Proposal for a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering

1
Proposal for aBachelor of Science in Software
Engineering

• Donald J. Bagert, P.E.
• Mark A. Ardis
• Cary Laxer
• Department of Computer Science Software
  Engineering
• February 4, 2003

2
Introduction

• Software Engineering (SE) has existed since the
  late 1960s
• Has been rapidly developing as an undergraduate
  academic discipline over the last five years
• The emergence of SE as an academic discipline is
  in response to industrial need for students
  better-educated in the development and
  maintenance of complex software systems
• The Department of Computer Science and Software
  Engineering (CSSE) is therefore proposing a new
  Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
  (BSSE)

3
Background

• There are currently more than 20 schools in the
  U.S. with a degree titled Bachelor of Science in
  Software Engineering, including
• Three major state colleges (Auburn, Florida
  State, Mississippi State)
• Four AITU schools (Clarkson, Drexel, Milwaukee
  School of Engineering RIT)
• Three schools in the U.S. News and World Report
  Top 10 engineering schools in Rose-Hulmans
  category (RIT, MSOE and Embry-Riddle), plus one
  other pending (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo)
• From 2002-03 ABET/EAC Criteria for Software
  Engineering
• The program must demonstrate that graduates
  have the ability to analyze, design, verify,
  validate, implement, apply, and maintain software
  systems the ability to appropriately apply
  discrete mathematics, probability and statistics,
  and relevant topics in computer science and
  supporting disciplines to complex software
  systems and the ability to work in one or more
  significant application domains.

4
Background (continued)

• The Computer Science (CS) degree at Rose-Hulman
  has contained a 16-hour software engineering
  requirement for its non-thesis students since
  1989
• An increase to 20 hours starting in 2003-04 has
  already been approved by the Curriculum Committee
• CSSE 371 Software Requirements and Specification
• CSSE 372 Software Project Management
• CSSE 497 Senior Project I
• CSSE 498 Senior Project II
• CSSE 499 Senior Project III

5
Background (continued)

• The roots of the proposed program are primarily
  based in two documents
• Guidelines for Software Engineering Education
  (1999)
• 1989 SEI Report on Graduate Software Engineering
  Education

6
Vision

• To be the 1 baccalaureate software engineering
  program in the world by means of excellent
  instruction, continuous curriculum innovation,
  and software engineering education leadership.

7
Mission

• The purpose of the Bachelor of Science in
  Software Engineering will be to educate students
  for careers as software professionals.
• To achieve these goals, the program will provide
  students the basic knowledge and fundamental
  principles upon which software engineering is
  based, encourage critical thinking and innovative
  approaches to problem solving, and introduce the
  students to the ethical and professional issues
  with which they must be concerned.

8
Educational Objectives

• Software engineering graduates will have been
• educated in the theory, principles, tools and
  processes involved in the engineering of complex
  software systems (including analysis, design,
  construction, maintenance, quality assurance and
  project management) and given opportunities to
  put that knowledge into practice.
• endowed with a sound background in computer
  science and mathematics.
• shown how to solve problems in a team environment
  through effective use of written and oral
  communication skills.
• introduced to the global issues presently
  involved in effectively performing duties as a
  software practitioner in an ethical and
  professional manner for the benefit of society,
  and to the reasons why lifelong learning is
  needed in order to keep current as new issues
  emerge.
• provided with instruction sufficient to develop
  software in at least one application domain.

9
Measurable Outcomes

• Software engineering graduates will have
  demonstrated
• the ability to apply software engineering theory,
  principles, tools and processes, as well as the
  theory and principles of computer science and
  mathematics, to the development and maintenance
  of complex software systems.
• the ability to design and experiment with
  software prototypes.
• the ability to design and run experiments with
  software metrics.
• the ability to participate productively on
  software project teams involving students from
  both software engineering and other majors.
• effective communication skills through oral and
  written reports and software documentation
  evaluated by both peers and faculty.
• (continued on next slide)

10
Measurable Outcomes(continued)

• Software engineering graduates will have
  demonstrated
• the ability to elicit, analyze and specify
  software requirements through a productive
  working relationship with project stakeholders.
• the ability to evaluate the business and impact
  of potential solutions to software engineering
  problems in a global society, using their
  knowledge of contemporary issues.
• the ability to apply appropriate codes of ethics
  and professional conduct to the solution of
  software engineering problems.
• the knowledge required to understand the need for
  and the ability to perform in lifelong learning.
• the basic knowledge required in a software
  engineering application domain track.

