Software Engineering


Department Head		Dr. Brian Slator
Graduate Coordinator		Dr. Kendall Nygard
Department Location		258 IACC
Telephone Number		(701) 231-8562
Degrees Offered		Ph.D., M.S., Certificate
Application Deadline		April 1 for Summer and Fall, August 1 for Spring
Test Requirements		GRE (M.S. and Ph.D.)
English Proficiency Requirements		TOEFL ibT 79 IELTS 6

Program Description

Software Engineering is focused on the application of systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approaches to the development, operation, and maintenance of software systems. Inclusive of computer programming but going well beyond, Software Engineering is concerned with methodologies, techniques, and tools to manage the entire software life cycle, including development of requirements, specifications, design, testing, maintenance, and project management. The advent of Software Engineering is a natural result of the continuous quest for software quality and reusability, and the maturing of the software development industry.

The Department of Computer Science offers a Graduate Certificate, M.S., and Ph.D. in Software Engineering. The programs are designed to appeal to both full-time students and software professionals who are employed and wish to pursue a program part time. Minimum qualifications for admission are the same as those specified for advanced degrees in Computer Science. For additional information, see www.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu or contact the Director of Software Engineering (701) 231-8189. For a complete listing of courses and faculty, please refer to the Computer Science section.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, applicants must fulfill the program requirements listed below:

Certificate

B.S. or equivalent degree from an accredited university;
Twelve semester hours or equivalent of Computer Science or Software Engineering courses from an accredited university, or at least one year full-time professional software engineering experience;
Programming skill in a modern higher level programming language, preferably C++, C#, or Java.

Master of Science

B.S. or equivalent degree from an accredited university with at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Full-time professional experience may offset this GPA requirement at the rate of 0.1 in GPA for each eighteen months of such experience to a maximum of 0.4 in GPA;
Eighteen semester hours or equivalent in Computer Science from an accredited institution, or at least two years of full-time professional software engineering experience;
Programming skill with one modern higher level programming language, preferably C++, C#, or Java.

Doctor of Philosophy

B.S. or equivalent degree from an accredited university with at least a 3.25 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Significant full-time software development professional experience may offset this GPA requirement at the rate of 0.1 in GPA for each two years of such experience to a maximum of 0.4 in GPA;
Eighteen semester hours or equivalent in Computer Science from an accredited institution, or at least three years of full-time professional software engineering experience;
Programming skill in at least one higher level programming language, preferably C++, C#, or Java.

Degree Requirements

Graduate Certificate

Requires 10 semester credit hours consisting of
CSCI 713 Software Development Processes

Any two of the following five courses:
CSCI 714, Software Project Planning and Estimation
CSCI 715 Software Requirements Definition and Analysis
CSCI 716 Software Design
CSCI 717 Software Construction
CSCI 718 Software Testing and Debugging
One CSCI 790 seminar in an appropriate area as approved by the student's adviser. Examples include:
Database Systems
Extreme Programming
Formal Methods in Software Engineering
Intelligent Agents
An extensive project of approximately one third of a semester incorporated into whichever of the above courses the student and her (his) adviser selected. The project may be job related. This project serves as the capstone experience for the student.

Sample Certificate Combinations:

Software Design: CSCI 713, 715, 716 + Seminar with project in 716
Software Testing: CSCI 713, 714, 718 + Seminar with project in 718.
Software Project Management: CSCI 713, 714, 715 + Seminar with project in 715.
Software Construction: CSCI 713, 716, 717 + Seminar with project in 716 or 717.
Other arrangements could be done as well.

Master of Science in Software Engineering

Program Requirements (33 semester hours)
The Software Engineering Core (12 credits): Students must complete the core within five semesters of their entering the program.

CSCI 713: Software Development Processes
CSCI 765: Introduction to Database Systems
CSCI 716: Software Design
Either CSCI 715: Software Requirements Definition, or CSCI 718: Software Testing and Debugging. Each student selects one of these two courses.
The Software Engineering Comprehensive Examination. This examination shall include integrative questions on the four courses which make up the software engineering core (see 1 above). The exam must be passed within the first seven semesters of their program. Each student is allowed a maximum of two attempts to pass this examination. Students are encouraged to complete the comprehensive examination early in their program.
Six credits (not part of the core) from:

CSCI 714 Software Project Planning and Estimation
CSCI 715 Software Requirements Definition
CSCI 717 Software Construction
CSCI 718 Software Testing and Debugging
CSCI 747 Software Complexity Metrics
CSCI 745 Formal Methods for Software Development
CSCI 746 Development of Distributed Applications
Nine credits of other Computer Science or Computer Engineering courses selected with and approved by the student's graduate advisory committee.
Three CSCI 790 graduate seminars in software engineering areas (1 credit each). These seminars must be approved in advance by the student's graduate adviser (a form is provided for this purpose).
A comprehensive study option (3 credits) paper based on a significant software development project undertaken by the student, perhaps as a member of a team, either at the University or as part of a job. This project will require design, implementation, and testing of a significant piece of computer software.
A Final Oral Examination on the paper and course work. This examination shall include questions on design choices, implementation methods, and testing choices for the student project.

Ph.D. in Software Engineering

Program Requirements (90 semester hours)

All M.S. course requirements (items 1,3,4, and 5 above) or their equivalent in transfer or examination credits.
CSCI 793 Software Development Project (6 semester hours). This course will require the design, implementation, and testing of a significant piece of computer software. This course must be completed successfully before the Qualifying Examination may be attempted. If a student successfully passed the M.S. in Software Engineering Comprehensive Examination at the Ph.D. qualifying level while earlier completing an M.S. at North Dakota State University, the student shall not need to take the Qualifying Examination, but this course must be completed successfully within the first two years of the Ph.D. program.
Satisfactory completion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. This examination will consist of integrative questions on the four core courses described in (1) under the M.S. above. Students must complete this requirement within their first seven semesters of participation in the program.
Twelve hours of course work chosen from the courses listed below and not duplicating any items used to satisfy 1:

CSCI 714 Software Project Planning and Estimation
CSCI 715 Software Requirements Definition
CSCI 716 Software Design
CSCI 717 Software Construction
CSCI 718 Software Testing and Debugging
CSCI 747 Software Complexity Metrics
CSCI 745 Formal Methods for Software Development
CSCI 746 Development of Distributed Applications
Six hours of additional course work in Computer Science or Computer Engineering chosen by the student and his advisor and approved by the Student's Advisory Committee.
Thirty-six semester credit hours for research, preparation, and defense of a dissertation in Software Engineering. These hours will be graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.

Additional course work requirements:

Beyond the M.S. degree, a maximum of 9 credits of course work can be transferred.
The 90 credits may include a maximum of 15 credits of non-didactic courses (independent studies and seminar hours). Seminars are limited to four of those credits.

The student's advisory committee, the department chair, and the graduate dean all must approve the course work on the plan of study at least two semesters before graduation.

Click here for course descriptions.

North Dakota State University

Graduate School