MSc ACS: Software Engineering

Course description

Software Engineering is a well-established, central part of Computer Science, and concerned with the design and use of techniques to support humans to build software systems that are reliable, adaptable, usable, maintainable, etc, despite the fact that they are usually developed by large groups of people with different ideas, conceptualisations, or working styles, and against a tight schedule and possibly conflicting or unclear requirements. The understanding and mastering of these techniques is essential both for people who are part of this group and for those managing such a group or project.

The Software Engineering pathway combines two themes of the same name, Software Engineering 1 & 2. These themes covers both an overview of existing approaches to Software Engineering, and two particular approaches at the forefront of Software Engineering research and practice; Pattern-based and Component-based Software Development.

Teaching and learning

Computational thinking is becoming increasingly pervasive and is informing our understanding of phenomena across a range of areas; from engineering and physical sciences, to business and society. This is reflected in the way the Manchester course is taught, with students able to choose from an extremely broad range of units that not only cover core computer science topics, but that draw on our interdisciplinary research strengths in areas such as Medical and Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Humanities.

Coursework and assessment

Lectures and seminars are supported by practical exercises that impart skills as well as knowledge. These skills are augmented through an MSc project that enables students to put into practice the techniques they have been taught throughout the course.

Career opportunities

Students following the Software Engineering pathway have all the career choices and options as described for general Advanced Computer Science.

In addition, students of this pathway are ideally placed to work in positions requiring an understanding of modern Software Engineering techniques and tools. This includes the obvious positions in the games industry, but also positions in finance, commerce, software project management, etc.