Thu, Nov 9th, 2023 - 3:53pm
November 02, 2022 - 9:43am | By Kyle Cornell
(Fargo, ND) -- A growing field of need is getting some attention, courtesy of NDSU.
The college is set to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in software engineering, starting in fall 2023. The program will be a joint offering of the Department of Computer Science and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“In recent years, the demand for software engineers has increased significantly across the United States. These positions require design expertise in both software and principles of hardware design,” said Ben Braaten, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering. “The degree program is a great blend for careers in engineering, software development, cybersecurity, web development, mobile app development and gaming, to name a few.”
There have been 1,509 software engineering related job postings in the past 12 months in North Dakota, according to data available through Hanover Research. Employment in the discipline is expected to grow 19% over the next 10 years.
Software engineering involves the application of approaches to the development and maintenance of software systems. The degree is recommended for students who want careers as a software engineer or software developer.
NDSU’s curriculum will include courses in computer science and electrical and computer engineering, along with a relevant mathematics background.
“Software engineering is a sub-discipline of computer science focusing on the software development process which includes requirement analysis, design, implementation and testing,” said Simone Ludwig, professor and chair of computer science. “In the software engineering curriculum, we will have two tracks – one called the Systems Programming track, which focuses on embedded systems, and the Applications Development track, which centers on methodologies, techniques and tools to manage the software development life cycle.”
Students earning a bachelor’s degree in software engineering could pursue related careers with average yearly earnings in North Dakota between $75,400 and $143,800.
