Software Engineering

General information

With growing market demand, software engineering is one of Canada’s newest engineering disciplines; however, there are few software engineering programs in Canada. The university’s Software Engineering program focuses on the design of computer software and is exposed to software design for embedded systems, enterprise and mobile systems,  distributed systems, real-time control systems, multi-media, and man-machine interfaces. Courses including software design, user interface, advanced networks, design and analysis of algorithms, and software project management prepare graduates for successful careers in the software engineering field.

Students in the Software Engineering program have the option to specialize in Internet of Things .

Admission requirements

Admission is competitive. The specific average or standing required for admission varies from year to year. Students are selected by taking into consideration a wide range of criteria including school marks, distribution of subjects taken, and performance in subjects relevant to the academic program. Possession of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Preference will be given to applicants with the best qualifications.

Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M credits including English (ENG4U) with a minimum average of 60 per cent, Advanced Functions (MHF4U), Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), Chemistry (SCH4U), and Physics (SPH4U). In addition, a combined minimum 70 per cent average in math and science courses is required, with no grade below 60 per cent. All other applicants should refer to admissions  for the requirements for their specific category of admission.

Professional designation

All of our undergraduate engineering programs in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science have been fully accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Each graduate is eligible to apply for licensing as a professional engineer (PEng) in any province or territory in Canada.

Program details and degree requirements

To be eligible for an honours Bachelor of Engineering degree in software engineering, students must successfully complete 132 credit hours, including all courses outlined here. For elective options, see the following list.

All courses in Year 1, except SSCI 1470U , are prerequisites to all non-elective courses in Year 3.

All courses in Years 1 and 2, except SSCI 1470U , are prerequisites to all non-elective courses in Year 4.

Although reasonable efforts will be made to adhere to the order and timing of courses as indicated, course requirements and term offerings may change. For the most up-to-date list of course offerings, please visit the faculty website at engineering.ontariotechu.ca.

Year 1 (33 credit hours)

• COMM 1050U – Technical Communications
• ENGR 1015U – Introduction to Engineering
• MATH 1010U – Calculus I
• MATH 1850U – Linear Algebra for Engineers
• PHY 1010U – Physics I
• CHEM 1800U – Chemistry for Engineers
• ENGR 1025U – Engineering Design
• ENGR 1200U – Introduction to Programming for Engineers
• MATH 1020U – Calculus II
• PHY 1020U – Physics II
• SSCI 1470U – Impact of Science and Technology on Society

Year 2 (33 credit hours)

• Liberal Studies elective*
• ELEE 2110U – Discrete Mathematics for Engineers
• ELEE 2790U – Electric Circuits
• SOFE 2710U – Object Oriented Programming and Design
• SOFE 2800U – Web Programming
• SOFE 2850U – Natural Foundations for Information Technology
• Science elective*
• ELEE 2450U – Digital Systems
• SOFE 2715U – Data Structures
• SOFE 2720U – Principles of Software and Requirements Engineering
• STAT 2800U – Statistics and Probability for Engineers

Year 3 (36 credit hours)

• Liberal Studies elective*
• ELEE 3450U – Microprocessors and Computer Architecture
• SOFE 3200U – Systems Programming
• SOFE 3650U – Software Design and Architectures
• SOFE 3700U – Data Management Systems
• SOFE 3770U – Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• ENGR 3360U – Engineering Economics
• SOFE 3490U – Software Project Management
• SOFE 3720U – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
• SOFE 3850U – Computer Networks
• SOFE 3950U – Operating Systems
• SOFE 3980U – Software Quality

Year 4 (30 credit hours)

• Engineering elective*
• ENGR 4940U – Capstone Systems Design for Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering I
• SOFE 4590U – Embedded Systems
• SOFE 4790U – Distributed Systems
• SOFE 4850U – User Interfaces
• Two Engineering electives*
• ENGR 4760U – Ethics, Law and Professionalism for Engineers
• ENGR 4941U – Capstone Systems Design for Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering II
• SOFE 4840U – Software and Computer Security

*Electives

Engineering electives

Courses selected for the Engineering elective must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Engineering courses from other engineering programs may be allowed as Engineering electives provided students have the prerequisites and the courses extend the students’ knowledge through greater depth in an advanced area, or greater breadth in a complementary field. Not all of the listed Engineering electives will necessarily be offered each year.

The following are approved courses as Engineering electives:

• SOFE 4620U – Machine Learning and Data Mining
• SOFE 4630U – Cloud Computing
• SOFE 4640U – Mobile Application Development
• SOFE 4820U – Modelling and Simulation
• SOFE 4830U – Real Time Systems and Control
• SOFE 4860U – Computer Graphics Design
• SOFE 4870U – Special Topics in Software Engineering
• SOFE 4890U – Advanced Computer Networks

Science electives

Courses selected for the Science elective must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Science courses from our university’s other programs may be allowed as Science electives provided students have the prerequisites and the courses extend the students’ knowledge through greater depth in an advanced area, or greater breadth in a complementary field. Not all of the approved Science electives will necessarily be offered each year.

The following are approved courses as science electives:

• BIOL 1841U – Essentials of Biology
• ENVS 1000U – Environmental Science
• ENVS 2010U – Introductory Environment Science
• HLSC 1200U – Human Anatomy & Physiology I
• PHY 2900U – Astronomy I

Liberal Studies electives

Complementary studies, including courses in humanities, social sciences, arts, management, engineering economics, ethics and communication, are included in engineering programs to complement the technical content of the curriculum and thereby provide graduates with a broader perspective of their role in society. Inclusion of complementary studies also satisfies several accreditation criteria of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Courses or parts of courses covering engineering economics, ethics, and the impact of technology on society, as well as courses that develop the student’s capability to communicate orally, visually and in writing, are essential to the education of an engineer and therefore are included in all of our engineering programs.

Liberal studies electives are included in each engineering program to ensure adequate coverage of subject matter that deals with central issues, methodologies and thought processes of the humanities and social sciences. Such material is required in the education of an engineer. Liberal studies electives can include, but are not limited to, courses dealing with cultural analysis; historical analysis; literature and the arts; knowledge, cognition, and moral reasoning; and social and behavioural analysis.

Foreign language and business courses may not be used as liberal studies. Courses can be approved as liberal studies electives for students in engineering programs at the university by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (or designate), in accordance with these principles.

Courses selected for the liberal studies electives must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Liberal studies electives are subject to change. An updated list of liberal studies electives will be maintained online at engineering.ontariotechu.ca.