Software Engineer Student Programs Curriculum

Software engineering is a rapidly growing discipline that consistently ranks high on lists of best jobs due to its attractive salaries, high demand, and opportunities for career advancement. This article explores the curriculum of software engineering programs, highlighting the knowledge, skills, and experiences students gain to prepare them for success in the software industry.

Core Elements of Software Engineering Education

The bachelor of software engineering includes four key elements: engineering design, software product development, teamwork, and communication. Software engineering focuses on the engineering principles and practices necessary to build, maintain and protect complex modern systems. You will be well prepared for careers in the tech field with this program’s unique, hands-on curriculum emulating real industry work.

Teamwork and Communication

In every software engineering course, teamwork is emphasized with a significant part of the final grade being based on team project activities. You will also develop your communication skills by preparing engineering documentation, such as requirements documents, design documents, project plans, burndown charts, and software test plans. Work in small teams to develop a software system.

Foundational Knowledge

As with other engineering fields, mathematics and the natural sciences are fundamental. In addition, you must complete courses in related fields of engineering, business, or science. The curriculum is flexible in allowing you to choose elective courses that most interest you and align with the software engineering major. Adding a minor in a complementary area of study deepens your expertise in the core areas of software engineering, and more. With dozens of minors and immersions to choose from, you’ll have your choice of topics to study. While you may choose any minor or immersion as part of your studies, select minors serve to boost the bachelor's degree in software engineering.

Coursework and Curriculum Components

The BS in Software Engineering program requires a minimum of 120 credits for degree completion. Note: A minimum grade of C- is required for all computer science and software engineering course prerequisites, unless otherwise stated. Within the policies of the School of Computing & Engineering, the Software Engineering program enforces credit limits during the academic terms. Exceeding 18 credits in the fall or spring semesters, 4 credits in the January term, or 10 credits in each summer term requires the approval of the dean's office.

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Here's a glimpse into the typical coursework of a software engineering program:

Core Software Engineering Courses

Programming and Problem Solving: Introduces fundamental programming concepts and problem-solving techniques. Learners will gain skills in identifying scripts for computer program requirements and in using fundamental programming elements as part of common computer programming tasks. Learners will also gain an understanding of the logic and outcome of simple algorithms.
Data Structures and Abstraction: Explores data structures and abstract data types as design paradigms. Data Structures and Algorithms I covers the fundamentals of dynamic data structures, such as bags, lists, stacks, queues, trees, and hash tables with their associated algorithms. This course discusses object-oriented design and abstract data types as design paradigms. The course emphasizes problem-solving and techniques for designing efficient, maintainable software applications.
Algorithm Design and Analysis: Focuses on the design and analysis of algorithms.
Object-Oriented Design and Programming: Covers object-oriented principles and their application in software development.
Software Engineering Design and Development: Teaches the principles and methods for designing and developing software systems.
Introduction to Software Development: Introduces the software development lifecycle.
Advanced Computational Problem Solving: Enhances problem-solving skills using advanced computational techniques.
Full-Stack Development: Covers both front-end and back-end development, including software requirements analysis and design.
Software Quality Assurance: Focuses on techniques for ensuring software quality.
Software Project Management: Introduces the principles and practices of software project management. During a project's life cycle, students will develop the critical skills necessary to initiate, plan, execute, monitor, control, and close a project. Students will apply best practices in areas such as scope management, resource allocation, project planning, project scheduling, quality control, risk management, performance measurement, and project reporting.

Electives and Specializations

The curriculum is flexible in allowing you to choose elective courses that most interest you and align with the software engineering major. Adding a minor in a complementary area of study deepens your expertise in the core areas of software engineering, and more. With dozens of minors and immersions to choose from, you’ll have your choice of topics to study. While you may choose any minor or immersion as part of your studies, select minors serve to boost the bachelor's degree in software engineering. Technical electives allow students to choose areas of interest to explore. Technical electives come in two flavors, primary and secondary. Primary technical electives are those courses offered to CSSE majors which are not required for the Software Engineering major. Secondary technical electives are offered outside your home department and give you broader latitude.

Math, Science, and Engineering Requirements

Capstone Projects and Real-World Experience

Demonstrate your skills and prepare for your next career move by completing the capstone project. The capstone focuses on application development in real-world contexts and environments. Organizations with challenging technical problems frequently contact faculty seeking assistance in defining a solution. In the first course, you will determine the requirements and architectural design of the project.

Co-ops and senior projects provide valuable real world, hands-on experience that prepare you to hit the ground running in industry.

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Specialized Tracks and Programs

The B.S. Software Engineering program is an all-online program. You’ll complete program requirements independently, with instruction and support from WGU faculty. You’ll be expected to complete at least 12 competency units for each 6-month term. Each course is typically three or four units.

Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's Programs

If you don't have a bachelor's degree and are looking at furthering your education in software engineering, you can pursue an accelerated bachelor's AND master's degree program. WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. Tuition charged per term-rather than per credit-helps you control the ultimate cost of your degree. The total course number depends on which track you choose.

Combined BS/MS Programs

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience.

Software Engineering BS/MS: By adding the software engineering MS, you will gain advanced skills.
Software Engineering BS/Cybersecurity MS: The BS/MS pathway in software engineering and cybersecurity gives students a well-rounded background in the development and deployment of software complemented by specialization in cybersecurity. Building on this, the MS in cybersecurity program delves into advanced topics such as enterprise-level security strategies and trusted computing, as well as research topics like Internet-of-Things (IoT) security and covert communications.
Software Engineering BS/Computer Science MS: The BS/MS pathway in software engineering and computer science gives you a well-rounded background in the development and deployment of software complemented by specializations in advanced fields. With the MS in computer science you will dive deeper into computer graphics and visualization, data management, and AI while participating in research and co-ops that enable you to gain hands-on experience in industry. This apporach will make you highly sought after for employment after graduation.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program.

Skills Developed

Earning a bachelor’s degree designed by industry experts adds theoretical depth to the practical knowledge you already have. The B.S. This software engineering degree enhances your résumé as you enhance your coding knowhow. It includes multiple industry-recognized certifications from AWS, CompTIA, and ITIL® that are built into the curriculum. This program is all about making you an outstanding software engineer at the enterprise level. It is presented in two tracks for you to choose from, allowing you to become fluent in either Java or C#. Both languages top industry growth lists, and both will be highly valuable in your career. C# is a smart choice for those who want to work in big tech centers, like Seattle, Silicon Valley, Boston, or New York.

Graduates of software engineering programs develop a wide range of skills, including:

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Programming: Proficiency in multiple programming languages.
Software Design: Ability to design and architect software systems.
Testing and Debugging: Skills in testing and debugging software.
Problem Solving: Ability to solve complex technical problems.
Project Management: Skills in managing software projects.
Communication: Effective written and oral communication skills.

Career Opportunities

With a BS in software engineering students will be prepared for success in industry as they learn to deliver impactful software on time and on budget.

Software engineering skills are highly transferable and prepare you for careers in applications development, systems development, web development, and embedded systems development. Students who major in software engineering work as developers, programmers, product managers, quality assurance engineers, network architects, support specialists, database administrators, and information security analysts.

Additional Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Students are invited and encouraged to participate in faculty-supervised research supported by grants and the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) program. Spend a full academic year working on a team to complete a real-world project for an industry or faculty sponsor in the Senior Design course. Join faculty in research labs to gain experience in a specific area of computing. Gain career experience while completing academic requirements by earning course credit for an approved internship. Use the Learning Assistant Program that helps first-year computing majors succeed through partnerships with upper-level students, academic support and improved learning experiences.

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