Software engineering is the application of engineering concepts, techniques, and methods to the development of software systems. The recognition of the need for an engineering approach to the development of software goes back to two seminal NATO Conferences held in 1968 and 1969, respectively. These conferences provided both an impetus and a focus for the development of sound methods for software system development. By the mid 1980s, the field had progressed to the point where masters programs in software engineering started to appear.

In many cases these programs follow the model proposed by the Software Engineering Institute. But masters programs normally provide a specialization option for software practitioners looking to move on an already established career path. By contrast, an undergraduate degree prepares young individuals to start their careers as successful software engineers.

RIT's software engineering program was designed in response to industry calls for individuals whose organizational and technical skills are more in tune with teamwork development and issues of scale and complexity that are common in contemporary software systems and which existing computing programs fail to address in an integrated and cohesive fashion. Our curriculum is the result of many years of collective research and experience helping students capitalize on the diverse landscape of the ever-evolving computing industry.

The curriculum can be split-up into seven major components:

• Software engineering (29%)
• Liberal Arts (20.5%)
• Math and science (20.5%)
• Computer science and engineering (16.4%)
• Application domain electives (6%)
• Free electives (6%)
• Other (1.5%)
• Cooperative education (4 quarters)

A detailed flowchart of our curriculum can be downloaded in the PDF format below:

Software Engineering Curriculum (PDF)