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Graduate Certificates: Software Engineering

Meet the Expert: Sharon Andrews, PhD

Sharon Andrews, PhD

Dr. Sharon Andrews is the founding chair of the online MS in software engineering degree program at the University of Houston–Clear Lake (UHCL) and has served as director of the MS software engineering program since 1997. She teaches graduate courses in software architecture, software life cycle, and AI in software engineering, among others. She holds a PhD in computer science from the Center for Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Louisiana.

Dr. Andrews’s research has focused on software architecture, domain modeling and specification, and architectural design languages. She has more than 40 peer-reviewed journal, conference, and scholarly book chapter publications. She was the founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of eSports Multidisciplinary Research (IJEMR), editor-in-chief of Paths to the Prevention and Detection of Human Trafficking, and author of Handbook of Research on Pathways and Opportunities into the Business of eSports. She serves on the program committee of numerous international computing and software conferences and has been a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What’s something you wish the public understood about software engineering?

Dr. Andrews: Most people do not understand that computer science curricula are set up to train students to learn to be good programmers, not software engineers. Software engineers have to know how to write code, as it is the foundation for understanding how to implement a problem in software, but software engineering goes way beyond programming. It teaches students to plan, specify, and design large complex systems that meet hard requirements of quality and safety.

Software engineers are expected to be able to specify requirements, do requirements analysis and system modeling, design appropriate software architecture for a system, and coordinate necessary levels of testing to enable long-term use and maintenance.

Computer science, on the other hand, is the study of algorithms that implement various types of problems and is more theoretical than the practical application of engineering that occurs in software engineering. As such, it can predominantly reside in the coding phase of software development.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: Do you have any advice for aspiring software engineers?

Dr. Andrews: Software engineering is increasingly assisted by the use of AI to support tasks such as project planning, requirements specification, system analysis, system design, and testing. AI can assist with the mundane and repetitive aspects of these tasks, but the human software engineer needs to fundamentally understand what these tasks involve and how to do them. This is because the output of AI tools must be evaluated for correctness, as these tools have biases and hallucinations that can and do inject errors.

The software engineer who can provide this oversight and analysis is in high demand. Thus, my advice is to recognize that today’s software development may require the use of AI agents, but you must possess the expertise to be able to recognize when the AI is wrong or right—and to do that, you have to understand how to analyze, specify, model, and design software.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What does the future of this field look like to you?

Dr. Andrews: The future will reap the benefits of increasingly powerful AI systems. Under their guidance, software engineering experts should be able to produce more powerful and meaningful software solutions in even shorter periods, resulting in huge surges in productivity. Indeed, this is already happening.

Such increases in productivity and the resulting increase in problem-solving ability point to a unique opportunity to provide better solutions to existing problems, as well as to difficult, novel problems that stand to improve the quality of life for society as a whole.

Featured Online Graduate Certificates in Software Engineering

University of Houston–Clear Lake

The University of Houston–Clear Lake offers an online graduate certificate in software engineering. Students in the graduate certificate program receive a holistic overview of all the moving pieces of a successful project, from lifecycle components to roles and artifacts. The program faculty includes distinguished industry professors who bring firsthand experience to the online classroom.

The 12-credit program includes the following courses: software life cycle, agile software development, requirements engineering, and testing, verification, and validation. Once the certificate is completed, all courses may be applied to UHCL’s online MS in software engineering program. Once the certificate is completed, all courses may be applied to UHCL’s online MS in software engineering program.

Admission requirements for the program include a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field with an extensive background in computer science and computer programming, an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or greater, official transcripts from every college or university attended, and English language proficiency for students who were born or educated in a country where English is not the native language. GRE scores are not required for the certificate.

  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Accreditation: SACSCOC
  • Expected Time to Completion: Two years

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University offers an online graduate certificate in software engineering. This online program can both broaden and deepen students’ understanding of computing and prepare them to work in software development.

