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Carnegie Mellon's PhD Certificate in Computational Humanities is a university-wide credential for doctoral students in Pittsburgh-based CMU programs. Applications require approval from your PhD advisor and the Department of English Graduate Studies office.  

Application deadline: January 6, 2027

Gain hands-on computational skills, a critical understanding of how computation shapes culture and society, and the confidence to collaborate across disciplines — on a timeline designed to fit alongside your PhD.

• Interdisciplinary community — Join a cohort spanning English, Statistics & Data Science, the Language Technologies Institute, LCAL, HCII, and beyond, built through the team-taught gateway seminar and the weekly Computational Humanities Research Seminar.
• Individualized advising — Every certificate student is paired with a faculty advisor with expertise in computational humanities.
• A venue for your research — Present project work, ongoing lab collaborations, or early dissertation research in the Research Seminar.
• Supported by a substantial endowment — Computational humanities at CMU funds competitive fellowships, seed grants, and community events.
• Career development — Build highly marketable skills in data analysis, coding, and digital curation valued in academia, technology firms, galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM), and the public humanities.
• Fits your degree timeline — Most students complete the certificate in one to two years.

What you'll be able to do

• Use computer-based methods in humanities research
• Apply tools such as NLP, visualization, and network analysis to cultural and historical questions
• Critically assess the role of computation in culture and society
• Collaborate across disciplines on novel research
• Present research to academic and public audiences

General Requirements

Your primary PhD advisor must support your pursuit of this certificate. Progress toward your degree must continue while completing the certificate, and you cannot begin the certificate in your final semester. The certificate requires a minimum of 24 units across three components and offers two tracks based on disciplinary background.

Track A — Humanistic, Artistic, or Qualitative Fields

Examples: CFA programs; English, History, Philosophy, LCAL.

1. Gateway Seminar (required): 76-894 Introduction to Computational Humanities (12 units)
2. Two graduate-level courses weighted toward computational skills and methods, chosen from:
• 76-788 Coding for Humanists (9 units)
• 76-780 Methods in Humanities Analytics (9 units)
• 36-600 Statistical Learning for Non-Statistics Graduate Students (12 units)
• 05-660 Interaction Design Fundamentals (12 units)
• 82-813 AI for Humanists (9 units)
3. At least two semesters of the Computational Humanities Research Seminar (attendance and presentations required)

Track B — Computational or Quantitative Fields

Examples: SCS, Tepper, Heinz, Engineering; Statistics & Data Science, Social & Decision Sciences, Psychology.

1. Gateway Seminar (required): 76-894 Introduction to Computational Humanities (12 units)
2. Two graduate-level courses weighted toward humanistic and interpretive frameworks, chosen from:
• 76-714 Data Stories (12 units)
• 76-890 Digital Rhetorics (9 units)
• 11-830 Ethics, Social Biases, and Positive Impact in Language Technologies (12 units)
• 05-618 Human AI Interaction (12 units)
• Other graduate seminars in English, History, Philosophy, or LCAL by approval
3. At least two semesters of the Computational Humanities Research Seminar (attendance and presentations required)

Additional Policies

Students must earn a grade of B or better in all certificate courses. Courses taken toward the certificate may NOT also count toward departmental PhD requirements without formal departmental approval. Most students complete the certificate within 1–2 years.

Applicant Information

PhD Advisor

Statement of Interest