Software Engineering as Part of an Undergraduate Computer Science Program

The need for properly educated software engineers grows every year, and, unfortunately, the subject is not addressed to any depth in most undergraduate computer science programs. However, it is our position that it is premature to create an undergraduate software engineering program separate from computer science. We are convinced, nevertheless, that certain of the most significant software engineering topics can be incorporated into the existing framework of a computer science program. At the Air Force Academy we have an approach to do this that we have been evolving over the last eight years. And because we have been accredited during this time we feel confident that the incorporation of software engineering into a computer science curriculum can be done within the guidelines of recognized computer science curricula. While we do not expect this approach to produce a fully qualified software engineer, the graduate will have a good basis for competence in large scale development and an appreciation of the major issues in software engineering.