Carnegie Mellon University

MSE Current Student Plans of Study 

This page shows the plans of study for all MSE programs for students who matriculated in fall 2025 or fall 2026. These plans of study are no longer available to students who enter the MSE program beginning fall 2027. 

Semesters at CMU are 14 weeks long. Each semester is broken into two 7-week mini semesters. In the plans below, Semester 1-1 is fall semester, mini-1 and semester 1-2 is fall semester, mini-2. 

 

MSE Professional

Semester 1-1

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-611 Statistics for Decision Making
17-619 Product Management Essentials I
17-614 Formal Methods
+ Elective course

Semester 1-2

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-622 Agile Methods
17-623 Quality Assurance
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems or 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems
+ Elective course

Semester 2-1

17-604 Communications for Software Leaders II
17-632 Software Project Management
17-633 Software Architecture: MSE (12 units)
17-671 Software Development Studio I 
+ Elective course

Semester 2-2

17-604 Communications for Software Leaders II
17-633 Software Architecture: MSE
17-643 Quality Management
17-671 Software Development Studio I 
+ Elective course 

 

Semester 3

17-672 Software Development Studio II
+ Elective course

Semester 4

17-673 Software Development Studio III 
+ Elective course

MSE- Scalable Systems

Semester 1-1

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-611 Statistics for Decision Making
17-619 Product Management Essentials I
17-614 Formal Methods
17-695 Design Patterns

Semester 1-2

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-622 Agile Methods
17-623 Quality Assurance
17-625 API Design for Scalable Systems
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems

Semester 2-1

17-604 Communications for Software Engineers II
17-632 Software Project Management
17-635 Software Architecture
17-636 DevOps: Engineering for Secure Development and Deployment
+ Elective course

Semester 2-2

17-604 Communications for Software Leader II
17-636 DevOps: Engineering for Secure Development and Deployment
17-643 Quality Management
17-647 Engineering Scalable Systems
+ Elective course

Semester 3

17-667 Internship for Software Engineers

Semester 4

17-675 Software Engineering Practicum
+ Elective course

MSE-Embedded Systems

Semester 1-1

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-611 Statistics for Decision Making
17-619 Product Management Essentials I
17-614 Formal Methods
17-638 Engineering Embedded Systems

Semester 1-2

17-603 Communications for Software Leaders I
17-622 Agile Methods
17-623 Quality Assurance
17-625 API Design for Scalable Systems
17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems

Semester 2-1

17-604 Communications for Software Leaders II
17-632 Software Project Management
17-635 Software Architecture
17-636 DevOps: Engineering for Secure Development and Deployment
+ Elective course

Semester 2-2

17-604 Communications for Software Leaders II
17-636 DevOps: Engineering for Secure Development and Deployment
17-643 Quality Management
17-648 Sensor-based Systems
+ Elective course

Semester 3

17-667 Internship for Software Engineers

Semester 4

17-675 Software Engineering Practicum
+ Elective course

MSE Online

Cohort A →

Even Year, Fall Start

All courses are 6-unit, mini-semester courses unless otherwise specified.

 

Year 1 Fall 

17-619  Product Management Essentials I (mini-1)
17-622 Agile Methods (mini-2)
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems OR 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems (mini-2)


Year 1 Spring

17-632 Project Management (mini-3)
17-642 Software Management Theory (mini-4)
+ Elective Course (6 units) 


Year 1 Summer 

17-636 DevOps (full semester, 12 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)

Year 2 Fall

17-611 Statistics (mini-1)
17-614 Formal Methods (mini-1)
17-623 Quality Assurance (mini-2)
17-603 Communication for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)


Year 2 Spring

17-635 Architecture (mini-3)
17-643 Quality Management (mini-4)
17-604 Communications for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)
+ Elective Course (12 units)


Year 2 Summer

17-679 Paper Writing for Industrial Software Research

Cohort B →

Odd Year, Spring Start

All courses are 6-unit, mini-semester courses unless otherwise specified.

Year 1 Spring

17-632 Project Management (mini-3)
17-642 Software Management Theory (mini-4)
+ Elective Course (6 units) 


Year 1 Summer 

17-611 Statistics (mini-5)
17-635 Architecture (mini-5)
17-622 Agile Methods (mini-6)


Year 1 Fall

17-619  Product Management Essentials I (mini-1)
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems OR 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems (mini-2)
17-614 Formal Methods (mini-1)
17-623 Quality Assurance (mini-2)
17-603 Communication for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)

Year 2 Spring

17-643 Quality Management (mini-4)
17-604 Communications for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)
+ Elective Course (12 units)


Year 2 Summer

17-636 DevOps (full semester, 12 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)


Year 2 Fall 

17-679 Paper Writing for Industrial Software Research

Cohort D→

Odd Year, Fall Start

All courses are 6-unit, mini-semester courses unless otherwise specified.

Year 1 Fall 

17-611 Statistics (mini-1)
17-614 Formal Methods (mini-1)
17-623 Quality Assurance (mini-2)


Year 1 Spring

17-635 Architecture (mini-3)
17-643 Quality Management (mini-4)
+ Elective Course (12 units)


Year 1 Summer 

17-636 DevOps (full semester, 12 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)

Year 2 Fall

17-619  Product Management Essentials I (mini-1)
17-622 Agile Methods (mini-2)
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems OR 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems (mini-2)
17-603 Communication for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)


Year 2 Spring

17-632 Project Management (mini-3)
17-642 Software Management Theory (mini-4)
17-604 Communications for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)


Year 2 Summer

17-679 Paper Writing for Industrial Software Research

Cohort E→

Even Year, Spring Start

All courses are 6-unit, mini-semester courses unless otherwise specified.

Year 1 Spring

17-635 Architecture (mini-3)
+ Elective Course (12 units) 


Year 1 Summer 

17-636 DevOps (full semester, 12 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)


Year 1 Fall

17-619  Product Management Essentials I (mini-1)
17-626 Requirements for Information Systems OR 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems (mini-2)
17-614 Formal Methods (mini-1)
17-623 Quality Assurance (mini-2)
17-603 Communication for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)

 

Year 2 Spring

17-632 Project Management (mini-3)
17-642 Software Management Theory (mini-4)
17-643 Quality Management (mini-4)
17-604 Communications for Software Leaders (full semester, 3 units)
+ Elective Course (6 units)


Year 2 Summer

17-611 Statistics (mini-5)
17-622 Agile Methods (mini-6)
+ Elective Course (6 units)


Year 2 Fall 

17-679 Paper Writing for Industrial Software Research