Five Questions about the Accelerated Master’s in Software Engineering Program

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Why is Software Engineering important?

The whole world is computerized. With the internet and computers in every home, we have millions of software systems to maintain and build. With so much opportunity there won’t be a shortage of software engineers for a long time. And that means the job market and pay are pretty good.

Software engineering is also interdisciplinary. It won’t survive by itself, so usually we have to work in a domain; that could be in communication, finance, insurance, Department of Defense, just to name a few. For a lot of people, that’s exciting.

How does the AMSE program prepare students for successful careers?

We educate students in two areas: engineering and process. Combined, they provide solid training to go into either the engineering or management side.

In engineering, we teach students how to develop a product requirement. We teach good design and architecture. We teach a lot about quality control. Quality is one of the most important issues in software engineering.

We also focus on the process side: how to get a large group of people to work effectively as a team. How to manage your project and product. How to set up and improve your development process. Because we believe the quality of product depends on the process you use to develop it.

“If you are a talented software engineer, you will have opportunities. Everyone will be looking for you.”

What are common career paths for graduates of the AMSE program?

You could be a quality engineer. You could be a software developer. You could also be a product manager or a process person. We also have some students go on to PhDs. There’s a lot of options, depending on your strengths and interests.

When students enter the program, they often do not know their strengths. We help them discover those by exposing them to all the wonderful things in the software industry.

What are the traits of a successful software engineer?

Discipline and good planning. You have projects, you have tasks and you have deadlines. You need to plan those out, and sometimes you will have to work overtime to get the job done.

Good software engineers also know what they want. It’s important to develop passion and interests. Success is a lot easier when you are passionate about what you are doing.

Outside of the classroom, what else does the program provide students?

We collaborate with local industries, which helps us provide internships and industry projects for students. Working on industry projects helps students get a job in this country – or anywhere in the world. There is a need everywhere for the systematic approach to building software that is used in the United States.

We also invite industry recruiters to give presentations to our students: how to write a resume, how to interview, how to present yourself.

That has helped our graduates find jobs in many locations: in the Los Angeles area, Silicon Valley and all over the country. If you are a talented software engineer, you will have opportunities. Everyone will be looking for you.