Carnegie Mellon University

Integrated Innovation Institute

Engineering + Design + Business

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Integrated Innovation Institute  ›  On-Campus Degrees  ›  Master of Science in Software Management  ›  12 Month Program

MSSM Program Details: 12 Month 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
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Curriculum & Course Preview

The 12 month program curriculum requires students to complete a minimum of 144 units of coursework over three semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

  • Only two 12 unit mini courses may be completed at one time due to the high time commitment required for each.
  • Students must have a minimum QPA of 3.0 to graduate.
  • Review the full Graduate Student Handbook here for additional details regarding degree requirements.

You will complete courses in the following areas:

User-Centered Methods for Product Innovation

Software Product Definition

Requirements Analysis

Product Definition & Validation

Enterprise Innovation

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Integrated Innovation for Large Scale Problems

Elements of Software Management

Product Management& Software Product Strategy

The Business of Software

Agile Marketing for High Tech Innovation

Organizational Behavior for High Tech Knowledge Industry

Finance for Entrepreneurial Ventures

Metrics for Software Managers

Process & Project Management

Commercializing IP

User-Centered Methods for Product Innovation

Software Product Definition

Requirements Analysis

Product Definition & Validation

Enterprise Innovation

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Integrated Innovation for Large Scale Problems

Featured Courses

three students discuss a project over their computer

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. 
student pitches their business idea


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.

 two students chat with silicon valley t shirts on

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.