Carnegie Mellon University
Software and Societal Systems Department  ›  Master of Software Engineering Program  ›  For Applicants  ›  FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The MSE is unifying in to one degree program for on-campus students. Courses have been updated to reflect and teach current industry standards, and an internship has been made available to all students. The capstone Studio project will continue to bring students real-world challenges to solve for clients. 

You can view the new MSE requirements and learn more about the capstone experience.  

While no longer offered as separate degrees, scalable systems and cyber-phsyical systems are available as concentrations within the MSE degree. This allows students to specialize in one or more topics while getting the same core education and flexibilty to explore interests with elective courses.
Yes. There have been some changes to the MSE curriculum starting in 2027. You can find the new requirements at the link.
Most of our 6-unit, mini-semester courses are being reorganized into 12-unit full semester courses. While there will still be some minis, the change to mostly full semester courses will give students more flexibility for scheduling. The content of courses remain largely the same, with updates to incorporate AI where appropriate.
Yes, every MSE student will complete an internship experience over the summer semester.
Concentrations are areas of specialization that can be completed using elective units. Each MSE student has 60-72 required units of both Software Engineering and General Electives. This elective space can be used to complete up to two concentrations.
Capstone will be an industry-sponsored studio software engineering project that will take place over 2 consecutive semesters. Students who do not opt for an internship will complete their studio project in the summer and fall semester. Students who opt to work at an internship will complete their studio project during the second fall and spring semesters.

It all depends on the course and the program. At a minimum, you will need to set aside time each week to:

  • Attend course lectures (2-3 hours)
  • Read the course's text and other required readings (4-6 hours)
  • Complete homework assignments or other course activities  (4-6 hours)

In some courses, you will be asked to complete weekly assignments. If you have extensive experience in software development, you may find that you can complete course assignments in less time than students with less experience.

In other courses, you will complete two or three major projects; the expectation is that you will work on these projects throughout the course.

You can expect to spend 10-12 hours per week per course. If you take the recommended course load to complete your degree in 24 months, you can expect to spend roughly 20-24 hours per week on coursework. While online, part-time students may take longer than 24 months to compete their program, they must complete a minimum of 12-units per semester.
You must complete all degree requirements within seven years of entering the program.
The MSE Online program is a distance program intended for students who are working professionals in software engineering and who cannot geographically access campus.

Tuition for the software engineering professional program is comparable to other Carnegie Mellon graduate degree programs, and generally follows the suggested graduate tuition rates and expenses for the School of Computer Science.


Please refer to the Tuition and Financial Aid page for specific information on program costs.
Teaching Assistant (TA) and Research Assistant (RA) positions are available to qualified students. First semester students are strongly discouraged from holding a job while they are adjusting to the program. Students who have completed a full semester and are interested in obtaining a TA or RA position should consult with the academic advisor to discuss an appropriate work load given their academic performance.
Yes, sponsor billing and third-party payments are accepted. If your company will pay your tuition directly to CMU on your behalf, you will need to complete and return a Sponsor Billing Authorization form to Student Financial Services. Please refer to the Student Financial Services website for forms and deadlines.

Full-time students pay a per-semester tuition rate. With that, there are no additional tuition fees for extra elective course that the student chooses to take. Keep in mind that the program's workload is rigorous and challenging, and that students are advised not to overload with supplemental elective work at the sacrifice of core and project effort. Please note that first-semester students are not allowed to overload under any circumstances.

Part-time students pay per registered course, and are advised to choose elective courses that not only fulfill their degree requirements, but serve to meet their personal and professional goals as well.

If you have successfully completed graduate-level courses in software engineering (or related areas such as computer science, information technology, or management), you may petition to apply the credits to your elective requirements. Transfer requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. No more than two courses will be accepted for transfer, and all core and project courses must be completed through the MSE Programs.

The majority of students in our programs don't cheat. Cheating is a choice. If you choose to cheat and are caught doing so, you can expect that the following things will happen:

  • You will be penalized on the assignment in question, and placed on probation.
  • If you are already on probation for any reason when the cheating incident is reported, you will be dismissed from the program. 
  • If the incident is the second time you’ve cheated, you will be dismissed from the program.
  • You may not be eligible to assume leadership positions (i.e., Studio Manager, MSELi) and you may not be eligible to serve as an MSE Teaching Assistant. 

All students should review and familiarize themselves with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

For the class of 2021, the starting salary range across all programs was $60-160,000.

A more detailed report of the employment data for our 2021 graduates [pdf] is available, and contains salary information as well as the top employers and job titles.

At this time we do not have data for the online program.

Earning a master's degree may enhance your application to many Carnegie Mellon doctoral programs, but will in no way assure admittance.

Yes. Each student in the program is assigned an academic advisor. The initial meeting takes place during orientation week. Ongoing advising sessions at regular intervals enable students to discuss personal and professional career objectives, and to map out academic plans to meet those goals. 

All students are assigned a Carnegie Mellon Andrew account when they enter the program. You will receive your user ID and temporary password prior to the start of your program.
All students must provide their own laptops or desktops for use while enrolled in the program. We will provide a list of recommended equipment and software to admitted students.
Students in our online program have access to all the same resources available to students on campus: career services, university libraries, computing services, an academic advisor, and program faculty.

At this time we are holding virtual information sessions for admitted students. We hope to resume in person visits to campus in the near future. In the meantime, you can take a tour of the MSE with Ashwin, a recent graduate of the program.

All MSE students, (full-time, on campus) who apply by December will start class in late August.

MSE Online candidates who apply by mid-October will start class in mid-January.

MSE Online candidates who apply in by the end of April will start class in late August.

Yes. All full-time students are welcome to work in a community study space within the department. Locked storage bins, in which you can keep your personal belongings, are assigned at the campus orientation. 

Breakout rooms are available to all project teams for client meetings, video conferencing, weekly mentoring sessions, practice presentations, and collaborative brainstorming sessions. These rooms are routinely reserved with the Studio Manager.

The MSE for Professionals degree will read:
Master of Software Engineering

The MSE Online degree will read:
Master of Science in Software Engineering

Have Questions?

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