9-Month Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services (MIIPS)
Earn Your Product Innovation Degree in Less Than One Year
Build on your industry experience with a Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services (MIIPS) degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Designed for those with three or more years of professional experience, this full-time, nine-month programs builds your innovation skills and prepares you to take on greater leadership responsibilities.
Offered through CMU’s Integrated Innovation Institute (iii), the program is immersive and interdisciplinary. Collaborate with engineers, designers and business professionals as you gain cross-disciplinary fluency, while learning proven innovation frameworks and tools for product and service development. By the end of your nine months, you’ll have a strong foundation across business, engineering and design, preparing you to innovate across industries and disciplines.
Application Info
- Applications Open:
- Now
- Application Deadline:
- January 20, 2027
Is the 9-Month MIIPS Degree Format Right for You?
The 9-month format is a good fit for applicants with three to eight years of professional experience who want to build their skills and return to the workforce quickly. You study full-time on CMU's Pittsburgh campus for two semesters, from August to May.
Why Choose the 9-Month Format?
- Build on Your Existing Experience: Take the same core courses as students in the 16-month MIIPS Advanced degree format. Bring what you've learned in your career into coursework and team projects, and connect it to new methods for identifying opportunities and developing ideas.
- Return to Your Career Sooner: Complete the curriculum in two semesters—starting in August and finishing in May—with no required internship. Spend less time away from work while you build new skills in product innovation.
- Bring Ideas to Life With Industry Partners: Collaborate with corporate sponsors on a 14-week Integrated Product Development (IPD) Capstone project. Tackle real-world industry challenges and develop functional prototypes and business models that connect user needs, technical possibilities and business goals.
Curriculum Requirements & Plan
The MIIPS curriculum requires students to complete a minimum of 102 units of coursework over the fall and spring semesters. Students can complete a maximum of 60 units during the fall term & 48 units during the spring term. At least 18 units of the total must be used toward electives relevant to the product development process and be approved by an advisor. This includes 6 units of electives completed within the Integrated Innovation Institute.
- To work with industry sponsors during the degree-required Integrated Product Development capstone course, signing contractual terms regarding intellectual property and non-disclosure agreements may be required to complete the course project.
- All coursework must be completed with graduate-level courses.
- Students must have a minimum QPA of 3.0 to graduate.
9-Month Curriculum Plan
Fall Semester 1
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Full Semester Course (6 units)
Full Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Full Semester Course
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Micro Course (3 units)
Micro Course (3 units)
Students can choose between 6 and 12 units of electives
Spring Semester 1
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Full Semester Course
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Students can choose between 6 and 12 units of electives
*Students may select graduate-level electives from across the university. Examples of departments students select electives from include the Tepper School of Business, College of Fine Arts, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. Students are encouraged to review the schedule of classes each semester when considering elective options.
Learning Outcomes of the MIIPS Program
- Formulate, articulate, and execute processes and strategies to discover new innovative opportunities.
- Use the skills and/or fundamentals in the core disciplines of innovation to create new innovative projects and solutions.
- Collaborate in a multidisciplinary team environment in the context of an innovation project.
- Communicate project details and learnings using oral, written, and/or prototyping and other non-verbal communication methods to both experts and non-experts across multiple communication channels.
Featured Courses
Mastering Collaborative Strategies and Business Environments
This course builds finance, operations and marketing skills to help you assemble a decision-making framework. Understand the multi-dimensional reality of how business is conducted while solving novel problems in a collaborative, team-based setting.
It Depends
How do you design a functional product with unclear rules and limited resources? Watch how students in the It Depends course tackled a deceptively simple challenge: build a functional stool using only cardboard and an X-Acto knife.
How Things Can Be Made
This course teaches you to work in collaborative teams to understand the perspectives, processes and requirements for bringing products and services to fruition. Engineers will apply what they know more deeply, while non-engineers will learn the ways that engineers approach decision-making.
The MIIPS Experience: In Their Own Words
“MIIPS taught me the language of other domains. You don’t need to be an engineer to understand how they speak, allowing you to work cross-functionally. I’ve applied these learnings to almost every industry imaginable.”
“The big lesson for me was how much a product improves when researchers, designers, and engineers are in the same conversation from the start rather than handing work back and forth.”
“The MIIPS program gave me the confidence to tackle any problem and the ability to understand different perspectives. I bring that mindset to my work as a designer, where understanding the problem is just as important as building the solution.”
