Carnegie Mellon University
Integrated Innovation Institute

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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
tbd

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.

Fall Semester 1
Foundations of Software Management
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Strategies for Your Career
Full Semester Course (3 units)
Elective
Full Semester Course (12 units)

Choose One: 
  • Integrated Innovation for Large-Scale Problems
  • Architecture & Programming Principles
  • Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Integrated Thinking for Innovation
Half Semester Course (6 units)		 Problem Discovery & Definition
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Product Management
Half Semester Course (6 units)		 Software Engineering Management
Half Semester Course (6 units)

Spring Semester 1
Process & Project Management
Full Semester Course (12 units)
Product & Business Modeling
Half Semester Course (6 units)		 Solution Strategy & Marketing
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Metrics for Technology Products & Services
Half Semester Course (6 units)		 The Business of Software
Half Semester Course (6 units)

Electives**
Half Semester Course (6 units each)

Choose Two: 

  • Legal Issues in New Venture Creation (TV Concentration)
  • Applied AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  • Human-Computer Interaction & User-Experience
  • Introduction to Machine Learning
  • Information Security for Product Managers

  • AI-Native Product Management with LLMs and Agents

  • Venture Governance: Executive-Decision Making, Fundraising, & Boards (TV Concentration)

  • Organizational Behavior for High-Tech Knowledge Industry

Summer Semester 1
Leadership & Teams
Half Semester Course (6 units)
Electives**
Half Semester Course

Choose 42 Units of Electives of 6-unit options:
    • Developing Blockchain Products
    • Architecture Principles for Product Managers
    • Leadership & Teams
    • Agile Marketing for New Ventures
    • Introduction to IoT
    • Next Gen CIO
    • Introduction to Cloud Computing 

**Please note: Listed elective courses are dynamic and subject to change based on faculty availability and curriculum needs.

Application Deadline

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12-month Degree
Start Term: Fall 2026
Applications Open: Now
Application Deadline: January 20, 2026
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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

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. 
 two software mgmt students working together on a project
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.