Student Blogs
MS in Software Engineering, Technical Track Blog
 | Rahul is a full-time MS Software Engineering, Technical Track student. He loves traveling, trekking, swimming and is a complete movie buff. |
 | Anthony is a 2nd year part time student in the MS Software Engineering, Technical track program and works at OSIsoft as a Software Engineer. He loves spending time with his family, hiking, biking, gardening, cooking, and sometimes photography. |
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Suma is an alumna of the MS Software Engineering, Technical Track program. A Mechanical Engineering undergrad, she loves writing and is passionate about music, shopping and dogs. |
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Minh is a Software Design Engineer at Microsoft and alumnus of the MS Software Engineering program. He is also a Vietnamese community activist, a cat-lover and passionate fan of film music. |
 | Nick is a Software Engineer at Google and a first-year grad student at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. He loves hiking, gaming, and both really extremely good and extremely bad movies. |
Friday, May 11, 2007
I am on the Carnegie Mellon University homepage!
Go to www.cmu.edu and see my story on the homepage for the next seven days (screenshot). Afterwards, you can go directly to this link instead.
Software Program a Great Fit for Professionals
Minh T. Nguyen, a software design engineer at Microsoft, is getting his master's degree in software engineering at Carnegie Mellon West. The program's unique set-up makes it a perfect fit for full-time professionals.
The program is project-oriented, with no traditional exams. Students work individually and in teams — studying online material, scheduling meetings with faculty and each other, collaborating and delivering their results as a source code, document or presentation.
"I never realized the importance of team-building and soft skills until I started at Carnegie Mellon West," said Nguyen. "Just during the first semester alone, I learned so much about how to effectively lead a team that I wish I could have applied this knowledge at my previous non-profit work."
Nguyen says he appreciates that he can be on a business trip in Seattle or a family visit to Orange County and still not miss a meeting. According to Diane Dimeff, associate dean for external relations and professional development at Carnegie Mellon West, the flexibility of the program is key.
"Flexibility makes this program ideal for full-time professionals, especially those who spend a lot of time traveling for their jobs and putting in long hours," she said.
A strong focus on solving real-world problems translates to the students being able to immediately apply what they learn to their responsibilities on the job. Teaching methods that include workshops, small group coaching and problem-driven seminars allow the students to get the most out of their learning experience.
"Carnegie Mellon West's simulation-based curriculum places me right into a context that most closely resembles a real work environment," said Nguyen. "It focuses on the strengths that will pay off the most once I graduate, if not even earlier."
posted by Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley @ 2:20 PM
