The goal of the program is to improve the software engineering skills of beginning and mid-career students wishing a short, sharp experience.

All courses are drawn from Carnegie Mellon's highly regarded School of Computer Science and its Institute for Software Research (ISR). The core is a content-based curriculum, shared with the Master of Software Engineering program, designed to enable students to "learn how to learn" in the rapidly evolving software development field. The capstone practicum is a chance to apply core course material to a substantial project in the workplace.

Other programs offered by ISR are the Master of Software Engineering and the Master of Science in Information Technology - Distance Education (MSIT).