The full-time master's program is offered at Carnegie Mellon University's Pittsburgh campus. Students enrolling in the full-time program can opt between two tracks: 12-months (Privacy Engineering 162 units) and 16 months (Privacy Engineering Practice, 165 units). Students enrolled in the 12 month track will typically begin in the fall semester, complete the program at the end of the following summer and will graduate in August. Students enrolled in the 16 month track will typically begin in the fall semester and will complete the program at the end of the following fall to allow for a summer internship. Students in the 16 month track will graduate the following December. For details about program requirements, please see the Privacy Engineering Handbook (Full-time).

The part-time master's program - M.S. in Privacy Technology and Policy - has been designed with the objective of being able to accommodate students who are currently employed and who do not want to leave their current job. The program gives students remote access to the exact same classes as full-time students. All lectures are video-taped, giving students the flexibility of watching lectures at their own convenience. Part-time students benefit from additional support in the form of evening recitations and office hours scheduled to simultaneously accommodate both West Coast and East Coast students. The part-time program in a total of 93 can be completed in as little as 24 months. A key difference bwteen the full-time and part-time offerings is that part-time students do not have a Capstone requirement. Students who find this tempo to be too demanding, have the option of taking a lighter load and take longer to graduate.

Overall Requirements:

162 Total Units

66 Units of Required Courses

• (17-631) Information Security, Privacy, and Policy - 12 units
• (17-562) Law of Computer Technology - 6 units
• (17-731) Foundations of Privacy – 12 units
• (17-733) Privacy Policy, Law, and Technology – 12 units
• (17-734) Usable Privacy and Security – 12 units
• (17-735) Engineering Privacy in Software – 12 units

12 Units of Technical Electives

30 Units of General Electives

(17-609) Internship for Privacy Engineering (3 units)

(17-702) Three Instances of Privacy Seminar (3 Units Each)

(17-607) Privacy by Design Practicum project (“capstone”) – 12 units

(17-607) Privacy by Design Practicum project (“capstone”) – 24 units

(17-606) Two Instances of Privacy by Design Workshop – 3 units each

GPA requirement: Student must maintain a 3.0 GPA in courses used for the requirements above.

Students may take additional electives or substitute electives when they have previously taken equivalent courses, if approved by the program director.

Electives. All electives that count towards unit requirements must be approved by the program directors. The program directors will prepare a list of recommended electives each semester that includes a variety of courses that complement the required courses and expose students to material in other relevant disciplines (e.g. biometrics, decision sciences, economics, public policy, statistics, security). Students may propose additional courses for approval. Students may also work on research projects for independent study credits that can be counted towards the elective requirement with the approval of the student’s advisor. A subset of approved electives will be designated as “technical electives.” These electives provide in depth instruction related to a computer science area such as networking, machine learning, or databases.

Extra courses.  Some students may need to take extra non-qualifying classes to address weaknesses in their background, to fulfill prerequisites, or take extra classes simply because they are interested. Such courses will not count toward the unit requirement, except possibly the free elective.

Place-out Opportunities.  Courses taken while students are enrolled as a CMU undergraduate or in another CMU graduate program can be used to satisfy a requirement. Students may replace these courses with additional electives based on consultation with the Program Directors. Students who have taken equivalent courses at other universities may petition the program directors to use these courses in place of required courses and take additional electives instead.

Grade requirement.  Students must earn a "B-" or better in a course for it to satisfy any requirement.

12 Month Sample Schedule

Fall (57 or 63 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
17-562 Law of Computer Technology (6 units, Mini 1) (*17-762 12 Units)
17-631 Information Security, Privacy and Policy (12 units)
17-733 Privacy Policy, Law and Technology (12 units) 
17-731 Foundations of Privacy (12 units)
General elective (12 units)

Spring (57 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
17-734 Usable Privacy and Security (12 units)
17-735 Engineering Privacy in Software (12 units)
General electives (18 units)
Technical elective (12 units)

Summer (48 units)
17-606 Privacy-by-design Workshop (6 units)
17-607 Privacy-by-design Practicum (42 units)
(Optional, one additional elective)16 month track Sample schedule

16 Month Sample Schedule

Fall (57 or 63 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
17-562 Law of Computer Technology (6 units, Mini 1) (*17-762 12 Units)
17-631 Information Security, Privacy and Policy (12 units)
17-733 Privacy Policy, Law and Technology (12 units) 
17-731 Foundations of Privacy (12 units)
General elective (12 units)

Spring (57 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
17-734 Usable Privacy and Security (12 units)
17-735 Engineering Privacy in Software (12 units)
General electives (18 units)
Technical elective (12 units)

Summer (3 units)
17-609 Internship for Privacy Engineering (3 units)

Fall (51 units)
17-606 Privacy-by-design Workshop (6 units)
17-607 Privacy By Design Practicum (42 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
(Optional, one additional elective)

 

Part-Time Privacy Engineering Program

 Overall Requirements:

Information Security, Privacy and Policy (12 units) - 17-631

-Privacy Policy Law and Technology (12 units) - 17-733

-Law and Computer Technology (12 units) - 17-762

-Foundations of Privacy (12 units) - 17-731

-Usable Security and Privacy (12 units) - 17-734

-Engineering Privacy in Software (12 units) - 17-735

-Elective(s) (12 units)

-Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 semesters x 3 units per semester: 9 units) - 17-702

The sample schedules below are guildines for how to structure your schedule throughout your time in the program. A plan for 1 year and 2 year completion are listed.

There is flexibility to take adjust the sequencing of courses to your specific needs in consultation with your advisor. Please note that courses listed in the Fall and Spring are only offered in those semesters. 

12 Month Sample Schedule

Fall

17-562 Law of Computer Technology (17-762 12 Units)
17-631 Information Security, Privacy and Policy (12 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)

Spring 

17-734 Usable Privacy and Security (12 units)
17-735 Engineering Privacy in Software (12 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)

Summer

Elective (12 Credits)

Fall

17-733 Privacy Policy, Law and Technology (12 units) 
17-731 Foundations of Privacy (12 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)

24 Month Sample Schedule

Fall (Year 1)

17-562 Law of Computer Technology (17-762 12 Units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)

Spring (Year 1)

17-734 Usable Privacy and Security (12 units)
17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)

Summer (Year 1)

Elective (12 units)

Recommended: 17-416/17-716: AI Governance: Identifying and Mitigating Risks in the Design and Development of AI Solutions Spring 2024 - 6 units

Fall (Year 2)

17-702 Current Topics in Privacy Seminar (3 units)
17-631 Information Security, Privacy and Policy (12 units)

Spring (Year 2)

17-735 Engineering Privacy in Software (12 units)

Fall (Year 2)

17-733 Privacy Policy, Law and Technology (12 units) 
17-731 Foundations of Privacy (12 units)