The major admission requirements for the program include an undergraduate degree in software engineering, computer science, or a closely related field, or a bachelor’s degree with work experience related to the certificate program. Also, students without a degree in a related field will be required to complete additional coursework to prepare for this certificate, and they are advised to first complete the graduate certificate in software engineering foundations.

Made up of 18 credit-hours, courses in the program include software engineering, software project planning, object-oriented analysis and design, software architecture, and software testing and verification.

The program provides students with theoretical and practical skills in software engineering. They learn about the main phases of the project management lifecycle, with an emphasis on project planning and project monitoring/control. They also learn about the object-oriented modeling techniques necessary for solving complex, real-world software engineering problems.

  • Location: Kennesaw, Georgia
  • Accreditation: SACSCOC
  • Expected Time to Completion: 12 months

University of Washington

The University of Washington offers an online graduate certificate in software design and development. Ideal for working professionals, this program can either be completed online or on campus. This program is a stepping stone for those who wish to make a career in software engineering, as it opens doors to a master of science degree in computer engineering, software engineering, or cybersecurity at the University of Washington.

In order to get accepted into the program, applicants must submit their unofficial transcripts showing the completion of a bachelor’s degree (with calculus I and programming I/II), a grade point average of 3.0, a current resume showing detailed relevant work experience, a personal statement, and proficiency in English for each applicant whose native language is not English.

Comprising 18 credit-hours, the curriculum uses C++ for teaching object-oriented programming. The curriculum includes instruction in data structures and object-oriented programming, systems programming, software development processes, software modeling techniques, and software testing and quality.

The program provides students with a primer to programming problems using object-oriented techniques, modeling in software analysis and design, and designing and testing software systems. Students also learn about the core cybersecurity and software engineering concepts and how to examine the programming aspects and logical design of network communication and operating systems.

  • Location: Bothell, Washington
  • Accreditation: NWCCU
  • Expected Time to Completion: 12 months

Stanford University

Stanford University offers an online graduate certificate in software systems. The program is ideal for engineers, as it provides them with coursework in designing and implementing systems software.

The curriculum comprises three core courses: compilers, an introduction to computer networking, and operating systems and systems programming. Students also choose an elective such as web applications, advanced topics in operating systems, introduction to big data systems, programming languages, program analysis and optimizations, or computer and network security.

Students learn how to develop and deploy systems software, as well as about the workings of operating systems and networks. They also explore the structure and components of computer networks, packet switching, and layer architectures, gaining the experience and tools required to write protocols and safeguard network security.

Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better, basic knowledge of operating systems, and programming experience in C/C++ (object-oriented systems design, CS108 or equivalent).

  • Location: Stanford, CA
  • Accreditation: WASC
  • Expected Time to Completion: One to two years

Boston University

Boston University offers an online graduate certificate in software engineering through BU’s Metropolitan College (MET). It’s designed to give students an in-depth understanding of, and hands-on practice in, every aspect of the development and implementation of high-quality software applications. Current programmers or software engineers looking for professional growth within the industry will benefit from this certificate.

Applicants will need a bachelor’s degree (preferably in a related field), programming experience (typically with object-oriented design, and proficiency in at least one high-level programming language. No GRE/GMAT scores are required.

The 16-credit curriculum consists of three core courses: advanced programming techniques, software design and patterns, and software engineering. Students will select an elective in either frontend web development or information structures with Java. The program also emphasizes management and soft skills in addition to technical prowess. Completion of the certificate can be applied towards BU MET’s MS in Software Development.

  • Location: Boston, MA
  • Accreditation: NECHE
  • Expected Time to Completion: Eight months
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Farheen Gani
Farheen Gani - Writer

Farheen Gani has researched a wide array of topics related to engineering since 2018. She has written about electrical and computer engineering programs, structural engineering programs, mechanical engineer salaries, environmental engineering programs, and many other subfields of engineering. She...

Matt Zbrog
Matt Zbrog - Writer

Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about a wide range of engineering disciplines, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of major technological breakthroughs. His work largely centers around conversations with engineeri...

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