MIIPS Program Details: 9-Month Degree Format
Prepare to work closely with talented engineers, designers, and business professionals as you embrace the fuzzy front end of product and service development and learn how to get comfortable with ambiguity in a hands-on, practical setting.
Get the necessary skills to accelerate your career— and get back into the workforce quickly to put those skills to use.
Program Features:
- 9 months (August - May)
- Ideal for candidates with some professional experience looking to build skills in an accelerated format
- Part-time option available for professionals local to Pittsburgh
- Students take core courses across engineering, business, and design, plus specialized courses in AI, product and brand management, product development and leadership
Curriculum Requirements & Plan
The MIIPS curriculum requires students to complete a minimum of 102 units of coursework over two semesters, Fall & Spring. Students can complete a maximum of 60 units during the fall term & 48 units during the spring term. At least 18 units of the total must be used toward electives relevant to the product development process and be approved by an advisor. This includes 6 units of electives completed within the Integrated Innovation Institute (49-xxx).
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To work with industry sponsors during the degree-required Integrated Product Development capstone course, signing contractual terms regarding intellectual property and non-disclosure agreements may be required to complete the course project.
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All coursework must be completed with graduate-level courses.
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Students must have a minimum QPA of 3.0 to graduate.
9-Month Curriculum Plan
Fall Semester 1 |
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| Integrated Product Development Full Semester Course |
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| How Things Can Be Made Full Semester Course |
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| Mastering Collaborative Strategies and Business Environments Full Semester Course |
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| Figure it Out: Your Professional Identity and Story Full Semester Course |
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| iii Seminar Series Full Semester Course |
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| User Research: Theory, Methods, Practice Half Semester Course |
Visual Communication for Innovators Half Semester Course |
| People First: A Critical Look at Collaboration Half Semester Course |
It Depends: An Inquiry into Innovative Thinking Half Semester Course |
| Elective Courses Students have the ability to select two 6-unit electives or one 12-unit elective* |
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Spring Semester 1 |
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| Integrated Product Development Capstone Full Semester Course |
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| AI and IoT for the Real World Full Semester Course |
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| iii Seminar Series Full Semester Course |
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| Managing Products and Brands Half Semester Course |
Creative Leadership Half Semester Course |
| Elective Courses Students have the ability to select two 6-unit electives or one 12-unit elective* |
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*Students may select graduate level electives from across the university. Examples of departments students select electives from include Tepper School of Business, College of Fine Arts, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy and the Human Computer Interaction Institute. Students are encouraged to review the schedule of classes each semester when considering elective options.
“Professionally I was trained in architecture, not digital products and services, so I wanted to learn more about product design and the entire product life cycle. The courses in the MIIPS program actually do that. The courses aligned really well with what I was looking for.”
Aman Sinha (MIIPS '23)
Product Designer at Upwork
Read more about Aman's journey >
Featured Courses
Integrated Product Development
This hands-on, studio-style course covers the critical thinking, processes, frameworks, methodologies, artifacts, and deliverables typically associated with innovative product development. Working both individually and in teams, students will be challenged through case histories, mini-lectures, readings, a variety of hands-on exercises, and more.
Mastering Collaborative Strategies and Business Environments
This course builds finance, operations, and marketing skills to help students assemble a decision-making framework. Students will understand the multi-dimensional reality of how business is conducted while solving novel problems in a collaborative, team-based setting.
How Things Can Be Made
For the engineer and non-engineer alike, this course teaches students to work on collaborative teams to understand the perspectives, processes, and requirements for bringing products and services to fruition. Engineers will apply what they know more deeply, while non-engineers will learn the ways that engineers approach decision-making.
Application Deadline
Applications Now Open
January 20, 2025
Start-Term: Fall 2025
The MIIPS Experience: In Their Own Words
"The MIIPS program is a chance to prototype yourself, to try new things, experiment, and keep iterating on yourself until you find the direction you want to whether you came from business, design, or engineering."
"My capstone project with Volvo Mack Trucks was an unforgettable experience that will forever be in my heart. It embodied the soul of the MIIPS program as we managed every product development stage."
"I had an awesome opportunity to connect with a whole bunch of people who came from different cultures and backgrounds, and just had different strengths and talents as far as both engineerings, business, and design goes."