Florida Institute of Technology
BS in Software Engineering
Melbourne, USA
BSc
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 21,173 / per semester
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
What is a Software Engineering Degree?
Software engineering is a systematic, disciplined, measurable approach to building and maintaining software. Starting with thorough preparation in mathematics and computer science, software engineering students at Florida Tech learn how to successfully implement and manage the development, maintenance, and evolution of software products.
Whether you want to design dynamic Internet applications, debug embedded software systems, or engineer a new way to protect electronic information, a software engineering degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in computer science and provides experience in the design and development of software products.
Accreditation
The undergraduate software engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Internationally Recognized Faculty — Personalized Attention
Another reason Florida Tech is among the best software engineering colleges is its experienced, internationally recognized professors. These active research scientists have interests in software testing and quality assurance, software evolution, and secure software development, addressing some of the most topical issues in software engineering today.
Florida Tech professors are completely accessible to students, actively working with them on their classwork and in research projects. Student programming teams in the department have advanced to the world finals of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition (ICPC) five times in the past 15 years. The ACM ICPC is often called the “Battle of the Brains,” as it brings together the best student problem-solvers from all over the world—setting Florida Tech apart from other software engineering colleges.
Students study in small-sized classes with a student-to-faculty ratio of just 9:1, something not normally found in most software engineering colleges. The close-knit family atmosphere allows students to cultivate an intimate working relationship with fellow students and professors who genuinely care about their success.
Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor
Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BS in Software Engineering. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.
The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.
Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.
Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations
Beyond the classroom, students working toward a software engineering degree build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Upsilon Pi Epsilon (the computer science honor society), the Computer Gaming Society, student government, and over 100 other student organizations.
Our chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery is an award-winning organization that participates in ACM Intercollegiate Programming competitions. ACM also holds weekly tea and cookie parties for networking and making friends.
Robotics at Florida Tech (R@FT) also takes part in robotics competitions and challenges, allowing members to utilize skills gained from software engineering internships and research to create real working machines in a team-based environment.
Gain Practical Experience
Nearly every system in modern society is driven by software. Software engineers work on everything from ATMs to automobiles to tablet computers. Florida Tech’s software engineering degree program prepares students for a career using state-of-the-art computing laboratories, a full suite of software development tools, research projects, internships, and even participation in a student programming team that competes at the ACM Intercollegiate Programming Competition.
As a senior, students complete a senior design project in collaboration with their peers to conceptualize, design, and present a novel software application that fulfills a real-world need. Students present their projects to industry leaders and employers and may participate in international competitions. As a result, they get practical experience, an expanded professional network, and perhaps even a pre-graduation job offer.
Curriculum
The software engineering major prepares students for careers as practicing professionals in software architecture, design, implementation, testing, and evolution, or for graduate study. The engineering of software is multidisciplinary, spanning computer science, engineering economics, engineering problem solving, epistemology, human factors management, mathematics, quality control, and safety.
The educational objectives of the bachelor of a science degree program are to prepare students so that within a few years after graduation they will be leaders in the development of software where their primary role may be in requirements elicitation, software design, application development, software testing, or software evolution; they will be actively engaged in continual professional development; and will be using their technical knowledge, interpersonal and personal skills and professional attitude to advance their careers, the careers of others and the organizations for which they work.
Candidates for a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering must complete the minimum course requirements outlined in the following curriculum.
Freshman Year
Fall (16 credit hours)
- COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric
- CSE 1001 Fundamentals of Software Development 1
- CSE 1101 Computing Disciplines and Careers 1
- CSE 1400 Applied Discrete Mathematics
- FYE 1000 University Experience
- MTH 1001 Calculus 1 or MTH 1010 Honors Calculus 1
Spring (18 credit hours)
- COM 1102 Writing About Literature
- CSE 1002 Fundamentals of Software Development 2
- CSE 2120 Computer Organization and Machine Programming
- MTH 1002 Calculus 2 or MTH 1020 Honors Calculus 2
- Restricted Elective (laboratory science*) Credit Hours: 4
Sophomore Year
Fall (17 credit hours)
- COM 2223 Scientific and Technical Communication
- CSE 2010 Algorithms and Data Structures
- Restricted Elective (laboratory science*) Credit Hours: 4
Select the first HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2051 Civilization 1: Ancient Through Medieval
- HUM 2141 World Art History 1: Pre-History to Early Global Awareness
- HUM 2211 British Literature and Culture
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1
- HUM 2331 American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era
- HUM 2551 Survey of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Select the second HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2052 Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern
- HUM 2142 World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1 (may not be repeated for credit)
- HUM 2213 British and American Literature 2
- HUM 2332 American History: From Reconstruction to the Present
- HUM 2552 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
Spring (15 credit hours)
- CSE 2050 Programming in a Second Language
- CSE 2400 Applied Statistics
- CSE 2410 Introduction to Software Engineering
- MTH 3102 Introduction to Linear Algebra
- Humanities Elective (HU) 3000-level or higher recommended Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
- CSE 3411 Software Testing 1
- CSE 3612 Human-Computer Interaction
- CSE 4001 Operating Systems Concepts
- CSE 4610 Requirements Engineering
- Restricted Elective (MTH or Science) Credit Hours: 3
Spring (16 credit hours)
- CSE 3100 Junior Project
- CSE 3421 Software Design Methods
- CSE 4083 Formal Languages and Automata Theory
- CSE 4611 Software Maintenance and Evolution
- Restricted Elective (MTH or Science) Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective (Social Science) Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
- CSE 4201 Software Development Projects 1 (Q)
- CSE 4250 Programming Language Concepts
- CSE 4410 Software Project Management
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3
Spring (15 credit hours)
- CSE 4202 Software Development Projects 2 (Q)
- CSE 4683 Formal Methods
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective (CSE) Credit Hours: 6
Total Credits Required: 127
*Students select one laboratory science sequence (BIO 1010 Biological Discovery 1/BIO 1030 Introduction to Biotechnology and BIO 1020 Biological Discovery 2/BIO 1040 Introduction to Biodiversity and Physiology; CHM 1101 General Chemistry 1 and CHM 1102 General Chemistry 2; MAR 1010 Biological Discovery 1/MAR 1030 Introduction to Biotechnology and MAR 1020 Biological Discovery 2/MAR 1040 Introduction to Biodiversity and Physiology; or PHY 1001 Physics 1/PHY 2091 Physics Laboratory 1 and PHY 2002 Physics 2/PHY 2092 Physics Laboratory 2). Students who complete the physics sequence may apply two credits toward the Restricted Elective (Science) requirement.
Career Outlook
The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides detailed information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions, and job outlook, among other things.
According to the Bureau, choosing a software engineering career path leads to employment security as software engineering is projected to grow an astounding 30% through 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. This means software engineers and related careers such as application developers and systems developers will be among the most sought-after employees in the workforce.
The demand for computer software in mobile technologies, cybersecurity, computing, cloud computing, and advanced computerized products will continue to drive growth in this career area.