Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley

What Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley does

Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley (CMU-SV) is the bicoastal satellite campus of Carnegie Mellon University, operating from NASA Research Park at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California. Founded in 2002, the campus delivers four graduate degree programs — including the Master of Science in Software Engineering (MS-SE), the MSIT in Information Security (MSIT-IS), and two additional master's programs in software management and information technology engineering — to approximately 400 enrolled students. The institution is staffed by 11 core faculty plus 9 adjunct faculty, with a total employee base of 51–100. Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering leadership is in transition, with Burcu Akinci appointed Dean effective January 1, 2026.

The core products are graduate-degree programs built around CMU's brand reputation for computer science and engineering, with applied project work co-located inside NASA's research ecosystem and the Silicon Valley employer cluster. Programs combine on-site instruction at NASA Research Park with bicoastal delivery in partnership with CMU-Pittsburgh's INI programs, enabling joint program offerings across coasts. Curriculum emphasis spans software engineering, cybersecurity, and information technology management, with applied AI projects (e.g., AiCare platform, a 7-Eleven AI back-office system) embedded in the student experience. The institution holds MSCHE institutional accreditation and California BPPE approval and is authorized across multiple U.S. states.

The business model is tuition-funded graduate education, supplemented by industry-sponsored applied projects and faculty consulting through employer relationships with NASA Ames, Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and the Volvo Innovation Lab. The broader CMU ecosystem — including the VentureBridge startup mentorship program — extends commercial reach beyond tuition. Revenue scale is not publicly disclosed; based on enrollment of ~400 students and typical graduate-tuition benchmarks, tuition-related revenue is best estimated in the low-tens-of-millions range, with the overall operating budget likely sitting in the $25M–$50M band before gifts, endowment draws, and sponsored research are layered in.

Name

Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley

Legal name

Carnegie Mellon University

Website

https://www.sv.cmu.edu/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley is a college offering programs and research studies in engineering and computer science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Graduate Technology Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Graduate software engineering
• Software management programs
• Mobile IoT engineering
• Information security degrees
• Technology graduate education

Headquarters

HQ city

Moffett Field

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Graduate education programs generate revenue through tuition payments from students. Additional fees include technology fees, transportation fees, and student activities fees.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Strategic Initiative Fund and departmental funds accept donations to support academic and research initiatives at CMU-SV
3. Industry Partnerships: Programs leverage industry partnerships for practicum projects, hackathons, and recruiting relationships with technology companies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CMU-Silicon Valley is a graduate education campus of Carnegie Mellon University that sells master's degree programs in software engineering, software management, mobile and IoT engineering, and information security. Programs are delivered in Silicon Valley (and bicoastally with Pittsburgh for INI tracks), leveraging the local tech employer ecosystem for practicum projects, internships, hackathons, and recruiting. Core offerings combine engineering, business, and design curricula, with full-time and part-time study options serving approximately 400 students annually.

Product overview

Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley offers four graduate degree programs through three academic departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Information Networking Institute (INI), and Integrated Innovation Institute (III). The programs include MS in Software Engineering (offered exclusively at CMU-SV), MS in Software Management, MS in Mobile and IoT Engineering, and MS in Information Technology - Information Security. Programs feature bicoastal delivery models, industry partnerships, practicum projects, and focus on Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ alumni based in Silicon Valley and globally with 400+ network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CiscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company partner with industry connections to CMU-SV programs
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company from startups to giants with deep ties to CMU-SV; students engage through sponsored projects, internships, hackathons, and other events; alumni employment destination for software management graduates
• ApplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company partner engaged with CMU-SV through industry connections, sponsored projects, and recruiting activities
• Meta (Facebook)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company partner with deep ties to CMU-SV; hosts interns and recruits graduates; engaged through career services and campus events
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology giant partner with industry connections to CMU-SV; prior internship host for students
• VMwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company partner engaged through industry connections and recruiting activities at CMU-SV
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company partner with industry ties to CMU-SV programs
• OraclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company partner engaged with CMU-SV through industry connections
• NASA Ames Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINI students partnered with NASA Ames to develop simulation tools improving air traffic control and scheduling at San Francisco International Airport using reinforcement learning approaches
• PayPalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHackathon sponsor where CMU INI students placed second, designing wallet-less shopping application using PayPal integration
• TwitterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Emirates Travel Hackathon where CMU team won grand prize; Runway at Twitter HQ hosted 294 hackers
• EmiratesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel Hackathon organizer where CMU INI team CMWe won grand prize trip to Dubai
• CadencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram Manager noted CMU-SV students are extremely talented with great enthusiasm; company has hired many talented students and continues recruiting
• AiCareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI and cloud-powered healthcare and medical platform co-founded by CMU-SV faculty member Catherine Fang
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrior internship host for students; Coding Gym president had multiple Amazon internships before attending CMU-SV
• DoorDashminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer internship host for software engineering student
• 7-ElevenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate internship host for product manager intern working on AI-powered back-office store system
• Volvo Innovation LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer site for peer career consultant team tour
• VentureBridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity-wide startup mentorship program hosted by Integrated Innovation Institute providing excellent opportunities for entrepreneurs
• IEEE Reliability SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty member Catherine Fang serves as associate editor, publishes research, peer reviews papers, and organizes conferences

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh): The parent and main campus of CMU-SV. Offers the same engineering and computer science graduate programs, shares the same brand, faculty, and admissions platform, and jointly delivers bicoastal INI programs. Directly comparable in mission, curriculum, and target student.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford University: Stanford's School of Engineering and Computer Science department operate in the same Silicon Valley location and compete for the same graduate-student pool. Strong overlap with CMU-SV in software engineering, AI/ML, and product management, with significantly broader portfolio and resources.
• University of California, Berkeley: UC Berkeley's College of Engineering and School of Information offer graduate programs in software engineering, security, and data science, competing for the same Silicon Valley-bound technical graduate students. Broader public-university portfolio with overlapping technical depth.
• Georgia Institute of Technology: Georgia Tech's College of Computing and School of Cybersecurity offer graduate programs in computer science, software engineering, and cybersecurity with an industry-aligned, applied focus. Comparable in emphasis on industry partnerships and online/OMSCS scale.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT's EECS and Sloan School jointly compete for top-tier graduate tech talent and offer similar rigorous engineering and product/innovation programs. While a broader institution, MIT's graduate engineering programs are direct competition for elite students.
• University of Washington: UW's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and Information School offer graduate programs in software engineering, security, and information management. Competes for the same Western U.S. tech graduate student pool with strong industry ties to Amazon and Microsoft.

Regional players

• Santa Clara University: Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SCU's School of Engineering offers master's programs in software engineering, computer science, and web/cloud computing. Direct local competitor for Silicon Valley graduate tech talent with a more applied, professionally oriented curriculum.
• San Jose State University: San Jose State's College of Engineering and Computer Science department offers master's programs in software engineering and information security, targeting the same Silicon Valley workforce. A public regional alternative with lower price points.
• Illinois Institute of Technology: IIT's College of Computing and Armour College of Engineering offer applied master's programs in computer science, software engineering, cybersecurity, and related fields. Comparable in mission as a private, technically focused university with industry partnerships.

Emerging players

• Stanford Continuing Studies / SCPD: Stanford's professional and continuing education arm offers certificates and graduate-level courses in software, AI, and product management, aimed at working professionals in Silicon Valley. Comparable audience and Silicon Valley location as the CMU-SV part-time MSSM program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cmusv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/CMUSiliconValley
• Facebookfacebook.com/CMUSiliconValley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/389432
• Instagraminstagram.com/CMUSiliconValley

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley