Carnegie Mellon University
School of Computer Science  ›  Software and Societal Systems Department  ›  Education  ›  Undergraduate Education  ›  SwE Minor

Software Engineering Minor

The Software Engineering Minor addresses the critical industry need for professionals who possess not only programming proficiency but also the broader engineering skills required to effectively build modern software systems at scale. Recognizing that skills like precise requirements gathering, designing for competing quality attributes, making trade-offs between cost, schedule, and features, ensuring quality, and effective teamwork are highly valued by employers, the minor focuses on teaching these fundamental tools, techniques, and processes. Through a curriculum that covers both engineering the software product and the essential process, management, and teamwork aspects, complemented by internships and mentored projects, students gain practical understanding of the scale and complexity issues inherent in the field, ultimately graduating with the capabilities to be immediately productive in a mature engineering organization.

Admission to the Software Engineering Minor

Eligibility

The Software Engineering Minor is open to undergraduate students in any major at the university.

How to Apply

To apply for the minor, please send an email to the program Director. Your email application must include the following information:

  • Full Name:
  • Andrew ID:
  • Preferred Email Address: (If different from your Andrew email)
  • Expected Graduation Semester:
  • Current QPA:
  • Declared Majors and Minors: (List all, or state your home college if no major is declared yet)
  • Statement of Purpose: (Maximum 1 page) Describe why you are interested in the Software Engineering Minor and how it fits into your future career goals.
  • Proposed Schedule: Outline your plan for taking the required courses and completing the internship. Please note, this is a preliminary plan and not a final commitment.
The software engineering minor is designed to teach the fundamental tools, techniques, and processes of software engineering. Through internships and a mentored project experience, students gain an understanding of the issues of scale and complexity that motivate software engineering tools and techniques. The core curriculum includes material both on engineering the software product and on the process, teamwork, and management skills that are essential to successful engineering. Graduates of the program should have the technical, process, and teamwork skills to be immediately productive in a mature engineering organization.
Overall, the minor requires six (6) courses and an internship. One of the seven courses consists of a 6-credit course that serves as a writing workshop in which the student reflects upon and integrates the lessons of the internship.

  • 17-214 Principles of Software Construction: Objects, Design, and Concurrency

     

This prerequisite exists to ensure software development experience, and can be waived by the director if the student can show significant development experience.

There are two required core courses in the minor degree:
  • 17-313 Foundations of Software Engineering
  • 17-413 Software Engineering Practicum

Finally, the minor requires three (3) additional elective area courses, one selected from each of the following categories. Each category includes courses that are currently approved, but other courses that fulfill the same learning objectives may also be used for each area, subject to a prior approval from the Director.

Other courses, with prior approval from the Director of the Software Engineering Program.

Ask before you take the course!
        • A domain-independent course focused on technical software engineering material
          • 15-414 Bug Catching: Automated Program Verification and Testing

          • 17-355 Program Analysis

          • 17-356 Software Engineering for Startups
          • 17-423/723: Designing Large-scale Software Systems
          • 17-480 API Design and Implementation
          • 17-653 Managing Software Development (prerequisite: 17-413 or an internship)
          • Methods Elective (take both 6-unit mini courses)
            • 1) 17-614 Formal Methods
            • 2) 17-624 Advanced Formal Methods
          • Requirements Elective: Design & Marketing (take two 6-unit mini courses)
            • 1) 17-612 Business Marketing and Strategy
            • 2) Take Either:
              • 17-626 Requirements for Information Systems
              • 17-627 Requirements for Embedded Systems
          • Managing Development (take two 6-unit mini courses)
            • 1) 17-622 Agile Methods
            • 2) another mini-course of your choice from within this larger list
          • Quality Engineering (take two 6-unit mini courses)
            • 1) 17-623 Quality Assurance
            • 2) 17-443/645 Quality Management
          • 17-731 Foundations of Privacy

        • An engineering-focused course with a significant software component

          • 15-410 Operating System Design and Implementation
          • 15-412 Operating System Practicum
          • 17-437 Web Application Development
          • 15-440 Distributed Systems
          • 17-422 Building User-Focused Sensing Systems
          • 15-441 Networking and the Internet
          • 15-445 Database Systems
          • 18-749 Building Reliable Distributed Systems
          • 67-443 Mobile App Development
        • A course that explores computer science problems related to existing and emerging technologies and their associated social, political, legal, business, and organizational contexts
          • 17-200 Ethical Dilemmas and Policy Issues in Computing
          • 17-562 Law of Computer Technology
          • 17-333 Privacy Policy, Law, and Technology
          • 17-334 Usable Privacy Security
          • 17-781 Mobile and IoT Computing Services
          • 17-801 Dynamic Network Analysis
          • 17-821 Computational Modeling of Complex Socio-Technical Systems
          • 15-390 Entrepreneurship for Computer Science
          • 17-331 Information Security and Privacy
          • 19-403 Policies of Wireless Systems 
          • 70-311 Organizational Behavior
          • 70-471 Supply Chain Management
          • 88-341 Team Dynamics and Leadership

The minor requires a software engineering internship of a minimum of 8 full-time weeks in an industrial setting (i.e., integrated into a team and exposed to industry pressures). The student may work in development, management, quality assurance, or other relevant positions. Students should confirm with the director that an internship is appropriate, but internships that fulfill the criteria will be accepted after the fact. Students must further complete:

• 17-415 Software Engineering Reflection (6 units)


Double Counting Rule.  No more than two of the courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be counted towards any other degree or minor. This rule does not apply to 17-214 (a prerequisite for the minor) or courses counted for general education requirements.

Application Timing

We encourage students to submit applications no later than 3 days before the beginning of Spring and Fall course registration. Applying by this time allows admission decisions to assist you in planning your course schedule effectively.

Note: Students may petition the Director for admission outside this general schedule if necessary.