11
Current and Proposed Timelinefor Program

• White paper written by SE faculty for CSSE fall
  retreat on August 23
• Interdisciplinary Committee meets in fall,
  submits report October 31
• Presentation to CSSE Board of Advisors on October
  11
• CSSE faculty drafts proposal for BSSE
  (November-early December)
• External review (mid December-mid January)
• Presentation to Departments (mid-January)
• Consideration by Curriculum Committee (January
  23)
• First reading at RHIT Faculty Meeting (February
  4)
• Second reading and vote at RHIT Faculty Meeting
  (March 11)
• Approval by Board of Trustees (May)
• First SE majors, new SE courses first taught
  (Fall 2003)
• First BSSE graduates (No later than May 2005)
• Receive ABET/EAC accreditation (Summer 2007)

12
Breakdown of Curriculum Hours

• Engineering Topics 72 (same as number required
  by ABET)
• Software Engineering 36
• Computer Science 28
• CSSE Electives - 4
• Electrical and Computer Engineering 4
• Math and Basic Sciences 51 (required by ABET
  48)
• Mathematics - 35
• Lab Sciences 16
• General Education 37
• Humanities and Social Science - 36
• College and Life Skills - 1
• Other 32
• Application Domain Track 12-22 hours
• Free Electives 10-20 hours
• Total of 192 hours (same as for CS)

13
Application Domain Track

• To provide students background in one potential
  software application domain area
• Fundamentals of Engineering (rest of Sophomore
  Curriculum)
• Electrical Engineering
• Scientific Computing (math-based)
• Commercial Applications
• Future possibilities include
• Real-Time Systems
• Bioinformatics
• Scientific Computing (science-based)
• Image Processing

14
Software Engineering as aSecond Major

• Normally, a double major student must satisfy all
  degree requirements of the primary major and take
  all of the major subject courses in the second
  major (including their prerequisites).
• However, it is essential that all SE double
  majors satisfy ABET/EAC software engineering
  accreditation criteria
• So someone with SE as a second major must also
  satisfy the application domain track
  requirements, and math and lab science courses
  totaling at least 48 hours, including at least
  one course in probability and statistics e.g. MA
  223 (Engineering Statistics I) or MA 381
  (Introduction to Probability with Statistical
  Applications)

15
Differences BetweenProposed SE and CS Curricula

• There are four new SE courses are required for SE
  but not CS
• CSSE 373 Formal Methods for Specification and
  Design
• CSSE 374 Software Architecture and Design
• CSSE 375 Software Construction and Evolution
• CSSE 376 Software Quality Assurance
• The senior project sequence must be taken in SE
• There are five CSSE electives in CS
• One of them must be a theory course
• None of them can be from among the new SE courses
• There is only one CSSE elective for SE
• MA 381 is required in CS while MA 223 is required
  in SE
• RH 330 (Technical Communication) is required in
  SE but not in CS
• ECE 332 (Computer Architecture II) is required in
  CS but not in SE
• SE requires the application domain track

16
Effect on CSSE Department

• The four new SE courses
• Faculty
• Some shifting of teaching assignments will be
  needed
• Can be done with current faculty, but one
  additional SE faculty member is preferred
• Projected Number of Majors
• By 2006 about one-third of CSSE department
  students (80 SE majors)
• By 2011 about one-half of CSSE students (120 SE
  majors)
• Percentage of RHIT students in CSSE department
  projected to be the same
• Numbers assume a 10 increase in RHIT
  undergraduates over next few years

17
Effects on Other Departments

• Mathematics shift one section of MA 381 to MA
  223 some loss of Math electives expected
• ECE possibly cancel one section of ECE 332
• HSS one new section of RH 330
• Other Academic Departments minimal
• Registrar Keep Track of New Major
• Admissions New Major to Promote

18
Support for Proposal

• Steve J. Nieuwsma, Vice President Engineering,
  Commercial Systems, Rockwell Collins
• Todd R. Eigenschink (CS 93), Senior Partner, TEK
  Interactive Group, Inc., Fort Wayne, and member
  of the CSSE Board of Advisors
• Dennis J. Frailey, Principal Fellow, Raytheon
  Company, Dallas TX and member of the CSSE Board
  of Advisors
• Bob Cannon, past President of the Computer
  Sciences Accreditation Board (now the lead
  society in the ABET/EAC accreditation of software
  engineering degree programs) and member of the
  CSSE Board of Advisors
• From Michael J. Lutz, Motorola Professor of
  Software Engineering at the Rochester Institute
  of Technology