Crafting a baccalaureate program in software engineering

Abstract

In the fall of 1996. The Rochester Institute of Technology admitted the first students to its new B.S. program in Software Engineering. The program, which evolved from elective sequences in computer science and computer engineering, is significant for several reasons. First, to the best of our knowledge, it is the only such program offered in the U.S. Second, the program is jointly supported by two colleges of RIT, each with a unique culture, perspective, and mission. Finally, our goal from the outset was to design a curriculum that could be eventually accredited as an engineering program. While the paper briefly outlines the rationale for developing a new, specialized program, the focus is primarily on how the curriculum was developed, what it comprises, and why it is structured the way it is. We hope that others contemplating or actively developing such a program will profit from our experiences.