Software Engineering, M.S.

 Admission Requirements

The following are the normal admission requirements for the program. In making an admission decision, all of the information about an applicant will be viewed in combination. No single factor among those listed below will either qualify or disqualify an individual for admission to the program.

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade average of 3.00 (based on a scale of 4.00). Applicants who do not meet this minimum may be required to submit a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate management Admission Test (GMAT) score. Official transcripts of previous academic work must be submitted. A bachelor’s degree in computer science is preferred, but not required. At least one year’s experience in software development is highly desirable.
    
2. Three letters of recommendation from professionals familiar with the software development work of the candidate. Letters from current and former professors who can comment on the candidate’s technical expertise are acceptable.
    
3. Demonstrable knowledge equivalent to undergraduate courses in
    
   1. Programming in an object-oriented language (Java, C++, Eiffel,…)
   2. Operating systems.
   3. Discrete mathematics.
   4. Data structures.
   5. File Processing.

Students lacking such background but otherwise highly qualified for admission may be admitted on condition that certain undergraduate courses in the above areas be completed.

4. International students whose native language is not English must demonstrate their proficiency in English. Please refer to International Students for information on acceptable English proficiency tests and test score requirements.
    
5. A one- or two paragraph statement of objectives and expectations in enrolling in the program. This statement should be submitted along with the Application for Admission to the program.
    
6. Students are normally admitted for entrance in the fall term. (All application materials, as specified above, should be in the Office of Admissions by March 1 preceding the fall term in which the student wishes to begin Study.)

Capstone Experience

Each student is required to complete a thesis project; this is normally done during his/her last year in the program. A faculty member works with the student as the project advisor and at least one other faculty member must read and approve the student’s thesis report. A thesis project normally involves the design and implementation of a software system and it requires the use of tools, techniques, and theory learned from previous courses. The student is required to defend his/her thesis publicly. Six credits are awarded for the thesis project via the two-semester course sequence SE 598  and SE 599  .