Studies & Degrees in Software Engineering
Software Engineering Study Programs
Software engineering is the discipline of building software in a systematic way: working out what a system must do, designing it, writing and testing the code, and maintaining it for years afterwards. It goes beyond programming. A software engineer also manages requirements, quality, teams, deadlines and risk.
The reference description of the field is the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK Guide), published by the IEEE Computer Society. Its current version, 4.0, has 18 knowledge areas, among them software requirements, architecture, design, construction and testing, and it integrates agile methods and DevOps. Degree programmes follow a similar outline. Students start with mathematics, programming, algorithms and databases, and move on to software design and architecture, testing, project management and security. Team projects for real or simulated clients run through most programmes. At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, for example, students determine a customer's system requirements, then design, build and test the product and document the whole process for a final capstone project.
Qualifications and levels
- Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Oviedo teaches the Grado en Ingeniería Informática del Software at its Escuela de Ingeniería Informática: four academic years, 240 ECTS credits, taught on campus in Spanish and English, with 145 places. The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid offers the Grado en Ingeniería del Software at its Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Sistemas Informáticos (ETSISI), and a programme that links it with the Máster Universitario en Ingeniería del Software.
- United States. Software engineering is a bachelor's degree of its own at some universities. The Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has 120 credits and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Elsewhere the subject is a track inside computer science.
- Canada. McGill University offers Software Engineering through its Faculty of Engineering and its School of Computer Science. It notes that its Software Engineering minor does not carry professional recognition, so students who want to register as professional engineers should check which programme they need.
- United Kingdom. Software engineering is often taught inside a computing degree. The Computing MEng at Imperial College London, for example, lasts four years and includes modules such as Software Engineering Design.
- Latin America. The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in Lima, has a professional school of Ingeniería de Software within its Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas e Informática.
Master's degrees let graduates specialise, for example in web engineering, embedded systems or cyber security, and a doctorate leads to research.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 42 active schools for software engineering. Fourteen are in the United States, nine in Spain and six in the United Kingdom. Canada and China have three each and Australia two; Peru, Brazil, Russia, Germany and Sweden have one each. English is the most common language of instruction, followed by Spanish.
In Spain, the directory includes the Universidad de Oviedo, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Universidad de Alcalá and the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. Abroad, examples are McGill University in Montreal, Imperial College London, the University of Sheffield, UNSW Sydney and the University of Texas at Austin.
When comparing programmes, check whether the degree is called software engineering or is a track within computer science, whether it is accredited as an engineering degree where that matters, how much project work and internship time it includes, and which language it is taught in.
Careers
Graduates work as software developers and engineers, software architects, quality assurance and test engineers, DevOps engineers and project managers. The Universidad de Oviedo lists the development of mobile, web, desktop, business and industrial applications among the opportunities for its graduates.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers typically need a bachelor's degree in computer and information technology or a related field. It projects their employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 106,100 openings a year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between software engineering and computer science?
Computer science studies computation in general, including theory, algorithms and systems. Software engineering concentrates on building and maintaining software products: requirements, design, testing, quality and project management.
How long does a software engineering degree take?
Usually four years. A Spanish grado has 240 ECTS credits over four academic years, the Embry-Riddle bachelor's degree has 120 US credits, and the Computing MEng at Imperial College London lasts four years.
Can I study software engineering in English in Spain?
Partly. The Grado en Ingeniería Informática del Software at the Universidad de Oviedo lists both Spanish and English as languages of instruction and has a bilingual route. Ask each school how many subjects are taught in English.
Do I need to know how to program before starting?
Not usually, because programmes teach programming from the first year. A good level of mathematics is more important; the Universidad de Oviedo recommends the science track of the Spanish Bachillerato.