Software Engineering, MESE

Complex software-intensive systems permeate every aspect of our lives. These systems are among the most complex products humankind has ever tackled. Software engineering is the disciplined application of proven principles, techniques, and tools to the creation and maintenance of cost-effective, user friendly software systems that solve real problems.

To accommodate the demand for well educated software engineers in almost all industries today, UCCS has established the Master of Engineering degree in Software Engineering (MESE). UCCS offers a unique environment to study, learn, and share experiences surrounding this special engineering discipline. Our faculty comes from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. Many have had years of experience in industry prior to joining the faculty. The result is a diverse melting pot of ideas, technologies, and experiences.

Courses at the graduate level (and the undergraduate courses required for admission to the graduate program) are regularly offered in the late afternoon and evening to enable students from local industry to continue their studies.

Admission Requirements

A Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, computer science, engineering, information systems.
An overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0; awarded within the past five years). Applicants with a grade point average of less than 3.0 awarded more than five years ago may be requested to take the GRE or may be admitted on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with a grade point average between 2.75 and 3.0 awarded within the past five years may be admitted provisionally.
It is recommended that the applicant have two years experience with commercial, industrial or government software development or maintenance.
A concise statement of experience and career goals.
Completed Admission Forms, including two copies of official transcripts and four references sent to the Computer Science Department.

Program Prerequisites

Knowledge of modern programming language, e.g. Java, C++, etc.

CS 1450 - Data Structures and Algorithms
CS 3300 - Software Engineering I
Note: Some of these courses may have pre-requisites. Any comparable course from another approved university will suffice.

Course Requirements

Total Program: 30 credit hours

Required Core Courses

(15 credit hours)

Degree Completion Courses

(15 credit hours) Three options are available: Thesis, Non-Thesis or Portfolio.

In all options, a maximum of two cross-listed courses can be applied to the requirements of the degree program.

1. Thesis Option

CS 7010 - Masters Project
(3 credit hours)
Plus four elective graduate computer science courses.

2. Non-Thesis Option

CS 7000 - Masters Thesis
(6 credit hours)
Plus three elective graduate computer science courses.

3. Portfolio Option

Portfolio - Submit a 5-8 page paper that describes at least one, and at most four, projects in which the student has been engaged. For each project it will describe the overall project objectives, the team, the students’ role on the team, the formal software engineering/development methodology used, and the lifecycle stages in which the student was engaged. It should explicitly relate the project(s) to at least 2 of the MESE courses which the student has completed. It should also include examples - at least one example work artifact from the software engineering process, with the artifact not counting toward the 5 page minimum length. The document should be a formal technical paper. It is recommended that students include appropriate references to relevant software engineering sources, such as books, papers and blogs.
Plus five elective graduate computer science courses.