2025-2026 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]
Master of Science in Software Engineering
Master of Science in Software Engineering
The M.S. in Software Engineering program emphasizes designing, developing, and maintaining high-quality software systems that align with user needs and industry standards. Students acquire advanced skills in software design, coding, testing, and project management, equipping them to excel in creating innovative and reliable software solutions.
- Requirements for the M.S. in Software Engineering
Requirements for the M.S. in Software Engineering
All candidates for the degree must complete a total of 33 credits, including the following:
- Core courses: 12 credits (4 courses)
- Tracks courses: 12 credits (4 courses)
- Electives: 6 credits (2 courses)
- Capstone, Project, Thesis, Seminar or internship: (3 or 6 credits)
No more than twelve (12) credits earned from dual-listed graduate courses (4xx/5xx) may be applied toward the degree. If students choose the thesis option, they will complete only three credits as electives and 6 credit hours for the capstone.
The Graduate Program Director (GPD) will work closely with admitted students to develop clear study plans, ensuring they can complete their degree requirements without exceeding 12 dual-listed credit hours.
Program Eligibility Requirements
- B.S. degree from an accredited institution in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or relevant field.
Core Courses
Students are required to complete four courses for a total of twelve credits:
Required:
- SE 511 - Introduction to Software Engineering (3 credits)
- SE 512 - Requirements Specification (3 credits)
Select two courses of the following:
- *SE 513 - Software Testing (3 credits)
- *SE 522 - Software Architecture and Design (3 credits)
- *SE 530 - Software Construction and Delivery (3 credits)
- *SE 537 - Software Quality Assurance (3 credits)
*Designates Classes that are dual-listed courses.
Tracks
All candidates are required to complete one of the following tracks:
Choose a track and take four courses from that track.
Artificial Intelligence and Software Development
Take a total of four courses from the following list:
Choose 2 or 3 courses from the following list:
- AI 501 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- CIS 671 - Information Visualization (3 credits)
- CIS 678 - Machine Learning (3 credits)
Choose 1 or 2 courses from the following list:
- *AI 502 - Generative Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- *AI 511 - AI Ethics and Bias (3 credits)
- *AI 531 - Natural Language Processing (3 credits)
- *AI 541 - Edge AI (3 credits)
- *AI 545 - Machine Learning Operations (3 credits)
- *AI 551 - Reinforcement Learning (3 credits)
- *SE 536 - Data Analytics in Software Engineering (3 credits)
- *SE 537 - Software Quality Assurance (3 credits)
*Designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
Software Security and Assurance
Take a total of four courses from the following list:
Choose 2 or 3 courses from the following list:
- CIS 615 - Information Security Principles (3 credits)
- CIS 616 - Data Security and Privacy (3 credits)
- CIS 619 - Data Analytics for Cybersecurity (3 credits)
Choose 1 or 2 courses from the following list:
- *CIS 518 - Secure Software Engineering (3 credits)
- *CYB 520 - Trustworthy AI (3 credits)
- *SE 537 - Software Quality Assurance (3 credits)
*Designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
IoT and Cloud Computing
Take a total of four courses from the following list:
Required:
Choose two courses from the following list:
- *AI 541 - Edge AI (3 credits)
- *SE 531 - Software Virtualization (3 credits)
- *SE 536 - Data Analytics in Software Engineering (3 credits)
*Designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
Data Driven Software Development
Take a total of four courses from the following list:
Choose four courses from the following list:
- CIS 635 - Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (3 credits)
- CIS 654 - Computer Networking (3 credits)
- CIS 655 - Cloud Applications Development (3 credits)
- CIS 660 - Data Engineering (3 credits)
- CIS 671 - Information Visualization (3 credits)
- CIS 678 - Machine Learning (3 credits)
- *SE 536 - Data Analytics in Software Engineering (3 credits)
*Designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
Full-Stack Development
Take a total of four courses from the following list:
Choose four courses from the following list:
- CIS 641 - Systems Analysis and Design (3 credits)
- CIS 655 - Cloud Applications Development (3 credits)
- CIS 657 - Mobile Application Development (3 credits)
- CIS 658 - Web Architectures (3 credits)
- *SE 531 - Software Virtualization (3 credits)
- *SE 537 - Software Quality Assurance (3 credits)
*Designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
Elective Courses
Students must complete at least three elective credits. Additional elective credits will be required if the project option is chosen to meet the capstone requirement (instead of the thesis option). In this case, up to six credits of electives may be needed. Any College of Computing 500 or 600 level course can be used as an elective toward the M.S. in Software Engineering degree. Note: If students have already completed 12 credit hours of 4xx/5xx dual-listed courses, they must not take additional 4xx/5xx dual-listed courses to fulfill the elective course requirement.
Capstone
Each candidate must complete either the three-credit project course, or the six-credit thesis sequence. Please contact the graduate program director one semester prior to starting any of these.
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