The CMU Masters in Software Engineering Core Curriculum

Since 1989 Carnegie Mellon University has offered an academic program leading to a professional Master of Software Engineering MSE degree. The objective of the MSE program is to develop technical leaders in industrial software engineering. Students entering the program have at least two years industrial experience, and normally complete the program in sixteen months of full-time study. The MSE program is centered on a Software Development Studio, supported by a Core Curriculum and a set of elective tracks. These components occupy approximately 40, 30, and 30 respectively of a students time in the program. In the Software Development Studi0 students plan and implement a significant software project for an external client over the full duration of the program. Students work in a team environment under the guidance of faculty advisors to analyze a problem, plan a software development project, execute a solution, and evaluate their work. The studio is similar to the design studios that characterize architectural degree programs. The MSE Core Curriculum develops foundational skills in the fundamentals of software engineering, with an emphasis on design, analysis, and management of large-scale software systems