Master of Software Engineering
Malvern, USA
DURATION
12 up to 18 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
USD 1,953 / per credit *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* out-of-state Residents and Students holding visas| Pennsylvania Residents: $1,183 per credit hour
Introduction
The Penn State Great Valley Master of Software Engineering will provide you with the technical IT skills needed for various IT and web-based careers from applications developer to web designer.
With our Master of Software Engineering program, you can:
- Prepare to create large-scale software products and services for industry and government through software analysis, architecture, design, development, and testing.
- Work on industry-sponsored projects or research with faculty through the Big Data Lab.
- Pursue your degree at your own pace, completing in as little as two to three years if attending part-time, or 12-
- 18 months if attending full-time.
- Engage in courses taught by world-class faculty and industry experts.
- Experience a collaborative and innovative experience rooted in practice—providing you with the skills, experience, and perspective to become a leader.
- Become a part of the more than 750,000 Penn State alumni across the world.
- GRE is not required.
Program Advantages
- Partner with alumni and local employers on relevant projects while fostering industry connections, networking, and job opportunities.
- Immerse yourself in small classes and develop meaningful relationships with faculty and classmates who are business professionals and managers in the private and public sectors.
- Prepare for future leadership roles.
- Take advantage of Career Management Services, which offers a variety of programs, resources, and networking opportunities for students and graduates.
- Explore different areas of interest through a wide range of electives.
- Engage in hands-on courses through weekly assignments and team-based, term-long projects.
- Benefit from a STEM designated program, allowing 36 months total of Optional Practical Training (OPT).
In U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 "Best Online Programs," Penn State Great Valley is ranked:
- #3 in Master’s in Engineering programs
- #5 in Master's in Engineering Management (specialty ranking)
- #7 in Master’s in Computer Information Technology programs
In U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 "Best Online Programs for Veterans," Penn State Great Valley is ranked:
- #2 in Master’s in Engineering programs
- #4 in Master’s in Computer Information Technology programs
Flexibility/Delivery
- Seven-week courses are delivered in an in-person/online hybrid format. Some courses may be delivered fully online.
- Participate in online course activities throughout the week, including discussion forums, teamwork, and more.
- Ability to simultaneously pursue another degree as part of the concurrent degree program.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
There are a variety of scholarships available to half-time and full-time students at Penn State Great Valley who meet individual scholarship criteria.
Scholarships for New Program Applicants
- Admission Scholarship for students enrolled in at least six credits per first two semesters
- Chancellor’s Scholarship for students enrolled in at least 12 credits per first two semesters
Scholarships for Enrolled Students
- Merit scholarships
- Need-based scholarships
Curriculum
- The 36-credit program focuses on requirements engineering, software systems architecture, software systems design, software testing, software construction, mobile and cloud computing, technical project management, and more.
- Cutting-edge curriculum, including new courses in mobile and cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data.
- Capstone project immerses you in the complete software development lifecycle, engineering a fully functional product following an iterative incremental developmental methodology with change management, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and automated testing.
- Coursework from Cyber Threat Analytics and Prevention and Data Analytics graduate certificates easily transfers to a [degree program.
Courses for the Master of Software Engineering program are hyperlinked below to the University Bulletin. Please refer to the prerequisites mentioned on this page as those listed on the University Bulletin may differ from Penn State Great Valley. All courses offered are three credits unless otherwise indicated.
- A-I 570 Deep Learning
- A-I 801 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
- DAAN 825 - Large Scale Databases & Warehouses
- DAAN 862: Analytics Programming in Python
- DAAN 871 - Data Visualization for Analytics
- DAAN 881 - Data-Driven Decision Making
- DAAN 897 - Enterprise Analytics Strategies
- I E 575 - Foundations of Predictive Analytics
- INSC 521 - Database Design Concepts
- INSC 526 - Business Process Management and Integration
- INSC 561 - Web Security and Privacy
- INSC 846: Network and Predictive Analytics for Socio-Technical Systems
- INFSY 860 - Data Communications Systems and Networks
- STAT 500 - Applied Statistics
- SWENG 545 - Data Mining
- SWENG 581 - Software Testing
- SWENG 586 - Requirements Engineering
- SWENG 587 - Software Systems Architecture
- SWENG 837 - Software System Design
- SWENG 861 - Software Construction
- SWENG 888: Mobile Computing and Applications
- SWENG 894 - Advanced Software Engineering Studio
- SYSEN 505 - Technical Project Management
Please Note: Students may take either SWENG 505 Software Project Management or SYSEN 505 Technical Project Management
- SYSEN 507 - Systems Thinking
- SYSEN 536 - Decision and Risk Analysis in Engineering
- SYSEN 555 - Invention and Creative Design
- SYSEN 850 - Creativity and Problem-Solving I
The Master of Software Engineering degree requires 36 credits—18 core credits, 12 elective credits, and 6 capstone credits.
- A wide variety of electives lets you customize the program to meet your career interests.
- Seven-week courses are offered either in an in-person/online hybrid format or fully online.
- Immersive capstone project allows you to experience the complete software development lifecycle, engineering a fully functional product.
Undergraduate students at Penn State Abington who are majoring in computer science can take advantage of the Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) degree program in conjunction with the Master of Software Engineering at Penn State Great Valley. The seamless bachelor’s degree program allows students to earn both degrees in five years and apply 12 credits earned during undergraduate studies to the 30-credit Master of Software Engineering program.
This STEM-designated graduate degree program prepares computer professionals to manage and develop software products and services for industry and government through project planning and software analysis, architecture, design, implementation, and testing.
Key Program Features
- Offers qualified computer science students the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years.
- Third- and fourth-year students benefit from their association with graduate students whose level of work parallels their own.
- Students may use up to 12 credits toward both degree requirements; a minimum of 50% of the double-counted courses must be at the 500 or 800 level.
- Concurrently pursuing two degrees fosters a greater depth of understanding and comprehension.
- The curriculum prepares students to meet the demands of modern workplaces through critical thinking and adaptability.
- Students graduating with related degrees are in high demand by employers in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond.
- Companies in defense, finance, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications rely heavily on post-graduates with software engineering degrees.
- Premier faculty combine their research with business expertise to give students a valuable and innovative classroom experience.
- Expedites time to earn both degrees and significantly reduces associated costs.
- GRE not required.
Program Eligibility
- The application deadline for this program is the second week of the semester before the semester of degree conferral.
- All students must have completed at least 60 credits to apply, and transfer students must have completed at least 15 credits at Penn State.
- Students typically begin planning to apply by the end of their sophomore year.
- In consultation with an adviser, students must prepare a plan of study appropriate to the integrated program and present their plan of study to the head of the graduate program before being admitted. The plan should cover the entire program and should be reviewed periodically with an academic adviser as the student advances through the program.
- The following courses may count for both the B.S in Computer Science and the Master of Software Engineering:
- CMPSC 430 - Database Design
- CMPSC 487W - Software Engineering and Design
- SWENG 581 - Software Testing
- SWENG 837 - Software System Design
Program Outcome
The software engineering program prepares students to achieve the technical proficiency needed for professional practice and to assume leadership roles in organizations responsible for the development of software systems and products while maintaining high professional standards. Upon completion of the program, our graduates will:
- Have the ability to effectively document and communicate their ideas when working with stakeholders of a system.
- Be prepared to lead the modeling, design, and development of complex software-intensive systems.
- Be proficient in applying a broad range of problem-solving concepts, techniques, and methods to frame solutions to software-intensive systems.
- Know how to plan and manage software projects.
- Be able to work with and manage technical teams that may be geographically distributed.
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English Language Requirements
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