Software Engineering
Qualifications
Overview
Our society relies in many ways on software or software-based systems, for example in transportation, telecommunications, health, and avionics.
Software systems can have a high degree of complexity, often consisting of millions of lines of code produced by large teams of software engineers or developers. We critically depend on timely and cost-effective completion of software systems, and on their reliable and efficient operation.
To meet all these goals, a disciplined approach is needed to design, create, operate and deliver software systems under real-world constraints (economical, ethical, technical, legal).
- Work on challenging team-based projects, sometimes with industry.
- Benefit from specially-designed computer laboratories and software as well as access to a specialist Te Puna Pūkaha me te Pūtaiao | Engineering and Physical Sciences library.
First year
The first year of the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is made up of six compulsory courses taken by all Engineering students, plus courses specific to Software Engineering:
You also need to complete one other 100-level elective course. Check with a Student Advisor for suggested options.
More information:
- To view what this degree will look like, see the degree diagram on the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours page.
- For guidance on how to structure your first year, visit the Engineering First Year webpage.
2nd–4th years
Once you have completed the first year and successfully applied for entry into Software Engineering, you will study that discipline within the next three years.
In all three years you will take foundational and advanced courses in core Computer Science and Software Engineering topics, such as databases, operating systems human-computer interaction, web-based systems, and software design and testing. Courses use a mixture of lectures, lab work, and practical projects.
An important feature of studying Software Engineering at UC is the projects, one for each year. The projects enable you to work in teams and use the latest software technologies to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems.
- The project in the second year focuses on teamwork and gaining experience with contemporary software engineering tools for testing, or configuration and build management.
- The third-year project is a whole-year project with a focus on teamwork and interaction with customers and other stakeholders.
- The final-year project is a capstone project in which you will apply all of your software engineering skills.
Second year
- Complete the following list of courses
- EMTH210 Engineering Mathematics 2 OR MATH220 Discrete Mathematics and Cryptography
Plus one of:
- COSC264 Introduction to Computer Networks and the Internet
- EMTH211 Engineering Linear Algebra and Statistics
- MATH230 Logic, Automata, and Computability
Third year
- Complete the following list of courses
Plus two courses chosen from the electives list, or any approved 300-level Engineering courses.
Fourth year
- Complete the following list of courses
Plus another four approved 400-level courses chosen from COSC, ENCE, and/or SENG.
Software engineering is a widely applicable discipline — graduates are not only needed in software companies, but also in many companies whose products involve significant amounts of software, such as finance, agriculture, health, education, and more. Due to the advancing field of Software Engineering, you will be able to work anywhere in Aotearoa or overseas.
Some career pathways could include:
- Software engineer and developer
- Software architect
- Game developer
- IT Consultant.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Software Engineering.
Contact us
Te Tari Pūhanga Pūmanawa Rorohiko | Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Phone +64 3 369 2777
Email csseadministration@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Levels 2 and 3, Jack Erskine building – see campus maps
Postal address
Te Kaupeka Pūhanga | Faculty of Engineering
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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