Software Engineering (BS) - UT Dallas 2021 Undergraduate Catalog (2024)

Department of Computer Science

Software Engineering (BS)

The Computer Science Department offers the BS degree in Computer Science and the BS degree in Software Engineering. Both are based on a solid foundation of mathematics, including calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics. These programs of study are designed to offer students opportunities to prepare for an industrial, business, or governmental career in a rapidly changing profession and to prepare for graduate study in a field in which further education is strongly recommended. The two programs have the same basis in core computer science, including the analysis of algorithms and data structures, modern programming methodologies, and the study of operating systems. The Computer Science program continues with courses in advanced data structures, programming languages, telecommunications networks, and automata theory, while the Software Engineering program include courses in requirements engineering, software validation and testing, and software architecture, culminating in a challenging project course in which students must demonstrate use of software engineering techniques. Both programs offer a rich choice of elective studies, including courses in artificial intelligence, computer graphics, databases, and compiler design.

The school offers a "fast track" BS / MS option; see Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degree Program.

Mission of the Department of Computer Science

The mission of the Department of Computer Science is to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for productive careers in industry, academia, and government by providing an outstanding environment for teaching, learning, and research in the theory and applications of computing. The Department places high priority on establishing and maintaining innovative research programs to enhance its education quality and make it an important regional, national, and international resource center for discovering, integrating and applying new knowledge and technologies.

Goals of the Software Engineering Program

The focus of the Software Engineering degree is to provide world class education in modern software engineering. The overall goals of the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering Program are:

  • To prepare students for software engineering positions in industry or government.
  • To prepare students for graduate study in Software Engineering.
  • To provide a solid foundation in Computer Science and Software Engineering principles that will allow graduates to adapt effectively in a quickly changing field.

Program Educational Objectives for Software Engineering

Within a few years after graduation, graduates of the Software Engineering Program should:

  • Have a successful, long-lived, software engineering based career path.
  • Meet the needs of industry or academia.
  • Contribute to, and/or lead, software engineering based teams.
  • Actively pursue continuing (lifelong) learning.

ABET Accreditation

The BS program in Software Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering

Degree Requirements (123 semester credit hours)1

View an Example of Degree Requirements by Semester

Faculty

FACG> ecs-software-engineering-bs,ecs-computer-science-bs

Professors: Farokh B. Bastani, Sergey Bereg, R. Chandrasekaran, Ovidiu Daescu, Yvo G. Desmedt, Ding-Zhu Du, András Faragó, Paul Fishwick, Xiaohu Guo, Gopal Gupta, Zygmunt Haas, Kevin Hamlen, Sanda M. Harabagiu, Dung T. Huynh, Jason Jue, Murat Kantarcioglu, Latifur Khan, Andrian Marcus, Dan I. Moldovan, Sriraam Natarajan, Yu-Chung (Vincent) Ng, Tien Nguyen, Simeon C. Ntafos, Ivor P. Page, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Ravi Prakash, Kamil Sarac, Haim Schweitzer, Bhavani Thuraisingham, Subbarayan Venkatesan, W. Eric Wong, Weili Wu, I-Ling Yen, Kang Zhang

Associate Professors: Lawrence Chung, Jorge A. Cobb, Vibhav Gogate, Cong Liu, Benjamin Raichel, Nicholas Ruozzi, Rym Zalila-Wenkstern

Assistant Professors: Kyle Fox, Shuang Hao, Chung Hwan Kim, Jin Kim, Shiyi Wei

Professors Emeriti: William J. Pervin, Balaji Raghavachari, Ivan Hal Sudborough, Klaus Truemper

Professors of Instruction: Ebru Cankaya, John Cole, Timothy (Tim) Farage, Richard Goodrum, Shyam Karrah, Pushpa Kumar, Nhut Nguyen, Greg Ozbirn, Miguel Razo-Razo

Associate Professors of Instruction: Sridhar Alagar, Gordon Arnold, Anjum Chida, Wei Pang Chin, Bhadrachalam Chitturi, Michael Christiansen, Chris I. Davis, Karen Doore, Neeraj Gupta, Khiem Le, Mehra Nouroz Borazjany, Mark Paulk, Stephen Perkins, Jason W. Smith, Laurie Thompson, Jeyakesavan (Jey) Veerasamy, James Willson, Nurcan Yuruk

