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OVERLAND PARK -- The University of Kansas Edwards Campus will offer a new series of software engineering courses that will lead to a master's degree in computer science.
"We have been encouraged by Kansas City's high-tech industry to provide our software engineering area of focus to the technical professionals in the metropolitan area," said Scott Hinton, chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Qualifying students may enroll in the software engineering courses in the spring 2002 semester, which begins Jan. 17.
The program will focus on the "practitioners," people who are already in the field but who do not have strong training or a formal education in software engineering, Saiedian said.
The new courses are timely -- a number of prominent regional businesses produce software that is key to their economic success, said Hossein Saiedian, professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
Software has become increasingly complex and more expensive to produce. Traditional computer science curricula might teach students about specific programming languages and operating systems, but the software engineering program at KU will address the full development life cycle of software -- from initial planning to identification and definition of the requirements, all the way to the actual testing and deployment of software systems. In addition, the most modern topics and proven practices will be integrated into the curriculum.
The program also will teach ethics and professionalism, Saiedian said. Students will work on projects for clients before completing their degree requirements.
"We plan on getting projects from industry that are real and will supply a test bed for students to apply the techniques they have learned," Saiedian said. "We have already made some contacts and will be making some more. Usually, the end results are pretty successful."
"The goal is for the department to be a leader in software engineering education that addresses the needs of the professional community of the metropolitan area and the state," Saiedian said.
Admission requirements for the program will be similar to other master's-level degree programs within the department. The courses are scheduled during the evenings to accommodate working professionals.
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is the largest department in the KU School of Engineering. More than 650 undergraduates and more than 250 graduate students were enrolled in the department's various programs in fall 2001.
For more information on the software engineering program, or for enrollment information, go to edwardscampus.ku.edu/Academics/Graduate/EECS.html.
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