Master's in Software Engineering: Break into Tech, Fast
Break directly into tech as quickly as possible. Elton's challenging, hands-on approach to learning software engineering will prepare you to join the tech industry. Very quickly, you will have the technical and theoretical knowledge and critical practical skills you'll need to get hired. Elton students are coached to get a job in tech as soon as possible so they can "earn while they learn."
- As Few as 10 Months
- Technical Interview Coaching
- Real-World Portfolio
- 100% Remote & Flexible
- Earn While You Learn
Industry-Integrated Software Engineering
This is an industry-integrated master's program in software engineering you can complete in as few as 10 months. Along the way, you earn a graduate certificate in software engineering in as quickly as 3 months.
Being a software engineer is challenging, interesting, well paid, and in high demand. With the advent of AI, software engineering has changed dramatically. Through a personalized and agile 1-on-1 approach, Elton has adapted to the rapidly changing landscape. You learn to build, test, and ship real software, and to use AI coding tools the way today's best engineering teams do. Want to build AI-powered products specifically? See our Master's in AI Engineering.
The Elton software engineering program was developed by our president Adam Braus, who has over a decade of experience designing and leading coding schools and colleges. He has trained dozens of professors and hundreds of students for success. Continue scrolling to learn what makes Elton's program more accessible and more successful than all the rest.
From Zero to Hero
You might feel like you can't become a software engineer unless you are a math wizard or a techno geek. This could not be further from the truth. Being a successful engineer only requires a grasp of middle school math, and anyone with the desire to pursue a career in software can do it. All it takes is the right teachers and school and diligent concentration.
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Our Professors are Battle-Tested
Our professors together have decades of industry experience and a dense and valuable professional network into startups and FANG companies. Contrast that with other CS programs where your professors will have PhDs but little or no experience in industry and only an academic network.
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Code Together, Play Together
There is no "I" in team, and nowhere is that more true than in software. All software is built together on teams. Elton is built to band students together into agile huddles, conferences, parties, contracting teams, technical concentrations, and study groups.
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Build Real Projects From Day One
Other computer science programs focus on lectures, dry theory, textbooks, and tests. Not Elton. Long ago at Elton we learned that people learn faster and better if they build real software for real people. Everyone starts off building step-by-step tutorials, then contractor projects, and then portfolio projects and internship projects.
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A Portfolio & Technical Interviewing
A credential helps you to succeed in tech, but it is not enough. At Elton you will receive support and coaching to build a digital portfolio of software. In addition, you will receive hundreds of hours of coaching and drilling in technical interviewing — probably the most difficult and important part of getting a job as a software engineer.
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Start Working Even Before You Finish
Our students are ready for their first job in tech after as few as 6 months. The Elton software engineering program is designed so you can continue to study while working full time. That means you can earn while you learn and earn credit for what you learn on the job.
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How You'll Spend Your Time
Build Real Projects
From day one, you build projects you want to build. Research consistently shows that project-based learning is the most effective way to develop high-value skills like software engineering — so instead of contrived homework, you ship real things, solve real problems, and grow a portfolio that speaks for itself.
Master the Technical Interview
Technical interviewing is alive and well in the tech industry, and anyone serious about landing a great job needs serious preparation. Elton's proven interview training system drills you on exactly what hiring managers test for — so you walk into every interview ready to perform, not just ready to hope.
Build Your Network
In tech, what you know matters. Who you know matters just as much. Your coaches, professors, and advisors actively prepare you and assign you to build a robust network of technical colleagues, mentors, and industry contacts — so when opportunities open up, you're already in the room.
Software Engineering Areas of Concentration
Choose one of Elton University's software engineering concentrations or build your own—Software Solutions Architect, Web & Mobile Engineer, and Platform Engineer. Interested in AI prompt engineering, machine learning, or data? Those live in our AI Engineering program.
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Software Solutions Architect
Recently supercharged by AI, software solutions architects design the systems that power modern products and companies. You'll learn to think at scale — translating complex business needs into elegant technical blueprints, leading engineering teams, and making high-stakes decisions about technology strategy.
Future jobs: Software Architect, Product Engineer, CTO, VP of Engineering, Technical Program Manager, Technical Sales, Technical Recruiter
Web & Mobile Dev
Every app on your phone and every site you visit was built by someone who turned an idea into working code! Web and mobile developers design the products people use every single day. You'll learn to build fast, functional, and user-friendly products across web and mobile platforms, working with the same languages and frameworks powering today's top tech companies.
Future jobs: Frontend Developer, Mobile App Developer, Full-Stack Engineer, Product Engineer
Platform Engineer
Behind every reliable app and every seamless deploy, there's a platform engineer making sure the infrastructure just works! Platform engineers build the tools, pipelines, and systems that let other developers ship code faster and safer — think cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration, and internal developer tools.
Future jobs: Platform Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer, CTO
Design Your Own
Your career goals might not fit neatly into one field! Some of the most in-demand professionals today combine skills from multiple disciplines. If your career path calls for a unique mix, or the concentration you need doesn't exist yet, you can build your own with your advisor's guidance, drawing from any combination of Elton's coursework and beyond.
Future jobs: Consultant, Founder, Program Manager, Cross-Functional Specialist
Where are You Headed?
Our faculty have helped students succeed in getting placements at the following companies:
Eligibility
To enroll in a master's program or graduate certificate, you need one of the following:
- A bachelor's degree, or
- Some college and 5 years of relevant work experience, or
- Proof of your ability to engage in master's-level study.
No standardized tests are required: no GRE, no GMAT.
Tuition & Scholarships
- No Risk First Month - If during the first month you or Elton decide that you are not a fit for the university, you will receive a full refund.
- 1-on-1 Personalized Instruction - No other college offers 1-on-1 based instruction, but research suggests it is the best way to learn.
- Earn While You Learn - Work towards a software engineer internship and earn credit for what you learn on the job.
- Start Immediately - Other programs require you wait until September or January to start. With Elton you can start immediately.
- Stacking Credentials - If you stop the program early, you still earn your graduate certificate in software engineering if you have completed 1/3 of the program.
Master's Program Tuition: $22,000
Enjoy a 10% discount if tuition is paid in full upon enrollment.
Spare Time
18 months
10 Hours/Week
- Access to the Elton Community
- 1x Professional Coach
- 1x Professor
- Full-Time employment allowed
Part Time
12 months
15 Hours/Week
- Access to the Elton Community
- 1x Professional Coach
- 2x Professors
- Full-Time employment allowed if aligned with curriculum
- Part-Time employment allowed
Accelerated
10 months
25 Hours/Week
- Access to the Elton Community
- 1x Professional Coach
- 3x Professors
- Full-Time employment allowed if aligned with curriculum
Graduate Certificate in Software Engineering
Prefer a shorter commitment? Earn the graduate certificate on its own, with the same 1-on-1 professors and coaching as the master's.
- 12 credits, one third of the master's (about 300 hours of engagement)
- Typically about 2.5–6 months, depending on your pace
- Credits stack: continue any time to finish the full master's degree
