Master of Software Engineering (MC-SOFTENG) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this course, graduates will:

• Apply the fundamental software engineering principles including software processes, project management, requirement analysis, modelling, design, architecture, implementation and testing in practice;
• Apply the advanced software engineering topics including designing secure and reliable software, high integrity systems, distributed systems and advanced software architectures in practice;
• Synthesise software engineering knowledge to plan, manage, analyse, design and implement software products using appropriate processes;
• Demonstrate problem solving and trouble-shooting skills in software engineering that may be applied in professional practice;
• Demonstrate proficiency over established and emerging engineering methods and tools to solve practical engineering problems;
• Discuss the basic principles underlying the management of physical, human and financial resources;
• Effectively work in teams to solve complex, open-ended software engineering problems that require significant research and exploration;
• Effectively communicate designs, analysis, and justifications in verbal and written form, enabling meaningful contributions to the changes facing society;
• Identify important issues relevant to sectors influenced by software engineering, such as the sustainability of resources, the efficient operation of all processes and privacy and security in the age of the internet; and,
• Demonstrate professional ethical behaviour and responsibilities towards their profession and the community, including having positive and responsible approaches to sustainable development, process and personal safety, management of information and professional integrity.

Generic skills

• An ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature;
• well-developed problem-solving abilities, characterised by flexibility of approach;
• advanced competencies in engineering professional expertise and scholarship;
• a capacity to articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written forms of communications;
• an advanced understanding of the international context and sensitivities
• a capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work;
• an ability to evaluate and choose software technologies and frameworks for their work
• a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship;
• an appreciation of the ways in which advanced knowledge equips the student to offer leadership in the specialist area;
• the capacity to value and participate in projects which require team-work;
• an understanding of the significance and value of their knowledge to the wider community (including business and industry);
• a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society; and,
• advanced working skills in the application of  processes, principles and technologies, and a receptiveness to the opportunities offered by new technologies.