As you pursue a software engineering master's degree your educational experience will parallel the realities of the industry as you learn how to define, design, develop, and deliver modern software. Utilize computer science theories to create software that allows computers to meet the demands of an ever-changing, technologically-dependent society. Conduct research in many areas including data science for software engineering, artificial intelligence applications in software engineering, software modeling. Gain hands-on experience through team-based projects that help you master modern software engineering techniques.

RIT is renowned for its cooperative education program, one of the oldest and largest programs in the world. Co-op is full-time, paid work experience in industry. A number of graduates from the software engineering master's degree are employed at companies such as Citrix, SpaceX, Intuit, Amazon, Microsoft, and many others.

Since these systems are rarely the result of a single individual's effort, RIT's master's in software engineering focuses on a team-based approach that recognizes the significant role teams play in the design, development, and implementation of software systems of varying size and complexity. You will be actively engaged in software architecture, software security, and mining of software repositories research. And, you will be involved in the software engineering department's emerging areas of research in data science for software engineering and software engineering for data science. As a result, our software engineering master's degree prepares you to contribute to and lead software development projects from day one. 

Software Engineering Courses

RIT's master's in software engineering accepts students from many educational backgrounds, including recent undergraduates and professionals interested in pursuing a software engineering career. An introductory course, Software Construction, helps students get up to speed on programming and basic computing concepts. We also have an introductory core course, Software Engineering Fundamentals. Students with degrees in engineering, science, business, and education have all bee successful graduates of our program. Our students master modern software engineering techniques in a team setting using state-of-the-art tools and platforms.

With careful selection of your electives and the topics chosen for your course projects and capstone project or thesis research, you may focus on core software engineering topics, or you may specialize in the applications of software engineering to numerous fields, including:

• Data Science: Courses are available in areas such as Foundations of Data Science, Software Engineering for Data Science, Applied Data Science, Engineering Cloud Software Systems, etc.
• Full-Stack Web Development: Courses are available in areas such as Software Architecture, Client Design and Development, Server Design and Development, and Secure Web Application Development.
• Technology and Project Management: You may take courses from RIT’s MS in business analytics or MS in technology innovation management and entrepreneurship.

In RIT's software engineering department, you will learn and receive personalized attention from faculty who are working in many areas of software engineering and its applications. Outfitted with the latest hardware and software technology, our facilities include studio labs, project labs, team rooms, a collaboration lab, and a real-time and embedded systems lab–all designed to help you collaborate on projects, polish your skills, and collaborate with faculty. The department has partnered with a number of software companies to provide you with access to a wide range of software products for learning and research.

Software Engineering (thesis option), MS degree, typical course sequence
Course    Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
SWEN-601    Software Construction    3
SWEN-610    Foundations of Software Engineering    3
SWEN-640    Research Methods    3
SWEN-746    Model-Driven Development    3
SWEN-732    Collaborative Software Development    3
     
Elective
3
Second Year
SWEN-755    Software Architecture    3
SWEN-777    Software Quality Assurance    3
SWEN-790    Thesis    6
SWEN-799    Independent Study    3
     
Elective
3
Total Semester Credit Hours    
36
Software engineering (capstone option), MS degree, typical course sequence
Course    Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
SWEN-601    Software Construction    3
SWEN-610    Foundations of Software Engineering    3
SWEN-640    Research Methods    3
SWEN-746    Model-Driven Development    3
SWEN-732    Collaborative Software Development    3
     
Elective
3
Second Year
SWEN-755    Software Architecture    3
SWEN-777    Software Quality    3
SWEN-780    Capstone Research Project    3
     
Electives
6
     
SE Elective
3
Total Semester Credit Hours    
36

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the MS program in software engineering, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete an online graduate application. Refer to Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements for information on application deadlines, entry terms, and more.
• Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college.
• Recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Two letters of recommendation are required. Refer to Application Instructions and Requirements for additional information.
• Not all programs require the submission of scores from entrance exams (GMAT or GRE). Please refer to the Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements page for more information.
• Submit a personal statement of educational objectives. Refer to Application Instructions and Requirements for additional information.
• International applicants whose native language is not English must submit official test scores from the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Refer to Graduate Admission Deadlines and Requirements for additional information on English requirements. International applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver. Refer to Additional Requirements for International Applicants to review waiver eligibility.

Professional experience developing software is preferred, but candidates without a background in computing will be considered. Additional bridge course work may be required, and may extend time to graduation.

Tuition fee-2 years1,06,000

Total fee-2 years1,44,000