Master of Science degree in Software Engineering (MS in SE)

[Degree awarded: Master of Science (MS); Major: Software Engineering]

[14 courses]  

Scientific, technical and sophisticated commercial systems developers require education in what has come to be called "software engineering," which encompasses the utilization of sophisticated development tools. This domain focuses on technique-oriented computer science, computational systems software development, and applied research. It emphasizes the quantitative and scientific characteristics in software development. Hardware/software issues, embedded control in hardware, and large software/hardware systems development are all part of this emphasis.

This program would be of interest to persons in computer science, computational science, systems software development, knowledge-based systems, database development, distributed database development, telecommunications, networking, multimedia software development, and neural networks. Students completing this degree almost always will be working in organizations where the MS is the recognized degree, and where most of their colleagues will also hold an MS degree in engineering or a scientific discipline.

Our classes are offered evenings (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and Saturdays for the convenience of scheduled working professionals. Classes meet on our Saint Paul, MN campus and in Rochester, MN.

Entrance Requirements

1. Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in any discipline from an accredited educational institution, and two years of technical or systems software development experience, or completion of the Certification in Information Systems.
2. For students with no industrial software development experience, acceptable bachelor's degrees are computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, or a scientific or technological area; and programming in at least two higher-level languages.
3. Official transcript(s) from all universities/colleges attended bearing an institutional seal sent directly to the Graduate Programs in Software (GPS) office by the issuing institution.
4. For applicants whose native language is not English, a TOEFL (550 or above on the  written version, 213 or above on the computer-based version) or MELAB (85 or above) score is required. TOEFL or MELAB scores more than two years old are not accepted.  Exam bulletins are available from International Admissions at 651-962-6450.
5. An essay stating why the applicant wishes to work toward a master's degree.
6. A grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 or above for undergraduate education.
7. Detailed resume which includes all work experience, job description, and programming languages used.
8. A listing of computing-related courses not appearing on transcripts.

Degree Requirements

To complete the requirements for the Master of Science in software engineering (MS) students must successfully complete 14 courses (42 graduate semester credits) and maintain a GPA of 2.7.

Required Courses

SEIS 601=[CSIS 512] Foundations of Software Development (waived for appropriate prior programming experience)
SEIS 605 =[CSIS 500] Technical Communication
SEIS 610 =[CSIS 510] Software Engineering
SEIS 630 =[CSIS 530] Database Management Systems and Design
SEIS 635 =[CSIS 543] Object-Oriented Application Analysis and Design
SEIS 625 =[CSIS 600] Software Project Management
SEIS 626 =[CSIS 605] Software Quality Assurance/Quality Control
SEIS 640 =[CSIS 610] Operating Systems Design
SEIS 645 =[CSIS 625] Computer and Network Communications

• 5 Electives (6 if SEIS 601=[CSIS512] is waived) from the course list. All courses must be technical courses.
  
• A student may select a related set of courses in an area that provides the student with an in-depth knowledge of that area. Please see "Concentrations" page for more information.
  
• For information on transfer courses, please see Transfer Courses.
  
• A student may take up to 4 courses (12 semester credits) of graduate non-SEIS [CSIS] courses (including transfer courses) as a part of the MS program. All such courses must be approved as "technical" by the GPS Director.

Suggested course sequence with SEIS601 =[CSIS 512] waived:

Semester 1: SEIS 605 =[CSIS 500] and SEIS 610 =[CSIS 510]
Semester 2: SEIS 630 =[CSIS 530]and SEIS 625 =[CSIS 600]
Semester 3: SEIS 635 =[CSIS 543] and SEIS 626 =[CSIS 605]
Semester 4: SEIS 640 =[CSIS 610] and SEIS 645 =[CSIS 625]
Semester 5: 2 Electives
Semester 6: 2 Electives
Semester 7: 2 Electives 

Suggested course sequence with SEIS601 =[CSIS 512] required: 

Semester 1: SEIS 605 =[CSIS 500] and SEIS 601 =[CSIS 512]
Semester 2: SEIS 610 =[CSIS 510] and SEIS 630 =[CSIS 530]
Semester 3: SEIS 635 =[CSIS 543] and SEIS 625 =[CSIS 600]
Semester 4: SEIS 626 =[CSIS 605] and SEIS 640 =[CSIS610T]
Semester 5: SEIS 645 =[CSIS 625] and Elective
Semester 6: 2 Electives
Semester 7: 2 Electives