College of Engineering adds software engineering major

Students in UNL's Department of Computer Science and Engineering study and collaborate in a workspace in Avery Hall. The College of Engineering has added a software engineering major, which will begin in the fall.

Students interested in designing, developing and analyzing complex software systems can now major in software engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Incoming freshmen will begin in fall 2016 in a cohort that will continue together until graduation.

The new major is one of 40 such programs in the United States, and UNL is the first Big Ten university to offer this type of program. The major is housed in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the College of Engineering, and offered on Lincoln’s City Campus. The department also offers undergraduate degrees in computer science and computer engineering.

“There is a definite need for software engineering graduates who are skilled in the design and maintenance of software-intensive systems,” said Matthew Dwyer, chair of the department. “At UNL, we are combining the best practices in research-based instructional methods with hands-on experiences, world-class software engineering faculty and industry partnerships to train students to contribute to the high-tech workforce in Nebraska and the country.”

Key elements of the new major include a four-semester course sequence beginning the freshmen year that teaches computing fundamentals in the context of software systems engineering, an emphasis on project and group-based learning, a required internship and a two-year capstone sequence with industry interaction.

The College of Engineering now offers 13 majors on its campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Students interested in learning more about this program or other engineering majors can click here.