Software Engineering
Qualifications
Overview
Our society relies in many ways on software or software-based systems, for example in transportation, entertainment, telecommunications, government, business, health, and avionics.
Very often software systems have a high degree of complexity, often consisting of millions of lines of code produced by large teams of engineers or programmers. We critically depend on their timely and cost-effective completion, and on their reliable and efficient operation. To meet all these targets, a disciplined and well-founded approach to the design, creation, and operation of software (or software-based systems) under real-world constraints (economical, ethical, technical, legal) is needed.
The Software Engineering programme at UC provides a unique blend of foundational courses in Computer Science and Engineering, and practical work through a series of projects.
- UC has world-class engineering facilities including a futuristic augmented reality lab.
- UC operates BlueGene, the first IBM Supercomputer in the southern hemisphere. UC HPC operates this high performance computing facility, which is available to staff and students and is an essential research tool.
- The College of Engineering | Te Rāngai Pūkaha has specially-designed computer laboratories and software as well as a specialist Engineering and Physical Sciences library.
- See the Engineering subject page for many other reasons why UC's College of Engineering | Te Rāngai Pūkaha is a world-class destination for engineering studies.
Intermediate Year courses (first year)
The first year of the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours is called the Engineering Intermediate Year. For Software Engineering students, this is made up of:
Five compulsory courses taken by all Engineering students:
- ENGR 100 Engineering Academic Skills (0 points, no fees)
- ENGR 101 Foundations of Engineering
- EMTH 118 Engineering Mathematics 1A
- EMTH 119 Engineering Mathematics 1B
- PHYS 101 Engineering Physics A: Mechanics, Waves and Thermal Physics
Plus courses specific to Software Engineering:
- COSC 121 Introduction to Computer Programming
- COSC 122 Introduction to Computer Science
- MATH 120 Discrete Mathematics
In addition you must study at least 15 points of elective courses
To ensure a total workload of 120 points in the first year. It is advisable to check with the College of Engineering | Te Rāngai Pūkaha Student Advisor for suggested electives.
More information:
- To see how this qualification is structured, see the degree diagram on the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours page.
- See the Regulations for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Intermediate Year.
- For guidance on how to structure your Intermediate Year, visit the Intermediate Year webpage.
The Professional Years
Once you have completed the Engineering Intermediate Year and successfully applied for entry into Software Engineering, you will study that discipline within the three professional years.
In all three professional years students 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 professional year. The projects enable students to work in teams and use the latest software technologies to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems.
- The project in the First Professional Year focuses on teamwork and gaining experience with contemporary software engineering tools for testing, or configuration and build management.
- The Second Professional Year project is a whole-year project with a focus on teamwork and interaction with customers and other stakeholders.
- The final-year project in the Third Professional Year is a capstone project in which students apply all of their software engineering skills.
There is a strong demand for software engineering graduates; Aotearoa New Zealand employers have commented that they often have to look overseas to find sufficiently qualified candidates who combine technical expertise with good communication skills and teamwork ability.
Software engineering is a widely applicable discipline and graduates are not only needed in software production companies, but also in many companies whose products involve significant amounts of software.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Software Engineering.
Contact us
Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Phone +64 3 369 2777
Email engdegreeadvice@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
See the Department's website for up-to-date location details.
Postal address
College of Engineering | Te Rāngai Pūkaha
University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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