A system’s architecture bridges the gap between an organization’s business context and its implementation. While it is often clear what the business goals and product road map are for a given system, it is typically less clear what impact specific technical decisions have on those goals. This certificate program, designed by the faculty at Carnegie Mellon Master of software Engineering Program teaches the concepts required in order to reason about techni¬cal decisions in light of its business drivers, stakeholder goals and context. While the theoretical concepts and principles are presented, the emphasis is on mature best practices and practical advice that have been widely ad¬opted in industry.

Understanding the factors that influence a system’s design, being able to ar¬ticulate these factors in a way that is actionable and testable, knowing what technical options exist for any given set of concerns, managing technical trade-offs, and evaluating designs vis-à-vie the business context are all im¬portant for building a system that achieves its purpose. This certificate program provides the core concepts needed in order to do this effectively.

The four-course within the program will provide individuals and organizations the skills needed to realize ma¬ture design practices. Attendees are introduced to the fundamentals of software architecture and design, given in depth exposure to architec¬tural design practices, taught effective documentation techniques, and introduced to the management practices needed to allow organizations to ensure that technical decisions support the business goals.

This certificate program not only provides the skills needed to be an effective professional software architect, but provides internationally recognized credentials that carry the reputation and experience of the world leader in software engineering.

An individual earns a Certificate in Software Architecture Design by completing: