Course details

Summary

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.

In all three professional years students take foundational and advanced courses in core Computer Science and Software Engineering topics, such as databases, operating systems, human-computer interaction, web-based systems, 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 team work 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 team work 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.

Qualification structure and duration

The first year of the degree is called the Engineering Intermediate Year and comprises nine courses (120 points) which is made up of:

• five compulsory courses and
• four further Intermediate Year courses which vary depending on which Engineering discipline you want to specialise in. The Intermediate Year is followed by three Professional Years of study in one of the Engineering disciplines. Entry to the Professional Years is limited and based on your performance in the first year(s). These years will focus on the relevant knowledge and skills you will need in your chosen discipline. During your degree you will complete 100 days (800 hours) of practical work placement.

Career opportunities

There is a strong demand for Software Engineering graduates; New Zealand employers have been complaining that they 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.

Entry criteria

NCEA entrance requirements - You should aim to have at least: 14 credits in Level 3 maths or calculus including both differentiation and integration; 14 credits in Level 3 physics; 14 credits in Level 3 chemistry. 18 credits are strongly recommended in all subjects.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma -You will need to have: IB Score of 26 points; minimum of 4 HL (or 6 SL) in each of math's and physics (HL is recommended); minimum of 4 HL (or 6 SL) in chemistry.

Cambridge International Examination (CIE) - You will need to have: CIE Score of 140 points; maths and physics - D grade or better at A level or A in AS level; chemistry - D grade or better at A level or A in AS level.

Alternatively the Intermediate can be completed in more than one year (maximum of two years) with a minimum requirement of: CIE Score of 140 Points; D Grade at A-Level or C Grade at AS-Level in Mathematics; D Grade at A-Level or C Grade at AS-Level in Physics; preferably C Grade at AS-Level in Chemistry (discipline specific).

If you have not studied one or more of the required subjects, or did not achieve enough credits, but have University Entrance, you may consider an introductory pathway such as: taking a Head start summer course to catch up or; take an introductory course in specific Science subjects to start with (eg, MATH 101, PHYS 111 and CHEM 114). You could then take the Intermediate Year courses in Semester 2 and over summer, or do an extra year of study.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.