The IS-MSE Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) is a 5th year master's program for undergraduate Information Systems majors in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon. The AMP gives you a head start in earning a master’s degree while still enrolled as an undergraduate student. As a student in the AMP, you will receive your master’s degree three semesters after receiving your bachelor’s degree. Compare that to a traditional plan where a bachelor's degree takes four years, plus one and half to two years to earn a master’s degree. With the IS-MSE-AMP, you save both time and money, launching your career, ahead, above, and beyond.
Choose to Focus in One of Two Areas
MSE – Scalable Systems
Median Base Salary: $129,000
Employed by: Amazon, ANSYS, Apple, Bloomberg, Cisco, Coursera, Doordash, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Intuit, Microsoft, Nike, NIVIDIA, Qualcomm, Reddit, SAP
MSE – Embedded Systems
Median Yearly Salary: $129,00
Employed by: Amazon, Aptiv, Carnegie Robotics, Clover Network, Fortinet, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm, ScaleFlux, Tesla, Xilinx
Plan of Study
SENIOR YEAR — Fall
17-611 Statistics for Decision Making (6 units)
17-626 Requirements for Info Systems (6 units)
17-623 Quality Assurance (6 units)
Plus any units needed to complete undergraduate major and minor requirements.
Total: 18 units + any remaining undergrad units
SENIOR YEAR — Spring
17-635 Software Architectures (6 units)
17-632 Software Project Management (6 units)
17-514 Principles of Software Construction (12 units)
17-643 Quality Management (6 units)
17-647 Data Intensive and Scalable Systems (6 units)
Plus any units needed to complete undergraduate major and minor requirements.
Total: 36 units + any remaining undergrad units
Summer Following Senior Year
17-667 Internship for Software Engineers (3 units, non-tuition bearing)
5th YEAR — Fall
17-603 Communications for Software Leaders (3 units)
17-614 Formal Methods (6 units)
17-622 Agile Methods (6 units)
17-675 Software Engineering Practicum (36 units)
Total: 51 units
5th YEAR — Spring
17-604 Communications for Software Leaders (3 units)
17-619 Product Management Essentials I (6 units)
17-636 DevOps: Engineering for Secure Development and Deployment (12 units)
SE Free Elective (12 units)
SE Free Elective (12 units)
Total: 45 units
MSE courses are scheduled in sequence to prepare you for the Practicum capstone experience in the 5th year fall semester. Please make every effort to follow this plan of study. If you are unable to enroll in a course listed here, please consult your MSE Graduate Advisor.
Seniors will have two advisors — one for their undergraduate major one for the MSE.
How to Apply
The following materials are required with your online application:
- Letters of Recommendation: At least two letters of recommendation should be submitted on your behalf from academic and/or industry personnel who have worked closely with you recently. Letters are typically written by faculty and supervisors. It is encouraged that you contact your recommenders as soon as possible in order to allow them enough time to compose your letter. The deadline for recommenders to submit your letter is approximately one week after the application deadline.
- Official Transcripts: Your official CMU transcript must be requested through the HUB and delivered to the MSE program. If applicable, official transcript from all colleges or universities attended, regardless of whether credit or degree was obtained.
- Statement of Purpose: Your statement should include specific details about your professional goals and about your software engineering experience on teams and projects. The Statement of Purpose guidelines can be found here.
- Resume/CV
- IS-MSE-AMP Advising Agreement: Applicants must complete this document and upload it in the application portal.
- Required Interview: Applicants are required to interview with the MSE Admissions Manager. Applicants are responsible to contact her to set up a time to meet. If applying in fall, the interview should be set up before winter break. If applying in spring, the interview should be scheduled before May 1. Students should email mse-applications@andrew.cmu.edu to schedule.
IS-MSE-AMP Admissions Timeline
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FALL 2024 |
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Application Opens |
September 4, 2024 |
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Application Deadline |
October 28, 2024 |
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Letter of Recommendation Deadline |
November 4, 2024 |
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IS-MSE Interview (applicant is responsible for scheduling) |
November 2024 |
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Admissions Decisions Released |
December 2024 |
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| SPRING 2025 | |
| Application Opens | February 5, 2025 |
| Application Deadline | March 19, 2025 |
| Letter of Recommendation Deadline | March 26, 2025 |
| IS-MSE Interview (applicant is responsible for scheduling) | April 2025 |
| Admissions Decisions Released | May 2025 |
Am I required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores?
IS-MSE applicants do not need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Can I see a sample SOP?
Although we do not provide samples, we do have guidelines [pdf] which you should read before you start writing your SOP.
What is the tuition for the master's portion of the program?
The tuition rate is the same rate as the MSE-SS and MSE-ES Programs.
A note for international students
International students are eligible to apply to the IS-MSE-AMP program, however, due to the timing of the internship component, there are limitations on how that requirement can be fulfilled. There are options available that can be discussed in the interview.
Ask me anything!
Still have questions about the application process? Senior Admissions Officer Marlana Ivey is here to help. GET IN TOUCH.