Carnegie Mellon West Launches Master's Program for Software Management to Meet Growing Demands of Distributed Global Economy.

Software Engineering Professionals Gain Unique, Inter-disciplinary, Pragmatic Education for Mastering the Business of Software

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- As globalization, outsourcing, and world-flattening advances in technology continue to rock the discipline of software engineering, Carnegie Mellon West today announced its Master of Science (MS) program in Software Management. Offered as a part-time program, the unique, pragmatic, inter-disciplinary curriculum addresses these and other trends essential to preparing leaders for the challenges facing software organizations in the 21st century.

"The rise of the global economy has shifted the emphasis of software engineering," said James Morris, dean of Carnegie Mellon West. "Our students - and their employers - want a curriculum that more accurately and fully addresses the business issues of software. This technical, business, and organizational cross-training gives our students the perspective and contextual understanding they need to see and seize opportunities in the global market."

Developing future software leaders, the new Carnegie Mellon West program offers students a hands-on, team-oriented education that both bolsters and breaks with tradition. In its technical components, the program builds upon the rich heritage of Carnegie Mellon's software engineering curriculum. In its business and organizational components, however, Carnegie Mellon West breaks with tradition by giving students the broader perspective needed to collaborate with and lead the global, distributed teams that are defining next-generation software organizations. Graduates enjoy accelerated career advancement and a master's degree from one of the world's top engineering schools.

Ray Lane, general partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said, "I can't overstate the importance of the direction Carnegie Mellon West is taking its new MS program. The software management program aligns with the changing employment demands of typical software companies, where the business of software and the management of development teams are becoming paramount to success."

Interested professionals can apply online at http://west.cmu.edu/prospective_students/apply/. A 2007 program brochure can be downloaded at http://media.west.cmu.edu/documents/Carnegie_Mellon_West_2007_ Brochure.pdf (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.), and more comprehensive information can be found at http://west.cmu.edu. Applications are currently being accepted, and the final deadline for applications is June 1.

"Taking my career to the next level requires an understanding of software business issues that transcend engineering," explained Jaroslaw Wilkiewicz, a senior software engineer at BEA Systems planning to enter the Carnegie Mellon West program in the fall. "I was looking for a graduate program that integrates advanced technical education in software engineering with management courses offered by a top-tier university. That's exactly what I found at Carnegie Mellon West."

Software Engineering's State of Transition

Today, companies can reach across the globe to tap the world's best software engineering talent, regardless of where those engineers reside. For many, the emergence of a readily accessible, global pool of engineers competing for the same positions raises concerns about job security, stability, and sustainable competitive advantage. Meanwhile, enterprises face a shortage of software management leaders capable of managing distributed and remote teams that can be working on offshore projects from anywhere in the world.

"Globalization and outsourcing are facts of life," said Martin Griss, associate dean of education at Carnegie Mellon West. "They're not good or bad. Our educational system simply has to recognize these facts and fold them into the curriculum. Overall, the system is evolving to reflect our new, global reality. The goal of Carnegie Mellon West is to lead that evolution, helping to ensure that organizations have access to technology education that will help them thrive today and tomorrow."

Inside the Inter-disciplinary Offerings

For its part, Carnegie Mellon West has entered the 21st century by supplementing its established MS in Software Engineering program with the new MS in Software Management program. While the software engineering degree prepares graduates for positions as senior software engineers, architects, technical project leads, and software development managers, the software management degree is for students pursuing careers as program managers, product managers, directors of software development, and software executives. Over a six-semester (two-year) period, students in the software management program learn strategies for developing and delivering software products and services.

A number of features distinguish the Carnegie Mellon West MS in Software Management degree, including:

Project- and simulation-based curriculum. The Carnegie Mellon West software management program simulates how students learn and work in an industry environment with learn-by-doing projects, case analyses, and industrial practica.

Team orientation. Teamwork is fundamental to the program because the scope of all real software projects requires teamwork, and sharing work enables students and their teams to produce more authentic work products.

Teaching methods. Faculty members at Carnegie Mellon West use a wide variety of teaching methods including plenary discussions, workshops, small group coaching, problem-driven seminars and reading groups, individual and group tutorials, and "just-in-time" instruction in the form of online materials, learning guides, and short tutorials.

Flexible delivery. Approximately 30% of students live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, and local students often participate remotely given their busy work and travel schedules.

Contextual skills. Carnegie Mellon West's master's degree teaches technical expertise within the broader context of the software business itself. Consequently, marketing, finance, strategy, management and other business skills are highly stressed as are organizational skills, including negotiating, writing, presenting, and managing team dynamics.

Student-Faculty Ratio. Carnegie Mellon West further distinguishes itself with an 8:1 student-faculty ratio that makes possible the school's pragmatic, hands-on learning approach.

About Carnegie Mellon West

Carnegie Mellon West offers innovative masters programs in software engineering and software management to working professionals on a flexible, part-time basis. Both programs are distinguished by pragmatic curricula that combine the technical and business skills critical to advancing a student's career and to fulfilling the demand for leaders in the global software industry. The School's world-class faculty members perform pioneering research that connects the university to many local, national, and global software organizations. Established in 2002 at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, Carnegie Mellon West is the west coast campus of Carnegie Mellon University and carries on the Carnegie tradition of preparing students for life and leadership by cultivating their abilities to think independently and critically, to learn, and to change and grow.