Software Engineering has existed informally as an engineering position title for approximately fifteen years, but until recently, no programs of study leading to a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering have existed. Until now, most practicing software engineers have entered Software Engineering practice with electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and other traditional engineering degrees.
The software engineer is first an engineer, then a developer of software. The software engineer must possess a fundamental knowledge of mathematics, physical science, and engineering science. The software engineer must have a mastery of calculus, differential equations, and statistics in order to perform tasks such as signal processing, data compression, and local and wide area network performance evaluation/optimization, among others. The software engineer must have a background in engineering science that includes statics, dynamics, strength of materials, electronic circuits, and thermodynamics/heat transfer. Many software engineering projects involve the creation of control systems. In order to create a control system, it is necessary to understand the physical laws governing the operation of that system.
The knowledge base that distinguishes the field of software engineering from other engineering disciplines includes a mastery of software requirements planning, design, and development techniques, as well as methods for software verification and validation, and an understanding of data structures, operating systems, and system architecture. With this "toolkit", the software engineer possesses a powerful set of techniques with which to create software to solve real world problems.
With a degree in software engineering, the graduate is prepared to work in the areas of:
Device Control: The graduate can perform effectively in the fields of robotics, automotive control system development, aircraft and space vehicle control system development, etc.
Automated Data Collection: The graduate can perform effectively in the fields of sensor integration, global positioning satellite system data acquisition, engine monitoring, and others.
Signal Processing
Engineering and Scientific Analysis Software Development
Jobs are plentiful for graduates with these skills in the automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, military/defense, mining, and other industries. In fact, almost every industry depends on the development of software for competitive advantage. The techniques used in the development of video games, for example, are also used in flight simulators for air and spacecraft. The methods of signal analysis used in the search for new petroleum reserves are also used in automotive anti-lock braking systems, as well. As these brief examples indicate, the software engineer possesses a skill set that is attractive to employers in a broad array of industries, from the exotic to the mundane.
Job Outlook
The National Engineering Search Corporation, in a 1998 report, states that the engineering skills in highest demand are those associated with:
- Networking and communications software
- Embedded control software and firmware
- Graphical user interface design
- Internet software related design
- Systems integration
Software Engineers possess each of these skills. A worldwide shortage of engineers exists currently, and is expected to worsen during the first part of the twenty first century. Among the engineering disciplines, demand is highest for Software Engineers, according to the 1999 e-job Engineering Salary Survey. With high demand comes high salary, and the salaries for Software Engineers are among the highest paid to any engineering discipline.
The computer revolution and the advent of Software Engineering as a discipline have themselves created a new job market which did not exist even five years ago. One company born out of these developments is e-flatbed.com. This company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) serves as a broker for over-the-road shipping services. Empty trucks on return trips are paired with shipments from companies in need of a hauler via the internet. Through the use of this service, shipping companies minimize the costs associated with "empty trips", and pass the savings on to their customers, the goods producing companies. E-flatbed.com engineers not only develop and maintain the software required for this brokerage service, but also develop sophisticated logistics algorithms with which to describe and model shipping patterns and costs, thereby optimizing the flow of traffic for their customers.
Another company whose operations have been made possible by advances in the field of software engineering is LTV, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas (USA). This company performs airborne gravitometric surveys for the oil and mining industries. An instrument capable of measuring the strength of the Earth's gravitational field is mounted in an aircraft, and gravitational field strength information is logged as the plane flies over inaccessible areas of the Earth's surface, such as the ocean, or mountainous regions. Simultaneously, the aircraft's position is tracked precisely by means of data acquired from the Global Positioning Satellite System. LTV engineers, using the software they develop, then analyze the data thus generated and identify locations likely to harbor oil, gold, uranium, copper, and other valuable natural resources. The results of these analyses are sold to oil and mining companies. As the examples provided by these two companies illustrate, opportunities for careers in the field of Software Engineering now exist that were unimaginable, even in the recent past.
Educational Opportunities in the Field of Software Engineering
Software Engineering is a young discipline based on computer/software analysis, design, development, testing, and maintenance. A pragmatic approach to the solution of engineering problems is the hallmark of the software engineer.
Just as mechanical engineering evolved from the discipline of civil engineering more than five hundred years ago, the discipline of software engineering is evolving from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. Master of Science programs in Software Engineering have existed for more than a decade, training students from the "traditional" engineering disciplines. Until very recently, no U.S. Bachelor of Science programs existed in the field of software engineering.
In August, 1999 Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) launched a B.S. program in Software Engineering. Pittsburgh is a region of intense software development activity in the United States, and this program was begun in response to the expressed need of area companies for entry-level software engineers. Since the inception of this program, a small number of other U.S. colleges have followed suit.
The discipline of Software Engineering has recently emerged as a unique engineering field. The discipline first arose as an engineering practice, identified by industrial job titles, and more recently as an academically recognized Bachelor's degree program.
Career opportunities abound for graduates in this discipline, in a variety of industries. As computer and software technologies evolve, career opportunities in this discipline should continue to be become even more plentiful. For additional information on this emerging discipline, contact Dr. Kevin Hubbard, Head, Department of Engineering at Robert Morris College (hubbard@robert-morris.edu).
Please visit: http://www.robert-morris.edu/SentryHTML/LearnMoreAtRMC.htm
Google 
Facebook 
Twitter 
Myspace 
Yahoo 
Digg 
Del.icoi.us 
Windows Live 
Reddit 
Blogger 
