The Master of Software Engineering (MSWE) is a professionally oriented, programming-intensive, degree program designed to train students from a variety of backgrounds for Software Engineering careers. To be eligible, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), and be proficient in two programming languages.
The program’s characteristics are as follows:
- A 15-month, 49.3-unit, on-campus program, spanning from September of the first year to December of the second year.*
- Dedicated study room in which MSWE students are encouraged to study and work on their projects.
- First quarter of intensive programming exercises designed to solidify and broaden students’ knowledge of the large computing landscape, covering essential knowledge in Computer Science and Computer Systems.
- Students will spend close to 1,300 hours learning through programming and analyzing code.
- Domestic professionals working full-time must enroll in the MSWE program part-time*. All other students must enroll full-time.
- The Career Development Team offers group workshops and 1-on-1 appointments to guide students on all aspects of securing an internship and full-time position, such as resume review and salary negotiation.
The MSWE curriculum includes:
- Six courses that cover the foundations of software construction, maintenance, and quality, via hands-on projects.
- Courses that help prepare students for the non-technical aspects of professional careers.
- An experiential learning requirement, in which students are responsible for securing an internship or project during the summer.
- A small-group capstone project during the final quarter, in which students will be responsible for designing and implementing a substantial piece of software, be it standalone or an add-on to an existing system. This project includes challenging aspects, such as information classification and machine learning modules, strict performance requirements, very large code bases, deployment in the cloud, etc.
*Part-time attendance for working professionals (domestic students only) is possible. Part-time students are expected to complete the degree within two years and one quarter (27 months), with 39 months as the maximum. To accommodate working students, classes are held in the late afternoons and evenings. Domestic students who are employed full-time during the program can consult with program staff for alternate arrangements, such as faculty-supervised participation in an open source project or development of specific software for the School, in order to satisfy the mandatory internship requirement. Be advised that part-time study disqualifies the student from receiving program fellowships and may affect eligibility for financial aid.
