We're thrilled to congratulate you on your admission to the Integrated Innovation Institute!
Get ready to join a legacy of makers, entrepreneurs, technologists, and lifelong learners who have disrupted the status quo.
Throughout your time in the MIIPS program, you'll learn how to think differently, how to work with peers across disciplines and backgrounds, and how to create product and service solutions that matter.
Why MIIPS?
A Community of Innovators
Hear first hand from Arthur, Advait, and Ammani on what made their experience in the program exhilarating, challenging, and ultimately - life changing.
Arthur Cen (MIIPS '20) shares how the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services program at Carnegie Mellon University helped prepare him for his role as a Product Operation Manager at Google through hands-on projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world scenarios.
Advait Tinaikar (MIIPS '17) shares how the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services program at Carnegie Mellon University combined his interests in engineering, design, and business to offer a unique, strategic approach to problem-solving and product development.
Ammani Nair (MIIPS '17) shares how the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services program at Carnegie Mellon University helped transform her career through interdisciplinary thinking, collaborative coursework, and frameworks for system-thinking solutions.
2024 Salary & Career Outcomes
Starting Salary Outcomes:
$41,600 - $140,000
$92,000
Career Outcomes Include:
- Product Designer
- Product Manager
- Technical Product Manager
- eCommerce Product Management
- Associate Engineer
- Director of Engineering & New Product Development
- AI Product Manager
Companies Include:
- Apani Labs
- Horizon Robotics
- Huawei
- JPMorgan Chase
- Oracle
- SharkNinja
- Walmart
- Whirlpool
Connect 1:1 with a MIIPS Alumni
Brielyn Chua
Design Industry Manager
DesignSingapore Council
(MIIPS '23)
Chat with Brielyn
I loved my time at MIIPS where I experimented across the spectrum of design, product, and engineering – leading me to discover my passions whilst strengthening them with technical skills. After taking a gap year to travel across continents, I am currently developing Singapore’s design industry one innovation at a time.
Jeni Huang
Microsoft
Product Designer 2
(MIIPS '22)
Chat with Jeni
I'm a product designer at Microsoft, working on Copilot for workplace experience. I previously designed Microsoft Places, an AI-powered app that redefines hybrid work. Before graduating from CMU, I earned a degree in art and business administration from Tsinghua University in China. I currently live in Redmond, WA.
Kevin Killeen
MSA Safety Inc.
Global Product Line Manager
(MIIPS '23)
Chat with Kevin
I came from an engineering and sales background for four years before pivoting to product management. I worked in the process measurement industry before joining the MIIPS program and transferring my skills to the industrial safety field. I'm a born and raised Pittsburgher, and when I'm not working I'm probably walking my dog Scratch.
Aman Sinha
Product Designer
Upwork
(MIIPS '23)
Chat with Aman
Experienced, cross-industry product designer and strategist with a history of shipping high-impact products. With professional training in architecture, I transitioned into digital products with my master's and am currently on Upwork's Mobile and Collab team as a Product Designer. I live in Pittsburgh and am always down for intriguing conversations about work and life!
Pannida Thawornsate
Senior User Experience Researcher
Smith Micro Software
(MIIPS '23)
Chat with Pannida
I studied Economics in undergrad and spent seven years in as a business and design strategy consultant. I wanted to move from consulting and I knew I love 0-to-1 product development, but I wasn’t sure which aspect of product I wanted to focus on. So I pursued MIIPS to explore my options. Now, I’m a UX researcher in Pittsburgh, working on family safety apps.
A Foot in the Door: MIIPSters Excel in Internships
Krutin Kanumuri (MIIPS ‘24)
Strategic Product Planning Intern,
Volvo Group
This summer, I interned as a Strategic Product Planning Intern with the Volvo Group in Greensboro, NC.
My projects included market research on the hydrogen industry, identifying business opportunities, and defining the scope for future Mack and Volvo highway products. I developed "day in the life" profiles for medium-duty trucks, analyzing their operations and challenges. My automotive background and training at the iii emphasized a customer-centric approach, focusing on understanding customer needs before problem-solving. I also analyzed truck drive cycles using telematics data and customer insights to align new models with real-world needs. Researching hydrogen's evolving market required adaptability, teaching me to navigate challenges with perseverance and flexibility.
Daniela Decoud (MIIPS ‘24)
Product Management Intern,
General Motors Software and Services Organization - AI Cameras Focus
At General Motors, I worked closely with a diverse team of engineers, designers, and PMs, conducting market and user research, crafting roadmaps, and executing projects. My manager and an additional mentor provided exceptional guidance, greatly contributing to my growth. The MIIPS program deepened my understanding of the product development cycle, from user research to go-to-market strategies, complementing my startup experience. Transitioning to GM's corporate culture taught me about complex decision-making processes. This experience boosted my skills in stakeholder management, executive presentations, and data visualization, while AI and data science courses prepared me for technical challenges.
Mark Yan (MIIPS ‘24)
UX Product and Industrial Design Intern,
Roku
This summer, I interned as a UX and Product Industrial Designer on Roku's Device (Players and Remotes) team.
Roku is a tech company specializing in TV streaming. The iii's career-oriented class helped me build connections and navigate career fairs, and it also prepared me for presenting during our capstone project.
During my internship, I focused on reducing errors in product processes and improving user experiences. I faced challenges involving hardware-software collaboration, requiring insights from engineers, as well as strong communication and visualization skills to redesign user flows.
Read more about Mark's internship experience
Meet your Academic Advisor & Program Director
Mallory Jagodzinski, PhD
Academic Advisor
Dr. Jag serves as a resource for students as they navigate course registration, transitioning to Pittsburgh, orientation, and graduation. She enjoys having meaningful conversations with students and helping them pursue their personal, academic, and career goals.
Ellen Ayoob
MIIPS Program Director
Course Highlight: Integrated Product Development Capstone
Wave goodbye to your comfort zone. In this course, interdisciplinary teams are thoughtfully curated based on each member's unique academic background and work experience and then challenged with a problem statement from a real-world corporate sponsor.
You'll use methods and innovative mindsets to research a market opportunity, define product specifications, conceptualize products to meet the user's needs and desires, and refine the most promising concept.
IPD capstone is an exciting and unique chance to solve a real-world problem and sit at the table through every design, engineering, and business consideration required to solve it.
"The MIIPS program helped me learn how to ‘think’.
There was a focus in every class, whether it was business, design or engineering, on frameworks, systems and models.
If you understand those foundations and are able to organize your thinking in that way, then you can apply that to any project, any industry, any work setting."
- Elisa Arango, MIIPS '22
Trishala Pallai (MIIPS Advanced '22) reflects on her experience collaborating with Canon, her team's corporate sponsor for the capstone course.
Virgil Looney (MIIPS '22) shares why the capstone course was crucial to his decision to enroll in the MIIPS program.
