Accelerated Software Engineering

Overview

This accelerated degree program in Software Engineering allows students to obtain both a Bachelor and a Master of Software Engineering degree in just five years. This five-year program produces engineers with the sound foundation in the fundamentals of software, advanced knowledge of software engineering practice, and real-world experience in software development.

The program requires two summer internships in industry. One of the internships is typically completed between the third and fourth years, and the other between the fourth and fifth years. At the completion of the program, the student simultaneously receives both the BS degree in Software Engineering and the Master of Software Engineering degree. The five-year program covers the following areas:

• Undergraduate discipline fundamentals;
• Development of software systems for real-time embedded applications;
• Use of personal and team software processes;
• Understanding the breadth of software engineering methods, tools, and techniques;
• Application of requirements engineering and software architecture and design;
• Use of modern software development methodologies (e.g., object-oriented analysis and design); and
• Software development in the real world.

Advantages

The Five-Year Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering / Master of Software Engineering enables the student to complete what would ordinarily be a six-year course of study within five years, including two valuable internships or co-operative work/study experiences in industry. The program incorporates the advantages of those two programs at an accelerated pace. With its requirement of a 3.2 undergraduate grade-point average for admission, participation in the program also indicates to prospective employers and to peers that the graduate has superior qualifications.

The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering component allows students to being develop projects for the real world from the first day of classes. Design and build are hands on from day one. Working both individually and in teams, students have the opportunity not only to learn about developing software, in particular for embedded computer systems, but also to develop those larger software systems and learn from that process throughout the curriculum.

The sequence of design culminates in a near real-world capstone design experience: Students, working in multidisciplinary teams of engineers with a core of software, computer, and electrical engineers, determine a customer’s requirements for a system, convert those to system specifications, perform the design of a system to meet the requirements using a formalized process from industry, implement and build the system, and then test the system to ensure that it meets the customer’s requirements, fully documenting the process along the way. Capstone design students get not only a chance to show their skill in designing and developing software systems, but also their proficiency in managing the process and communicating with each other and the “customer.” Employers come back to ERAU year after year for program graduates both because of the software development proficiency and because of those graduates’ ability to enter the workplace familiar with design, development, and quality assurance processes, with industrial-strength documentation, and with working with teammates to bring a project to a successful conclusion.

Software engineering currently stands as the highest-paid engineering field. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that it will continue to be one of the fastest-growing occupations for the near future. Employers continue to seek professionals with strong skills in programming and software system analysis, design, construction, and maintenance.

Recently, ERAU Master of Software Engineering graduates have achieved nearly 100 percent job placement within one year of program completion; most receive multiple job offers. Graduates work at some of the nation’s leading aircraft, defense, electronics, and medical companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, NASA, USAF, Motorola, Bausch and Lomb, and Boston Scientific.

Employers state that program graduates know how to plan and structure software in a way that meets a company’s needs. Our most successful graduates have achieved positions of substantial responsibility within their organizations in a very short period of time.

Requirements

To pursue Five-Year Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering / Master of Software Engineering, the student must meet the following requirements:

• Maintain at least a 3.2/4.0 grade point average through the academic program;
• Maintain at least a 3.0/4.0 grade point average for all graduate credits;
• Complete a total of 151 credits: 124 undergraduate credits and 27 graduate credits; and
• Complete two summer internships in industry. Credit for undergraduate and graduate level work will be awarded for approved and successfully completed internships.

*Students in the Software Engineering program are encouraged to take CS 225 during the first year, postponing COM 219 until the second year.

The student spends the term engaging in a co-op or internship in the software industry and may be engaged in a software engineering activity such as analysis, design, coding, testing, etc.

The student spends the term engaging in a co-op or internship in the software industry and may be engaged in a software engineering activity such as analysis, design, coding, testing, etc.

While other elective courses may be selected, the student’s advisor and the program coordinator must approve the selection.

Department of Electrical Computer Software and Systems Engineering

Accredited engineering programs emphasizing avionics, autonomous systems, and safety critical real-time systems.

View Faculty and Details for Accelerated Software Engineering

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