Carnegie Mellon University

Integrated Innovation Institute

Engineering + Design + Business

Carnegie Mellon University Integrated Innovation Institute Logo

About Integrated Innovation

The Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University breaks down the silos that impede innovation. We believe that by uniting the disciplines of engineering, business and design we can create build impactful product and service solutions that create real value for real people.

For over 30 years, we have imparted to students a tried-and-true methodology to innovating products and services. Through dynamic projects, students learn to create solutions that:

  • function effectively with the right technologies (engineering);
  • improve the lives of individuals (design); and
  • create economic value in the marketplace (business).

What We Value

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People

It's people that drive innovation, not products. Their unique perspectives, skills, and creativity enable them to come up with new ideas and solutions that meet the needs and wants of real customers.

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Integrating Disciplines

We believe in and value the power of integrating the disciplines of engineering, business, and design to achieve meaningful outcomes. In our programs, engineers, designers, and business professionals learn to speak each other's professional languages, resulting in more than just collaboration, but a true integration of skill sets.

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Inclusivity

We value inclusion, because it causes our faculty, students, and staff to focus on and increase empathetic understanding. When our culture is intentional about building a sense of belonging it broadens our perspectives and makes our community a better place for everyone.

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Meaningful
Outcomes & Solutions

We value makers, doers, and those who get it done to bring meaningful product and service solutions to the marketplace.  People are at the heart of what we do, and providing tangible, real-world solutions to customers and users is a crucial part of our DNA.

Pittsburgh + Silicon Valley + Online

With two campus locations and newly-launched online programs, the Integrated Innovation Institute offers the best of Carnegie Mellon from coast-to-coast. Much like successful products and services, we combine world-class academics and emerging research of CMU's Pittsburgh campus with the agile and entrepreneurial practices of the tech ecosystem, located just steps from CMU Silicon Valley.

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Activate Your Value

Our master's degrees and online programs are designed for professionals who are passionate about developing, designing, and launching the next generation of products and services. Students emerge from our programs with hard and soft skills that empower them to solve real-world problems holistically and regardless of industry, technology, or discipline.

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The Proof is in the People

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Amy Krishnamohan (MSSM ’14) had a passion for software and worked as a developer/product manager. Amy decided to pursue the Master of Science in Software Management at Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley campus so she could hone her marketing and management skills and is now Vice President of Product Marketing at Aiven.

"Being surrounded by passionate and smart people in the software field, I began to realize that the network I was building was one of the most valuable assets in my career. The networks and bonds you form at CMU are a life-long benefit." 

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Divya Sabade (MSSM ’15) is a 2015 graduate from the Master of Science in Software Management degree program. Previously, Sabade had been a software engineer and then, after completing a MBA, pivoted into business operations and strategy. She currently is a Product Manager at Turvo.

"I came across the MSSM program, which was apt based on my academic and professional background. The curriculum was a perfect blend of technical, business and innovation arenas, and the MSSM course duration was aligned to what I needed." 

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Garima Srivastava (MIIPS ’16) is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Srivastava graduated from the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services degree program in 2016.

"The one thing I valued the most about my experience at CMU is the people. Learning from my peers and mentors, and understanding their perspective provided a level of learning both professionally and personally that is unmatched by any other experience."

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Ray Fortney is a product manager at Digitell. Fortney enrolled in the Methods & Tools for Product Innovation certificate in Summer 2022. The certificate provided Fortney with tools to leverage that data, like empathy mapping, user journeys, and usability testing.

"The courses gave me the methodologies and processes to find product opportunity gaps and use quantitative and qualitative analysis to validate them. It fundamentally changed the way that I think about a product's problem space."

Our History

The impact of integrated innovation today would not be possible without the pioneers and visionaries that came before us. While the Institute is now in its tenth year, our history -- including the origin of our degree programs -- dates back to 1986 with the launch of Carnegie Mellon's first cross-disciplinary capstone.

Use your mouse on your computer or use your pointer finger on your mobile device to drag the red colored horizontal scroll bar left to right. Next, click on the entry for each date to explore our timeline and learn more about that era in iii history and how it has led to where we are today.