Enterprise Architecture and Organizational Design

The Software and Societal Systems Department, Executive and Professional Education, offers training courses and a professional certification in the domain of Enterprise Architecture (EA).  During the past several decades EA has become an increasingly important element in information technology strategic planning and business enablement. In their 2023 Digital Leadership Report, Harvey Nash found that EA is the second most scarce skills for technology professionals.

Because EA provides a uniquely holistic way to examine an entire organization, this EA certification is an important and beneficial addition to the education and experiences of executives, managers, and staff in various business and technology areas including risk management, program management, business process improvement, data management, software application development, systems and network engineering, cloud and mobile solutions, configuration management, asset management, operations research, and cyber security.   

Our “Certified Enterprise Architect” (CEA) program consists of two integrated courses: 

Enterprise Architecture Fundamental

Topics covered in the CEA certification program are based on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) that enterprise architects and domain architects need to know to do their jobs in various analysis and design projects at each level of an organization, as well as to successfully progress in your career.  Download KSA list

Students in the CEA program learn current EA approaches and best practices from leading public and private sector organizations around the world. The certification focuses on Bernard’s EA Cube Framework, but also introduces several other approaches. This includes the basics of the Zachman EA Framework, Spewak’s EA Planning Method, The Open Group Architecture Framework, Jeanne Ross’ Designed for Digital framework, as well as several industry approaches, including the U.S. Federal EA Framework and the Danish Government’s Joint Digital Architecture Framework.

The CEA curriculum is designed with working professionals in mind, with each 12-week course being taught online through Carnegie Mellon University’s robust learning environment. Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week on assigned readings, a weekly video lecture and discussion posting, weekly Zoom conference sessions, a set of short topic papers, and a final course research paper (capstone project). The outcome is that our CEA’s are able to understand and apply EA concepts in their work which allows them to scale their analysis, design, and management abilities at the highest and most detailed levels of large complex organizations in a consistent manner – a unique and valuable skill. Those who earn CMU’s CEA professional designation also benefit from lifetime participation in our network of graduates who work in the EA and other fields globally. Please contact our staff at elearn@andrew.cmu.edu for questions and registration information.