Assistant Professors of Instruction: Eric Becker, Scott Dollinger, Ranran Feng, Gity Karami, Kamran Khan, Karen Mazidi, Richard K. Min, Anarag Nagar, Elmer Salazar, Meghana Satpute, Klyne Smith, Nidhiben Solanki

I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours2

Communication: 6 semester credit hours

RHET 1302 Rhetoric

ECS 3390 Professional and Technical Communication3

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Communication Core courses (see advisor)

Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours

MATH 2413 Differential Calculus4

or MATH 2417 Calculus I4

Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Mathematics Core courses (see advisor)

Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours

PHYS 2325 Mechanics5

PHYS 2326 Electromagnetism and Waves5

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences Core courses (see advisor)

Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours

Select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture Core courses (see advisor)

Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours

Select any 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts Core courses (see advisor)

American History: 6 semester credit hours

Select any 6 semester credit hours from American History Core courses (see advisor)

Government/Political Science: 6 semester credit hours

GOVT 2305 American National Government

GOVT 2306 State and Local Government

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Government/Political Science Core courses (see advisor)

Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours

Select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral Sciences Core courses (see advisor)

Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours

MATH 2417 Calculus I4

MATH 2419 Calculus II4

PHYS 2125 Physics Laboratory I5

Or select any 6 semester credit hours from Component Area Option Core courses (see advisor)

II. Major Requirements: 74 semester credit hours

Major Preparatory Courses: 24 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum

ECS 1100 Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science6

CS 1200 Introduction to Computer Science and Software Engineering

CS 1136 Computer Science Laboratory

CS 1336 Programming Fundamentals

CS 1337 Computer Science I

CS 2305 Discrete Mathematics for Computing I

CS 2336 Computer Science II

MATH 2413 Differential Calculus4

or MATH 2417 Calculus I4

MATH 2414 Integral Calculus4

or MATH 2419 Calculus II4

MATH 2418 Linear Algebra

PHYS 2125 Physics Laboratory I5

PHYS 2126 Physics Laboratory II

PHYS 2325 Mechanics5

PHYS 2326 Electromagnetism and Waves5

SE 2340 Computer Architecture

Major Core Courses: 38 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum

SE 3162 Professional Responsibility in Computer Science and Software Engineering

SE 3306 Mathematical Foundations of Software Engineering

SE 3341 Probability and Statistics in Computer Science and Software Engineering

CS 3345 Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis

CS 3354 Software Engineering

SE 3377 Systems Programming in UNIX and Other Environments

ECS 3390 Professional and Technical Communication7

SE 4347 Database Systems

CS 4348 Operating Systems Concepts

SE 4351 Requirements Engineering

SE 4352 Software Architecture and Design

SE 4367 Software Testing, Verification, Validation and Quality Assurance

SE 4381 Software Project Planning and Management

SE 4485 Software Engineering Project

Major Guided Electives: 12 semester credit hours

SE guided electives are 4000 level CS/SE courses approved by the student's CS/SE advisor. The following courses may be used as guided electives without the explicit approval of an advisor:

CS 4141 Digital Systems Laboratory

CS 4314 Intelligent Systems Analysis

CS 4315 Intelligent Systems Design

CS 4334 Numerical Analysis

CS 4337 Programming Language Paradigms

CS 4341 Digital Logic and Computer Design

CS 4349 Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis

CS 4352 Human-Computer Interaction I

CS 4353 Human-Computer Interaction II

CS 4361 Computer Graphics

CS 4365 Artificial Intelligence

CS 4375 Introduction to Machine Learning

CS 4384 Automata Theory

CS 4386 Compiler Design

CS 4389 Data and Applications Security

CS 4390 Computer Networks

CS 4391 Introduction to Computer Vision

CS 4392 Computer Animation

CS 4393 Computer and Network Security

CS 4394 Implementation of Modern Operating Systems

CS 4395 Human Language Technologies

CS 4396 Networking Laboratory

CS 4397 Embedded Computer Systems

CS 4398 Digital Forensics

CS 4485 Computer Science Project

EE 4325 Introduction to VLSI Design

SE 4376 Object-Oriented Design

SE 4399 Senior Honors in Software Engineering

Any other organized SE 4300-level course

Application Domains: 9 semester credit hours

An important aspect of Software Engineering education is the use of software engineering concepts in a particular application domain. Students should use two or three of their guided electives to complete one of the applications domains below. Additional application domains may become available. Completing an application domain may require careful scheduling since many of these classes will not be offered every semester. It is strongly encouraged that you consult with an advisor. Courses in each of the domain can be substituted by other appropriate elective courses offered in a particular semester with consent of the Computer Science Department.

