Integrated Innovation Institute › Graduate Programs › Master of Science in Software Management › MSSM Program Details: 12-Month Degree Format

MSSM Program Details: 12-Month Degree Format

Gain the skills you need to succeed in the software industry at an accelerated pace. In only twelve months, strengthen your technical skills, practice your management skills, and establish your Silicon Valley Network.

Program Features:

12 months (August - August)
Ideal for candidates with some professional experience looking to build skills in an accelerated format

Curriculum Requirements & Plan

To earn the MSSM degree, you must complete a total of 144 units. Of those, about half are required courses and half are electives of your choosing. The MSSM degree takes place over three semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Students must have a minimum QPA of 3.0 to graduate.
Review the full Graduate Student Handbook for additional details regarding degree requirements.

12-Month Curriculum Plan

Fall Semester 1
Foundations of Software Management Full Semester Course
Strategies for Your Career Full Semester Course
Elective Full Semester Course *Choose One:* Integrated Innovation for Large-Scale Problems Architecture & Programming Principles Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Integrated Thinking for Innovation Half Semester Course	Problem Discovery & Definition Half Semester Course
Product Management Half Semester Course	Software Engineering Management Half Semester Course

Spring Semester 1
Process & Project Management Full Semester Course
Product & Business Modeling Half Semester Course	Solution Strategy & Marketing Half Semester Course
Metrics for Technology Products & Services Half Semester Course	The Business of Software Half Semester Course
Electives Half Semester Course *Choose Two:* Legal Issues in New Venture Creation (TV Concentration) Applied AI (Artificial Intelligence) Human-Computer Interaction & User-Experience Principles of Enterprise Flexibility Introduction to Machine Learning Information Security for Product Managers Artificial Intelligence for Product Managers Venture Governance: Executive-Decision Making, Fundraising, & Boards (TV Concentration)

Summer Semester 1
Leadership & Teams Half Semester Course
Electives Half Semester Course *Choose 42 Units of Electives of 6-unit options:* Developing Blockchain Products Architecture Principles for Product Managers Leadership & Teams Organizational Behavior for High Tech Knowledge Industry Agile Marketing for New Ventures Introduction to IoT Next Gen CIO Introduction to Cloud Computing

Application Deadlines

Full-Time MSSM
12-Month Degree

Applications Will Open:
October 1, 2025

Next Admissions Cycle
Start-Term: Fall 2026

Full-Time MSSM
Application Deadline for Fall 2026:
January 20, 2026

Admissions Toolkit:
Learn How to Apply

Featured Courses

SM students gather around a table collaborating on a project

The Business of Software

Students form project teams and work collaboratively to develop a complete business plan for a software product, including revenue and expense models, as well as sales, marketing, and support mechanisms to define the structure of a successful software business.

Integrated Innovation for Large Scale Problems

Designed to get students out of their comfort zone, his experiential studio course focuses on team-based innovation across design, business, and engineering with the potential for large-scale impact. You'll take on a complex social problem and methodically develop unexpected ideas using systems and design thinking to tackle it.

Foundations of Software Management

Students apply fundamental methods, models, and frameworks to assess real software companies from various perspectives - marketing, strategy, finance, operations - to understand how businesses organize and make decisions. You'll develop skills for managing teams and employee performance by working individually and in groups.

The MSSM Experience: In Their Own Words

Focused on building products in the heart of Silicon Valley, the MSSM degree is an end-to-end program that enables students to think through every aspect of building products or launching their own ventures.

Garima Sinha (MSSM '13) discusses how the curriculum blend of technical and people skills taught her to think differently about creating products and managing teams in her work as a product manager.