Software Engineering

Software engineers address today's problems and shape the future. In this program you’ll learn to design and work with large-scale software systems. You’ll learn to:

• develop self-driving vehicles
• automate smart cities
• advance healthcare
• secure critical infrastructure
• transform data into action

Potential careers

What can you do with a software engineering degree? Here are a few jobs that relate to the program:

Some of these roles may require post-graduate studies or training. 

Find a career that fits you

• Explore your career options at an appointment with a career educator.
• Attend career development workshops as you search for work.
• Take part in the Career Clarity program to generate career ideas and plan your next steps.

Experience & connections

Opportunities in the software engineering program

• With the Co-op Program you can alternate study with paid work. 

Opportunities outside your program

• With a work study position you can develop skills during your study term.
• Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while you build skills.

Networks you can connect to

Here are a few professional associations related to software engineering:

• Canada’s Association of Information Technology Professionals 
• Canadian Society of Professional Engineers        
• Engineering Institute of Canada 
• Canadian Association of Computer Science 

Hands-on learning opportunities

These courses in the software engineering program offer extensive hands-on learning.

Co-op 

Co-op work terms       
Alternate academic study with paid work terms to gain workplace experience

Course-based

CSC 355 - Digital Logic and Computer Organization
Use ASIC and field-programmable devices

SENG 321 - Requirements Engineering
Do a project following the life cycle methods for requirements engineering

SENG 360 - Security Engineering
Explore software applications

SENG 426 - Software Quality Engineering   
Choose quality goals and select, plan and execute quality assurance activities

Creative or physical practice

CSC 225 - Algorithms and Data Structures I 
Apply concepts and programming skills to fundamental problems

Creative/design project          

CSC 460 - Design and Analysis of Real-time Systems
Design, implement and test a real-time executive and application software

ENGR 110 - Design and Communication I
ENGR 120 - Design and Communication II   
Gain practical skills and engage with industry experts

SENG 350 - Software Architecture and Design         
Design software architectures with unified modelling language and synthesis

SENG 310 - Human Computer Interaction
Design, implement and evaluate a prototype user interface

SENG 371 - Software Evolution          
Evolve an existing project for a software system solution   

SENG 468 - Software System Scalability
Do a project related to scalability issues in modern distribution software systems

Lab      

CSC 111 - Fundamentals of Programming with Engineering Applications
Experiment with alternative solutions through real-world engineering

CSC 375 - Introduction to System Analysis  
Learn to test large-scale software systems

SENG 426 - Software Quality Engineering   
Document, review and test the code of an open-source software system

SENG 475 - Advanced Programming Techniques for Robust Efficient Computing
Learn advanced programming techniques for high-efficiency computing

Professional and technical skill development            

ENGR 110 - Design and Communication I
ENGR 120 - Design and Communication II   
Develop writing and presentation skills

ENGR 130 - Introduction to Professional Practice
Gain skills such as résumé writing and career development

Research project         

SENG 499 - Design Project II
Do a team-based project, prepare a report and present a seminar

These courses are not always offered as described.

What you'll learn

Every student at UVic builds skills all employers look for. At UVic Co-op & Career we call these  "competencies". This is what you’ll learn in the software engineering program.

Professional practice

• focus on the safety, health and welfare of the public
• focus on environmental protection
• promote health and safety in the workplace
• take on professional assignments only when qualified
• maintain confidentiality and avoid a conflict of interest
• keep informed to maintain competence
• act with fairness, courtesy and good faith toward clients, colleagues and others
• extend public knowledge and appreciation of engineering

Reliability, safety and failure analysis

• understand quality assurance standards and testing procedures
• ensure that systems or components perform their required function
• maintain a current knowledge of safety standards
• establish the mean time between failures when assessing reliability

 Design

• gather full requirements for a project
• understand the client’s needs
• model a solution using the appropriate tools
• communicate the design process to the client
• use safe and effective designs
• understand how a design integrates into its environment

Engineering tools

• design equipment and systems using a variety of software packages
• simulate mechanical and electronic systems using the appropriate tools
• analyze systems, equipment and data using the correct tools
• operate mechanical equipment in a lab or workshop
• use electronics and electrical equipment
• develop software and scripts in a variety of environments and languages
• use computer software and systems
• understand databases and use them effectively
• research and recommend new tools where existing tools are inadequate
• choose tools based on their strengths and weaknesses

 Engineering knowledge

• understand the mathematical fundamentals of engineering
• use the correct statistical methods to analyze and investigate data
• understand the supporting natural sciences for their discipline of engineering
• understand engineering fundamentals
• understand engineering economics
• understand how engineering specifics integrate into a larger project
• study related subjects to aid a project’s success

Control theory and systems

• apply control theory in the design of dynamic systems
• understand feedback control systems
• identify design specifications
• assess system performance
• identify components of a dc servo system and its use in motion control
• use a control system using feedback circuits
• understand processors and microcontrollers

 Networks, hardware and communications

• understand layered network architecture
• uses different digital communication networks to send data
• work with LANs and WANs
• apply different network protocols at different layers
• protect networks from unauthorized access using the appropriate policies
• identify mobile communications techniques and issues affecting quality of multimedia service
• use different types of buses, interrupts, families of processors and instruction sets

Software development, practice and theory

• work within the different software development lifecycle stages
• take business, product and process requirements into consideration
• apply different software development methodologies
• use process improvement models, such as ISO 9000
• solve software development problems using formal methods
• consider software evolution issues during development

Computer hardware and systems

• use the necessary tools to improve system performance
• understand the transfer of information from one system component to another
• compare the performance of similar systems using common metrics
• identify the optimal system for a given problem
• work with different CPU architectures
• use different operating systems
• use different memory management methods

Computer information processing and algorithms

• design automated software test tools
• manipulate information
• create solutions from user specifications and known system constraints
• improve performance using coding best practices
• understand the practical limits of a system for problem solving

What's next?