Networks: 9 semester credit hours

CS 4390 Computer Networks

CS 4393 Computer and Network Security

CS 4396 Networking Laboratory

Information Assurance: 9 semester credit hours

CS 4389 Data and Applications Security

CS 4393 Computer and Network Security

CS 4398 Digital Forensics

Embedded Systems: 9 semester credit hours

CS 4141 Digital Systems Laboratory

CS 4341 Digital Logic and Computer Design

CS 4397 Embedded Computer Systems

CS 4348 Operating Systems Concepts

Computer Imaging: 9 semester credit hours

CS 4361 Computer Graphics

CS 4391 Introduction to Computer Vision

CS 4392 Computer Animation

Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Modeling: 9 semester credit hours; take 3 of 5

CS 4314 Intelligent Systems Analysis

CS 4315 Intelligent Systems Design

CS 4365 Artificial Intelligence

CS 4375 Introduction to Machine Learning

CS 4395 Human Language Technologies

Human-Computer Interaction: 9 semester credit hours

CS 4352 Human-Computer Interaction I

CS 4353 Human-Computer Interaction II

CS 4361 Computer Graphics

III. Elective Requirements: 7 semester credit hours

Free Electives: 7 semester credit hours

All students must accumulate at least 123 semester credit hours of university credit to graduate. Both lower- and upper-division courses may count as free electives but students must complete at least 51 semester credit hours of upper-division courses to qualify for graduation

Degree programs in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science are governed by various accreditation boards that place restrictions on classes used to meet the curricular requirements of degrees they certify. For this reason, not all classes offered by the University can be used to meet elective requirements. Please check with your academic advisor before enrolling in classes you hope to use as free electives.

Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degrees

In response to the need for post-baccalaureate education in the exciting field of software engineering, a Fast Track program is available to well-qualified UT Dallas undergraduate students. Qualified seniors may take up to 15 graduate semester credit hours that may be used to complete the baccalaureate degree and also to satisfy the requirements for the master's degree. Interested students should see the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (ADU) for specific requirements.

Interested students should see the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (ADU) for specific admission requirements to the Fast Track program.

Honors Programs

The Department of Computer Science offers an Honors Program called Computer Science Computing Scholars (CS2). (CS2) is an intense Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Degree Program created for exceptionally gifted students who wish to pursue a demanding course of study enriched throughout with research experiences. The Computing Scholars Program has a specially designed curriculum. Courses integrate discussion of current research, recent discoveries, and open problems into a rich logical progression of firmly related topics. Course numbers for the Core Curriculum Requirements and Major Requirements are the same as those for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, but Computing Scholars take honors versions of the following courses: ECS 1100, CS 2305, CS 2340, CS 3305, CS 3341, CS 3345, CS 3354, CS 4141, CS 4337, CS 4341, CS 4348, CS 4349, CS 4384, CS 4485.

Admission to the program is mainly by nomination and invitation. Those invited to join the Computing Scholars Honors Program will have successfully completed a full and challenging high school curriculum, will have achieved high scores on the SAT or ACT tests, and will be about to graduate from high school, or equivalent, with high class rank.

Successful participants will graduate with the added distinction of a Computing Scholars Honors Diploma.

For more information about this program students should contact the Computer Science Department leadership.

Minors

Minor in Software Engineering: 21 semester credit hours

Students majoring in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or Software Engineering cannot add a minor in Software Engineering.

A minor in Software Engineering requires 21 semester credit hours earned through the following courses:

CS 1337 Computer Science I

CS 2305 Discrete Mathematics for Computing I

CS 2336 Computer Science II

SE 3306 Mathematical Foundations of Software Engineering

CS 3345 Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis

CS 3354 Software Engineering

SE Elective (any 4000-level organized SE class)

Certificates

Certificate in Information Assurance

9 semester credit hours

A Certificate in Information Assurance is offered by the Department of Computer Science. It can be obtained by completing the following (as well as any required prerequisites):

CS 4389 Data and Applications Security

CS 4393 Computer and Network Security

CS 4398 Digital Forensics

Students that complete the Minor in Information Assurance will not be awarded certificates in Information Assurance.

1. Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of UNIV 1010 and the corresponding school-related freshman seminar course. Students, including transfer students, who complete their core curriculum at UT Dallas must take UNIV 2020.

2. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses. The courses listed are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.

