Bachelor of Engineering with Honours- Software Engineering
The software engineering programme provides a unique blend of foundational courses in computer science and engineering, and practical work through a series of projects. The projects provide excellent opportunities to develop skills as a team player, to develop creative solutions to complex and challenging problems, to implement these solutions and turn them into usable systems, and to work with recent and exciting software technologies.
We’re often asked about the difference between a Software Engineering degree and a Computer Science degree. Both degrees have many courses in common, but here are some key differences:
Software Engineering is part of a B.E.(Hons), which is a four-year degree that has a fairly strict structure, including prescribed first year (intermediate) courses, and three professional years with most courses prescribed; you must also complete practical work requirements. There is a strong focus on large projects and teamwork.
Computer Science is part of a B.Sc. degree, which is initially a three-year degree, but if you do well you can then continue to a 1-year B.Sc. (Hons). The degree is extremely flexible, and can be done with a very heavy emphasis on computer science, or could have a minimal core of computing and be combined with a second major. Computer Science graduates can take most of the software engineering papers, but will tend to do more of the technical computing topics such as graphics, artificial intelligence, networks and security. There are no practical work requirements for the B.Sc., although students are well advised to get experience where they can via summer jobs.
There is strong demand for graduates in both areas, and our advice is to choose the direction that suits your interests the best.
- Entry requirements to the BE(Hons)
- Information on the qualification, including required Intermediate year papers
- List of available papers for professional years
- Frequently Asked Questions
Contact
Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Telephone: +64 3 364 2362
Email: admin@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz