MSSM Program Details:
Part-Time Degree Format
Get a better vision
of what the future might look like.
Designed and delivered with flexibility for the working professional, the part-time degree format classes are scheduled in the evenings or during lunch hours, depending on the semester. Students can choose to attend class on campus or remotely via Zoom.
"I had really lacked the structure of a tech management degree and wanted a way to get into an executive position. Halfway through the program, I was promoted to be an executive. The Software Management program taught me the structure necessary to be a strong manager.
FRANK GUTIERREZ (MSSM Part-Time '10)
Director of Software Engineering, ZenDesk
Read more about Frank's journey >
A Program Designed with Flexibility
As a working professional, you're busy. Busy with your career but also with family and personal commitments, too. We get it - and we respect your time. The part-time program was designed to be flexible, allowing you to further your education while maintaining your commitments. Here's how it works:
Flexible lunch time and evening class times
Depending on the semester, classes are scheduled during flexible lunchtime or evening hours. Elective courses are offered throughout the week and can be taken at your discretion as your schedule permits.
Each class blends instructor lectures, guest speakers, discussions, and interactive activities with your peers—creating a dynamic and engaging learning experience.
You can attend classes in person or remotely via Zoom.
If you're located near campus, you can attend synchronous class in person at the Silicon Valley campus. If you're not, you can attend remotely via Zoom. We've been successfully teaching the program in a hybrid format for over 20 years, so your educational experience will be seamless, regardless of your location.
This flexibility allows you to plan your work and personal schedule around class times to allow you to balance your education with your life.
You can complete your degree in as little as two years.
To complete the degree in 2 years, you will take 24 units of coursework per semester.
However, you can take additional units to complete the program sooner, or you can stretch that timeline out to be more feasible for you, as long as you complete your degree in 7 years.
As your career, personal commitments or family grows, you can adjust your course load. And, if you need to take time off it's easy to reenter the program.
Part-Time Applications are always open, with rolling admission cycles
Ready to Apply?
Start Term: Summer 2026
Part-Time Admissions Cycles
Summer 2026
Application Deadline: April 15, 2026
Fall 2026
Application Deadline: July 15, 2026
Spring 2027
Application Deadline: December 1, 2026
“I wanted the best training I could get, but I didn't want to uproot and interrupt my career. Carnegie Mellon was one of the few programs that offered a best-in-class education that I could do without leaving my home.”
Patrice Hall
Director of Product Management at Dopple
MSSM Part-Time '18
Transitioning from Design to Product
A UI/UX designer looking to transition into product, Hall enrolled, from 2500 miles away in Ohio, as a part-time remote student in the MSSM program.
"Product is that pivot point between business strategy, engineering or architecture, and design. The practice of product is one of the reasons why I went to Carnegie Mellon. The Software Management program did that really well," Hall said.
She completed the degree in August 2018 and accepted a Lead Product Manager role at Williams-Sonoma Inc., where she built out the strategic plan and vision for connected eCommerce and retail sales in the $1 billion home furniture segment. "The MSSM program taught me how to think strategically, which prepared me for Williams-Sonoma and is especially critical for my position at Dopple," Hall said.
Read More About Patrice's Journey
Leveling Up
The drive to understand and solve problems has been a constant theme throughout Suterwala's life. It propelled him to enroll in the part-time M.S. in Software Management degree program while working full-time at Cisco.
"The MSSM degree set me up for where I'm at today. I mean, at Cisco, I thought I knew everything. I learned at CMU how much there is to learn and how to ask the right type of questions. To be humbled and to know that you can still do something if you don't know it," Suterwala said. "So even though I didn't know anything about drug discovery, I knew that it would get me closer to my mission."
Now a senior manager at Atomwise, Suterwala and his team partner with cheminformatics scientists to explore, develop, and productize various computational chemistry methods to help scientists execute hit identification, hit to lead, and lead optimization processes.
“I looked at MBA programs, but they weren’t really focused on software engineering. The MSSM program closed that gap for me—it’s basically an MBA for software engineers. The degree really set me up for where I am today.”
Shabbir Suterwala
Senior Manager, Software Engineering at Atomwise
MSSM Part-Time '11
Curriculum Details
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. All required courses are offered in the evenings in two hour time blocks. All part-time students will start in the Fall and courses are arranged in a purposeful sequence, providing you with the foundational base you need as you progress through the degree. Elective choices may rotate by semester and are updated annually.
Below is the standard two year curriculum plan, required courses are identified with an asterisk (*).
Part-Time Curriculum Plan
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Full Semester Course (12 units)
- Legal Issues in New Venture Creation (TV Concentration)
- AI Applications
- Human-Computer Interaction & User-Experience
- Organizational Behavior for High-Tech Knowledge Industry
Half Semester Course (6 units)
- Agile Marketing
- Information Security for PM
- Architecture Principles for PM
- Intro to Cloud Computing
- Intro to IoT
- Next Gen CIO
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- (12 units) [TV Concentration] - Start-Up Creation in Practice
- (12 units) [TV Concentration] - Integrated Innovation for Large Scale Problems
- (12 units) - Software Management Practicum
- (12 units) - Architecture & Programming Principles
- (12 units) - User-Research for Product Development Innovation - (6 units)
- Dynamic Teams
- (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Half Semester Course (6 units)
- Venture Governance (TV Concentration)
- Architecture Principles for Product Managers
- Introduction to Machine Learning
Half Semester Course (6 units)
- Agile Marketing
- Organizational Behavior
- Information Security for Product Managers
- Architecture Principles for Product Managers
- Intro to Cloud Computing
- Intro to IoT
- Next Gen CIO
**Please note: Listed elective courses are dynamic and subject to change based on faculty availability and curriculum needs.
From the Blog
Making an Impact in The Community
Kai Suematsu (MSSM ’25) joined Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to deepen his technical skills after working in consulting at Accenture. He values community, alumni support, and plans to apply his education and technology to nonprofit impact through his foundation.
Walking on a Path of Continuous Growth
Baris Baser (MSSM ’25) returned to CMU’s Integrated Innovation Institute to grow personally and professionally, balancing part-time work at Google/YouTube with his studies.
Connecting School, Work, and Life
Michelle Yung (MSSM ’17) used her CMU iii experience—especially deep ties with professors and classmates—to break into LinkedIn. She built a career bridging engineering and product, and now gives back through talks & mentoring.