3. Semester credit hours fulfill the communication component of the Core Curriculum.

4. Three semester credit hours of Calculus are counted under Mathematics Core, and five semester credit hours of Calculus are counted as Component Area Option Core.

5. Six semester credit hours of Physics are counted under Science core, and one semester credit hour of Physics (PHYS 2125) is counted as Component Area Option Core.

6. Transfer students with sufficient background may petition to substitute upper-division semester credit hours in the major for this class.

7. Semester credit hours fulfill the communication elective of the Core Curriculum.

Software Engineering (BS) - UT Dallas 2021 Undergraduate Catalog (2024)

FAQs

What is UT Dallas software engineering ranked? ›

The 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings placed the UT Dallas undergraduate CS program at no. 71 and the Software Engineering program at No. 16, among private and public national universities in the US.

What is the acceptance rate for UT Dallas engineering? ›

Last year, the 5194 hopefuls applied for acceptance for a seat in the various engineering departments at masters level - and 2445 were accepted for an acceptance rate over 45%.

Does UT Dallas have a good computer science program? ›

The department also has done well in placement rankings with Computer Science Degree Hub ranking the UT Dallas Computer Science BS and MS Programs Rank in the Top 50. Similar to the rest of the world of computing, AI is an intensely multidisciplinary field.

What is the difference between computer science and software engineering at UT Dallas? ›

The computer science program continues with courses in advanced data structures, programming languages, and automata theory, whereas the software engineering program includes courses in requirements engineering, software validation and testing, and software architecture, culminating in a challenging project course in ...

Is UT Dallas a Tier 1 university? ›

The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), founded in 1960, is a Tier 1 public research university.

Is Dallas a good city for software engineers? ›

According to Glassdoor's 2023 report, the average base salary for a Software Engineer in Dallas-Fort Worth is a whopping $123,453 per year. That's way higher than the national median of $110,000 for software developers. Our research on Indeed found an average base salary of $103,809 in Dallas.

What is the easiest college to get into at UT? ›

Majors within the College of Liberal Arts, College of Natural Sciences (excluding Computer Science), and the College of Education tend to have slightly higher acceptance rates.

Is UT Dallas hard to get into? ›

The acceptance rate at UT Dallas is 84.7%.

This means the school is lightly selective. The school will have their expected requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you meet their requirements, you're almost certain to get an offer of admission.

Is UT Dallas a prestigious school? ›

The University of Texas at Dallas is ranked #115 out of 439 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Is UTD or UNT better for computer science? ›

Academics: UTD is generally considered to have stronger academic programs in fields like engineering, computer science, and business.

What majors is UT Dallas known for? ›

The most popular majors at The University of Texas at Dallas include: Computer and Information Sciences, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Digital Arts; Psychology, General; Information Technology; Finance, General; Neuroscience; Mechanical Engineering; Accounting; and Health Services/Allied Health/Health ...

Is UT or A&M better for computer science? ›

If you're more focused on your Computer Science degree and being close to industry opportunities, UTD may be the better choice. However, if a strong campus life, school spirit, and sports are essential components for your college experience, Texas A&M may be more suitable for you.

Is it better to major in computer science or software engineering? ›

Both degree programs prepare students for careers in computer programming and software engineering. A computer science degree, however, can equip students to pursue a broader range of careers and leadership roles in fields such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, computer architecture, and project management.

Which Bachelor's degree is best for a software engineer? ›

What is Required to Become a Software Engineer? "Most software engineering jobs require at least a bachelor's degree," Frederick said. A bachelor's degree in software engineering is ideal, but studying computer science or other STEM programs such as math, science or engineering could help as well.

What is UT Dallas engineering ranked? ›

The University of Texas at Dallas (Jonsson) 2024 Engineering Program & Specialties Rankings. The University of Texas at Dallas (Jonsson) is ranked No. 75 (tie) out of 199 in Best Engineering Schools.

Does UT Dallas have a good engineering program? ›

One of the top public engineering schools in Texas, the Jonsson School has robust undergraduate offerings and a vibrant internship program that places hundreds of undergraduates a year in positions where they earn valuable experience.

What rank is UT engineering program? ›

No. 8 best engineering graduate program in the nation (U.S. News and World Report) No. 10 best engineering program in the world (Academic Ranking of World Universities)

What is UT Dallas bioengineering ranked? ›

The UT Dallas Department of Bioengineering achieved its highest U.S. News and World Report ranking: No. 3 among Texas public universities, No. 33 among U.S. public universities and No. 61 among U.S. universities!

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