

Career and professional development

Career services

Managed by the career services officer, this department handles corporate outreach, internship placement assistance, job portal navigation, and student pathway routing.

Professional development opportunities

CMU-Africa offers a range of opportunities that support students’ professional growth, leadership development, and career readiness throughout their graduate experience.

Students are encouraged to engage actively in opportunities such as:

  • summer internships
  • leadership roles through the Student Guild and student clubs
  • professional development seminars
  • on-campus student employment opportunities
  • professional skills workshops
CMU-Africa also hosts a career fair where employers and industry partners visit campus to engage directly with students regarding internship and employment opportunities. First-year students have the opportunity to network with recruiters, learn about industry pathways, and participate in recruitment and interview processes for internships and full-time roles.

Wellbeing and community

Wellbeing services

CMU-Africa’s wellbeing support services are coordinated through the Student Affairs team to help students navigate the academic, emotional, social, and personal challenges that can arise during graduate study.

Students have access to confidential counselling services through CMU-Africa’s partner counselling clinic, Solid Minds, which provides on-campus mental health and wellbeing support in a safe and supportive environment.

Student Guild and student organizations

The CMU-Africa Student Guild is an energetic student leadership organization elected annually by peers to represent the student body. The Guild oversees and coordinates various student-run specialized clubs, managing on-campus and off-campus extracurricular activities to build community interaction.

Administrative resources

Andrew ID

An official Andrew User ID is assigned to every student upon enrollment. It serves as your primary credential to log into the Carnegie Mellon Web Portal, Student Information Online (SIO), official G Suite email, Canvas, and campus-wide computing services. Initial password setup requires a local phone number for multi-factor authentication purposes.

Academic calendar

The academic calendar is an important planning tool that helps students track key university dates, deadlines, and academic milestones throughout the year.

Students should regularly consult the academic calendar to stay informed about:

  • semester start and end dates
  • course registration periods
  • add/drop deadlines
  • withdrawal deadlines
  • examination periods
  • and university holidays or campus closures

CMU-Africa follows Carnegie Mellon University’s academic calendar structure, with the academic year typically divided into:

  • Fall Semester: late August to December
  • Spring Semester: January to May
  • Summer Period: May to August

While formal classes are generally not held during the summer period, many students use this time to complete internships, research opportunities, or professional development activities.

It is especially important to pay attention to deadlines related to course changes. Students are expected to manage their schedules responsibly and understand the university policies governing:

  • adding or dropping courses
  • withdrawing from classes
  • and maintaining academic standing

The final deadline to withdraw from a course typically falls around the end of the tenth week of the semester.
Students can also use the schedule of classes to view the most up-to-date listing of course offerings across Carnegie Mellon University locations.

Course catalog

The official course catalog provides descriptive listings of all credit, non-credit, and audited courses offered by the department to assist with semester planning via SIO.

Graduate student handbook

This central handbook sets forth the explicit guidelines, policies, grading scales, and code of conduct expectations for all master's students. It is published and updated annually on the CMU-Africa website.