Build the Skills to Boost Your Career in Product Innovation
Why wait to shape what's next? The 9-Month MIIPS program from CMU’s Integrated Innovation Institute gives experienced professionals the tools to lead across business, design and engineering without hitting pause on their careers for long. Graduate ready to make an immediate impact — apply today.
Apply NowAlumni Spotlight
Shobhit Aggarwal (MIIPS '22) shares how the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services program at Carnegie Mellon University helped him pivot from working in a nanotech startup to becoming an advanced manufacturing engineer in robotics.
Looking for a more experience-driven master’s program in product innovation?
Applicants with three years of experience or less, or those looking to change careers or industries, may be a better fit for the 16-month MIIPS Advanced Study format, which includes a required summer internship.
Explore 16-month MIIPS Advanced Study
9-Month MIIPS Degree FormatFrequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the 9-month MIIPS degree format and the 16-month MIIPS Advanced Study degree format at Carnegie Mellon?
The 9-month MIIPS degree format covers two academic semesters and requires no summer internship—making it ideal for applicants with more years of work experience. By comparison, the 16-month MIIPS Advanced Study degree format features three academic semesters along with a summer internship.
Both formats share the same core curriculum during the first fall and spring semesters on Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus. Following their summer internship, MIIPS Advanced Study students return in the final fall semester for the 12-unit Mindset Intensive and up to 36 units of electives. Ultimately, the 9-month option allows more experienced professionals to complete their degree efficiently and return to the workforce quickly.
How long is the 9-month MIIPS degree format, and when does it start and end?
The 9-month MIIPS degree format is a full-time program that spans two consecutive semesters, running from August through May. The program admits students for a fall start, and all coursework takes place on Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus.
Who should apply to the 9-month MIIPS degree format at Carnegie Mellon?
The 9-month MIIPS degree format is designed for mid-career professionals with three to eight years of work experience. Applicants typically have academic backgrounds in engineering, design (including fine arts, architecture, UX/UI, and HCI), or business (including economics).
The ideal candidate holds a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and admitted applicants average a 3.5 GPA. Applicants with three years of experience or less, or those looking to change careers or industries, may be a better fit for the 16-month MIIPS Advanced Study degree format, which includes a required summer internship.
What courses do students take in the 9-month MIIPS degree format?
Students in the 9-month MIIPS degree format complete at least 102 units of coursework over two semesters, combining core courses across engineering, design, and business with electives.
The fall semester centers on the 12-unit Integrated Product Development: Processes, Methods, Tools course, supplemented by coursework in manufacturing, user research, visual communication, business strategy, and professional identity. The spring semester centers on two 12-unit courses: the Integrated Product Development Capstone and AI and IoT for the Real World, alongside half-semester courses in product and brand management and creative leadership.
At least 18 units must be electives, including 6 units within the Integrated Innovation Institute. Students can choose graduate electives from across Carnegie Mellon, including the Tepper School of Business, the College of Fine Arts, Heinz College, and the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII).
What are the admission requirements for the 9-month MIIPS degree format?
Applicants to Carnegie Mellon's 9-month MIIPS degree format submit an online application through the College of Engineering along with a $75 nonrefundable fee, a resume, two letters of recommendation, short essay responses, a video essay, and unofficial transcripts. International applicants and U.S. permanent residents must also submit TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test scores unless they qualify for an exemption. GRE/GMAT scores and a portfolio are optional. For complete details, please visit the MIIPS Admissions webpage.
How much does the 9-month MIIPS degree format cost, and what funding is available?
Tuition for Carnegie Mellon's 9-month MIIPS degree format covers two academic semesters, split across the fall and spring terms. Current tuition rates and estimates for upcoming academic years are listed on the tuition section of the MIIPS admissions page. MIIPS is a self-funded degree program, so students or sponsoring employers pay full tuition and expenses. Tuition does not cover university fees, health insurance, housing or general living expenses.
The Integrated Innovation Institute offers limited scholarships for applicants who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens, requested through a form on the application status page after applying. The Integrated Innovation Institute (iii) may hire students for on-campus work opportunities. These opportunities vary from semester to semester.
International applicants can find additional opportunities through CMU's Fellowships and Scholarships Office (FSO).
What careers do MIIPS graduates pursue?
Graduates of Carnegie Mellon's MIIPS program pursue careers in product management, product design, product development, UX/UI design, user research, design strategy consulting, and design engineering. From 2021 to 2025, the average starting salary for MIIPS graduates was $108,458 across both the 9-month and 16-month formats. To explore graduate salary data and career paths, visit the Recent Salary & Career Outcomes section on the MIIPS program page.