More Information About QSSP

All students who have the QSSP condition listed in their letter of admission are required to complete the Pre-QSSP Assessment as part of their enrollment.

The Pre-QSSP Assessment will be open from Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 3, 2026.

The assessment will be used to gauge a student’s current quantitative skill set. This will help identify areas where instructors may need to spend additional time or inform students that additional preparation may serve them well (i.e. review of certain topics prior to the start of QSSP). If a student shows proficiency in all topics covered by QSSP, they will be able to be exempt from completing QSSP.

All students required to complete QSSP are required to complete both Course #1 and Course #2 and earn a grade of 'B' or better (80+%) in each.

Course #1: Introductory Mathematics for Management

Focus will be on algebraic basics such as order of operations and simplifying expressions in multiple variables. The majority of the course will focus on translating word problems into linear equations, plotting the equations when necessary, and solving the system for a solution. Additionally, we will consider linear inequalities and their relation to constrained resource allocation.

Course #2: Introductory Probability

This is an introductory course in probability, which forms the backbone of statistical inference. It is designed for students with very little or no background in statistics. The course objective is to provide students with the basic tools for analyzing and interpreting data and outcomes involving probabilistic circumstances related to management and decision making. Topics include probability and probability tables, conditional probability, Bayes Rule, expected value, and an introduction to the Normal distribution.

QSSP schedule and dates are subject to change.

• Pre-QSSP Assessment: Open from Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Sunday, May 3, 2026
• QSSP Orientation: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
• First Day of Class: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
• Last Day of Class: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
• Final Exams: July 9 and July 10, 2026

Please see the schedule below. All times are EDT:

Bold = Required session

*Times are tentative

 

QSSP consists of two (2) required classes: Introductory Mathematics for Management and Introductory Probability. To successfully complete the program, you must earn a grade of B or better in both QSSP classes. Given the mathematical nature of the courses, we strongly encourage and hope you will attend weekly classes and recitations synchronously, if possible. This will allow you ask questions and make good use of time allocated during class for group work/active participation with your peers. Students should make every effort to attend the live sessions, however if that is not possible (for instance, due to time zone differences), the recordings of classes and recitations will be posted.

QSSP is intensive and students should expect to spend a total of 11 hours/week across the two courses in class and recitations. In addition, students will then spend another 6-12 hours on homework and TA office hours, this time will vary based on your familiarity and comfort with the course content. Please be sure to make the necessary modifications to your work and personal schedules to carve out enough time for QSSP. The summer program moves very quickly and if you fall behind early, it can be difficult to catch up.

Historically, some students who struggled academically in QSSP did so because they did not leave sufficient time to do the course assessments, attend the recitation review sessions, and come to office hours, as needed. Plan time in your schedule to attend class (8 hrs./week); attend recitation (3 hrs./week); and do your coursework, study, and attend office hours (6-12 hrs./week), for a total of approximately 17-23 hours each week across the two courses.

We will register you for the two (2) courses of the QSSP program automatically. You do not need to register for the classes. You are also automatically registered for your first semester of classes.

Students who wish to prepare for the QSSP program are encouraged to use the free Khan Academy online classes.

The subjects "Arithmetic and Pre-Algebra" and "Algebra 1" will offer a good review of topics to help you prepare for Introductory Mathematics for Management.

The subject "Probability" under "Statistics and Probability" offers a nice preview of what you will see in Introductory Probability.

You will find the Khan subject list here: https://www.khanacademy.org/math 

All students should purchase a scientific calculator that does not have a graphing feature. The calculator must be separate from your smart phone. The following calculator has worked well for students in the past, and is also approved for use in many of your classes in the program: Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS 2-line Scientific Calculator. This is a non-graphing calculator.

Each instructor may suggest an optional textbook that students may wish to purchase for additional practice problems and review. Instructors have not yet chosen the texts but the combined cost for the two suggested texts is generally about $70.00. You will be notified once the optional text books have been chosen.

If you wish to request an accommodation during the QSSP program due to a documented disability, please visit Carnegie Mellon's Disability Resource Center. For questions, please email access@andrew.cmu.edu or call 412.268.8677. Requests must be made directly through CMU's disability office. Please contact the disability office at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the QSSP program to ensure all measures are in place at the start of class.

The Pre-QSSP Assessment is a required part of the QSSP course. The assessment does not count toward your course grade; instead, it will be used to gauge your current quantitative skill set. The assessment does not count towards your course grade. The assessment will open on Thursday, April 30 until Sunday, May 3. You will have 90 minutes to complete the assessment once you begin. You cannot start, stop, and then restart the assessment at a later time. 

The assessment will also serve as an opportunity for high performing students to exempt the QSSP courses. You will be notified after the assessment if you have demonstrated content mastery and are no longer required to take the courses.

The Pre-QSSP Assessment will also serve as an opportunity for students who believe they have mastered the content of the courses to exempt their conditional requirement. You will be notified after the assessment if you have exempted the condition and are no longer required to take the courses. You will still be given access to the course content if you exempt the courses but would like to review.

No fees (tuition or otherwise) are charged for the QSSP program. The cost to the student will include basic course materials such as paper, pencils, or calculator. All practice problems and readings assigned by the instructor are free of charge. There is not a required text for the program.

Because there are no tuition or fees charged to attend QSSP, students are not eligible for US federal financial aid or US federal student loans during the summer program. Please consider this when planning your budget for this five week summer program.

We expect about 40 students to attend the QSSP summer program.

If you will be in Pittsburgh during the summer while completing QSSP and would like to pick up your CMU ID Card, please submit your photo online per the instructions here. ID's can be picked up starting on August 1st. Please contact The HUB for details.