Students are required to select one of the following degree options to earn their degree: The Master’s Thesis Option (30 units) or the Coursework option (30 units)

• Master’s Thesis Option: 24 units of SFWE Graduate Coursework and 6 units of SFWE 910 Master’s Thesis
• Coursework only Option: 30 units of SFWE Graduate Coursework

The following 12.00 units are required in the major:

• SFWE 507 (3) Foundations of Software Engineering
• Select  3 courses from:
• SFWE 502 (4) Software DevSecOps, SFWE 503 (3) Software Project Management, SFWE 504 (3) Software Requirements Analysis & Test, SFWE 505 (3) Software Architecture & Design o SFWE 506 (3) Distributed Computing.

The remaining SFWE graduate elective credits will be selected with the approval of an SFWE Faculty Advisor.

A list of approved SFWE graduate electives can be found below

• Any SFWE core courses not used to meet the 12-units of Core coursework requirement can alsobe used as technical electives
• SFWE 501 (3) – SW Assurance (Spring)
• SFWE 508 (3) –Data Mining (NEW)
• SFWE 509 (3) – Cloud Computing Principles and Practices (NEW)
• SFWE 510 (3) – Cloud Native Software Engineering (NEW)
• SFWE 511 (3) – Software for Industrial Control Systems (NEW)
• SFWE 512 (3) –Robotics (NEW)
• SFWE 513 (3) – Software Engineering Research Methods (NEW)
• CSE 501 (3) – Operating System Design
• ECE 503 (3) – Probability and Random Processes for Engineering Applications (Fall)
• ECE 509 (3) – Cybersecurity Concept, Theory, Practice (Fall)
• ECE 513 (3) – Web Development and the IoT (Fall)
• ECE 523 (3) – Engineering Applications of Machine Learning and Data Analytics (Spring)
• ECE 562 (3) – Computer Architecture and Design (Spring)
• ECE 576A (3) – Engineering of Computer Based Systems (Fall)
• ECE 576B (3) – Embedded System Design and Optimization (Spring)
• ECE 579 (3) – Principles of Artificial Intelligence (Spring)
• SIE 533 (3) – Fundamentals of Data Science for Engineers (Spring)
• SIE 558 (3) – Model Based Systems Engineering (Spring)
• SIE 577 (3) – Introduction to Biomedical Informatics (Fall, Spring)
• Other courses may be added at the discretion of the faculty advisor and GSC, or as additional new SFWE courses not listed in section III.

This includes:

A minimum of 30 units of course work

Of the 30 units, 15 units correspond to required courses, and the remaining 15 can be taken from the list of approved electives.

• A minimum of 2.00 units of SFWE 695A Doctoral Seminar (Colloquium).
• A minimum of 18.00 units of SFWE 920 Dissertation. 

A list of approved SFWE graduate electives can be found below

• Any SFWE core courses not used to meet the 12-units of Core coursework requirement can alsobe used as technical electives
• SFWE 501 (3) – SW Assurance (Spring)
• SFWE 508 (3) –Data Mining (NEW)
• SFWE 509 (3) – Cloud Computing Principles and Practices (NEW)
• SFWE 510 (3) – Cloud Native Software Engineering (NEW)
• SFWE 511 (3) – Software for Industrial Control Systems (NEW)
• SFWE 512 (3) –Robotics (NEW)
• SFWE 513 (3) – Software Engineering Research Methods (NEW)
• CSE 501 (3) – Operating System Design
• ECE 503 (3) – Probability and Random Processes for Engineering Applications (Fall)
• ECE 509 (3) – Cybersecurity Concept, Theory, Practice (Fall)
• ECE 513 (3) – Web Development and the IoT (Fall)
• ECE 523 (3) – Engineering Applications of Machine Learning and Data Analytics (Spring)
• ECE 562 (3) – Computer Architecture and Design (Spring)
• ECE 576A (3) – Engineering of Computer Based Systems (Fall)
• ECE 576B (3) – Embedded System Design and Optimization (Spring)
• ECE 579 (3) – Principles of Artificial Intelligence (Spring)
• SIE 533 (3) – Fundamentals of Data Science for Engineers (Spring)
• SIE 558 (3) – Model Based Systems Engineering (Spring)
• SIE 577 (3) – Introduction to Biomedical Informatics (Fall, Spring)
• Other courses may be added at the discretion of the faculty advisor and GSC, or as additional new SFWE courses not listed in section III.

All PhD students must choose at least one minor subject area.  The purpose of choosing a minor is to add breadth to their training.

• A split minor between two departments is also possible.  All selections are subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.  The minor requires 12 units. Even if the doctoral minor the student selects only requires 9 units, students within this program will still be required to complete 12 minor units. Split minors require 6 units from each area (with approval from each academic department).