M.Sc. in Computing: Software Engineering

M.Sc. in Computing, specialization: Software Engineering (Faculty of Computing), duration: 3 semesters, 90 ECTS points

The term “software engineering” was coined in 1968, during the NATO conference in Garmish. It was used in response to the problems associated with a software development that then still young IT sector was facing.

Although more than 40 years have passed, software development in many IT companies is still chaotic. Software is frequently delivered after the deadline, it costs much more than anticipated at the beginning, developers are often forced to work over-hours, and despite all these efforts, the software that is delivered does not meet customer needs and contains too many defects.

The goal of Software Engineering as a discipline is to deliver solutions that can be used to mitigate the problems associated with software development by applying engineering methods to its development. Since 1998, Poznan University of Technology offers an M.Sc. program in Software Engineering. The curriculum aims at providing graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform three important roles in IT projects:

• Project Manager – project management methodologies, risk management, planning (size and effort estimation of software development);
• Analyst – business process modeling, elicitation of functional and non-functional requirements for information systems, and preparation of acceptance tests;
• Architect, senior developer – object-oriented design, software architectures, real-time systems, and software testing.

An important element of the curriculum is the Software Development Studio (SDS). This is a very practical form of studying. During the SDS course, students are involved in projects delivering real software for real customers. Therefore, they have an opportunity to use different methods, standards, and tools for software development in practice.

Each team is composed of four 4th-year students working towards a Bachelor's Degree and two or three students from the M.Sc. program in Software Engineering. Fourth-year students play the roles of designers and programmers, while the Software Engineering students are supposed to act as project managers, analysts or architects.

All the courses offered within the M.Sc. program in Software Engineering are in English. The candidates should have a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics or related fields.

Key Information

• University: Poznan University of Technology Poznan, POLAND
• Degree to be obtained: Master of Science
• Program website: M.SC. IN COMPUTING
• Contact: International Relations Office ul. Piotrowo 5, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
  Language of instruction: English
• ECTS points: 90
• Duration: 1.5 years (3 semesters)
• Program begins: end of February
• Program ends: end of June
• Deadline for application: 3 months before the course starts - end of November
• Mode of instruction: Lectures, classes, laboratory classes, projects, internships