Welcome
Welcome to McGill, welcome to the School of Computer Science, and most of all, welcome to the Software Engineering Program. On this page you'll find all the information you'll need to determine if the Software Engineering Program is the right choice for you.
Background Info
The
School of Computer Science offers a new B.Sc. Major program in Software Engineering since Fall 2002. This B.Sc. program is offered through the
Faculty of Science. The program is closely related to the one in computer science, but puts more emphasis on software development related activities, such as programming techniques, object-orientation, software processes (requirements engineering and analysis, design), project planning, quality assurance, and fault tolerance. Students choosing the software engineering option will also do more practical work, for example participate in larger group projects.
In addition to the B.Sc. Major program in Software Engineering offered by the School of Computer Science, a Bachelor of Software Engineering (B.S.E.) program is offered through the Faculty of Engineering. Details of the program can be found on the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering homepage.
FAQ
This section contains answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Software Engineering Program.
- What's the difference between the a Computer Science Major and a Software Engineering Major?
Well, first of all, the computer science major is 60 credits, whereas the software engineering major requires 69 credits (similar to the honours computer science program). This means that you have to take more computer science related courses if you go for software engineering. Also, the list of required and complementary courses in software engineering is more practical-oriented than the general computer science one. In addition, several development projects are mandatory.
- Why should I choose the Software Engineering Major offered by the School of Computer Science, and not the one offered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering?
Although the two programs look similar at first sight, they are actually quite different due to the fact that they are offered by different faculties.The software engineering major offered by the School of Computer Science leads to a B.Sc. in Software Engineering. It's a 69 credit program (out of a total of 90 credits), and requires usually 3 years to complete. As mentioned above, the required and complementary courses focus on the development-oriented part of computer science. The program offered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering leads to a accredited B.S.E. This means that at the end you are an official "engineer", but this also means that you have to pass through all engineering-related courses (e.g. physics,chemistry). The total number of credits required to complete your studies is 108, which requires at least 3.5 years of studies.
You can also download a pdf version of the slides presented at the student orientation session in August.
Labs & Professors
As mentioned above, the Software Engineering Program emphasizes practical work. During your stay at McGill you will be in contact with, attend classes, or even perform projects under the supervision of most of our system-related professors. If already now you want to know more about them and their current research activities, follow the links below:
Of course, during your studies you'll also encounter most of the other professors of the School of Computer Science. If you like pictures, check out the faculty photo webpage.
Professors Kienzle, Vangheluwe and Verbrugge are Sofware Engineering advisors. You can make an appointment with them via Ms. Lisa Hartley, send them an e-mail, or drop by during their office hours.
Study Schedule
Click
here to get to the approved study schedule.
Examples
Click here to get more information on what you will learn during your software engineering studies, and what kind of applications you are going to develop.
