Application Requirements | Master of Science in Product Management

Upload a copy of your resume. The purpose of this document is to provide a snapshot of your education and professional achievements in your career. Use a standard (i.e. Times New Roman or Arial), 12-pt. font for your 1-2 page resume.

Education Requirements

Students are required to hold a four-year undergraduate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution and be competent in these areas:

• General mathematics including calculus and linear algebra
• Basic statistical concepts and methods
• Basic programming in any modern language

Though our standards are high and our admissions process is competitive, it is also holistic. We consider all aspects of an applicant’s background and experience.

Transcripts

Transcripts uploaded during the application process are considered “unofficial.” What makes a transcript "unofficial" is that you have it in your possession instead of us receiving it in a sealed, stamped envelope directly from your university.

All candidates are required to upload legible, scanned/digitized copies of their unofficial transcripts, not web transcripts*, and degree certificates which include the following: 

• University Transcripts: All transcripts are copies of actual university transcripts (not web transcripts), usually on watermarked paper with a seal, etc.
• Degree Name: If you earned a degree, the name is on the transcript (i.e. Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc.).
• Degree Conferral Date: If you earned a degree, the date the degree was awarded is on the transcript.
• Degree Certificate: If you earned a degree and the degree name/conferral date are not on the transcript, you must upload a copy of your degree certificate which includes this information. This cannot be a provisional certificate; it must be final. Still unsure what to submit? See sample degree certificates.
• Grading Scale: Include for every university so we know what the grades mean. Often on the back of the transcript; otherwise, contact the university to obtain. Still unsure what to submit? See sample grading scales.
• Official Translation: If the transcript is not in English, upload both the transcript in the original language and the official translated copy so that we can read it.

View a sample of a web transcript that you should avoid submitting.

*A web transcript is anything obtained from an online student portal, downloaded from your student record, or retrieved online.

Please ask your GMAT, GMAT Focus, or GRE testing agency to send us your official score, so we can verify what you provide on your application.

A couple of important points:

• GMAT and GRE scores are valid for five years. Yours must still be valid when you submit your application. 
• Request that the official score be sent to us using the following codes:
  • Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) - Select Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School Master of Science in Product Management
  • Graduate Record Examination Tests (GRE) Program Code 4883

If you wish to apply for a GMAT/GRE waiver, you must do the following:

Submit a letter to the admissions committee (via an upload in your application) that addresses the following:

• Please discuss your undergraduate GPA scores and any other degree GPA. For a waiver to be granted we are only seeking those with exceptionally high GPA achievement.
• Please also share any remarkable academic achievements we should be aware of.
• Please share with us if you have an advanced master’s degree. Is it in a STEM-related area? Are there particular courses that demonstrate your capability in succeeding in the MSPM curriculum?
• Please share if you have recognized certification in product management, e.g. ISPMA, Pragmatic Institute, AIPMM, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Product Manager (280 Group), Certified Innovation Leader Credential, ProductSchool, Black Bolt Product Management, etc.

Also:

• Please highlight if you have 10 or more years of professional working experience. Please be specific about your roles and job content relative to a role in product management.
• Please share if you had held the role of product manager and for how many years. Please describe the job and role beyond what is on your resume/CV and be specific about your accomplishments in this role that are relevant to the MSPM degree.

Test Courses:

Test waiver applicants may need to complete the following coursework and show proof of completion:

• CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
• Introduction to Python: Fundamentals
• Become a Product Manager
• Introduction to Finance, Accounting, Modeling and Valuation

Upon submission of your application, the waiver request will be reviewed, and you will receive a response to the waiver request via email within 10 business days of the application deadline. Please note, only complete applications will be reviewed for test waivers.

Candidates are required to demonstrate a level of competence in English to meet the admissions requirements of the university. You are required to take a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exam unless:

• You attended an undergraduate institution, earning a bachelor’s degree, where the sole language of instruction was English.
• You earned a graduate degree where the sole language of instruction was English. (Although not required, we do recommend that you take the English Language Proficiency exam.)

You must request that the official score be sent from the testing agency to our program for us to verify the score entered into the application. Request that the official score be sent to us using the following codes:

• The recommended TOEFL score is 25 on each section of the Internet-based test. Reading: 25, Listening: 25, Speaking: 25, Writing: 25

• The recommended IELTS score is 7 overall and 7 in each band. Listening: 7, Reading: 7, Writing: 7, Speaking: 7, Overall Band: 7

• The recommended Duolingo English Test (DET) score is 120 overall.

TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years and must be valid at the time you submit your application.

If you earned a degree from a non-U.S. institution, your academic documents should state that the sole language of instruction for the entire university was English in order to be eligible for a TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo waiver. If your academic documents don’t include this, you should upload an official letter from the University Registrar indicating English as the mode of instruction for the entirety of the degree.

There are two required essays (maximum 500 words) for all Tepper MSPM applicants: 

1. The Tepper community is dynamic and unique with students who strive to be collaborative, supportive and inclusive. Please provide an example of when you experienced or created an inclusive environment and how you will use that experience to help members of the community reach their full potential.
2. Share a time you made a mistake at work. Provide context that you feel would adequately describe how you felt when this occurred, what you did when you realized the mistake and what, if anything, did you learn from this experience. 

Optional essay: Use this essay to convey any important information you may have otherwise not been able to communicate. This may include unexplained resume gaps, your reason for selecting the recommender you chose, or if you are applying again, how your candidacy has improved since your last application.

We know this is an important component of your decision to attend business school. We take it seriously as well. Please describe your post-MSPM career goals and why you chose them as your goals.

It would be helpful to consider the following information in your response:

• You have up to 2 minutes to respond to this question.
• Please be as specific as possible. If you have not yet identified specific companies, that is okay. Just tell us what interests you for your next role or company. What about the industry, company, or functional role is appealing to you?
• If you have any criteria you are using to evaluate career opportunities, please share those as well. We may have great opportunities to add to your list.
• How does this post-MSPM career goal relate to your long-term career plan?

Please select two people familiar with your work and/or leadership skill. We prefer that you select supervisors, but you can also include professors, coaches, mentors, or coworkers. Please give us their email contact information on your application, and we’ll reach out to them with a request to submit their letters online.

We use the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR). The Common LOR is intended to save you and your recommender valuable time by providing a single set of recommendation questions for each participating school. This allows your recommender to use the same answers for multiple letter submissions, alleviating the workload of having to answer different questions for each school multiple times. You benefit because it makes the ask for several different letters to be written on your behalf much easier.

A non-refundable $125 application fee is required of all applicants. This fee can be paid online using a credit card at the time of submission.

Once you have completed your online application, if you have any supporting documents, they should be uploaded directly to your application via your application status page in the application portal.

If you have submitted all the application components, it isn’t necessary to send anything else to us at this point. Upon admission, you’ll need to send your official transcripts/academic documents. These details will be included in the admission letter, so no need to worry about it now.

Admissions interviews are granted at the discretion of the admissions committee after an initial review of your application. You will receive additional information about the interview process at the time of the invitation.