Software Engineering (BS)

Developing Digital Solutions to Today's Problems

Start your computer science career today with our Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering program, equipping you with real-world skills from your first line of code.

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What Do Software Engineers Do?

Software engineers use a systematic approach to the software life cycle, including development, production, operation, and maintenance of large-scale software projects.

What is Being in the Software Engineering Program at FGCU Like?

Learn to code in Python and C++ while taking a combination of computer science and software engineering courses.
Enjoy small class sizes and accessible faculty.
Find undergraduate research opportunities in topics like artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and data science.
Join student organizations like the Computer Science and Software Engineering Club (CSSEC).
Take specialized courses like human computer interaction, robotics, natural language processing, digital systems, neural networks, data mining, machine learning, and assembly language.

As the president of the Computer Science & Software Engineering Club, I learned how being a part of a strong community could bring what I learned in the classroom to life. From connecting with peers, professors, and industry professionals, I discovered new opportunities and resources that further developed my career skills and knowledge. I'm especially grateful for my officer team for all the hard work they put into providing support and guidance for our members. Being an active member of the college and the club has forever changed my college journey, and I couldn't imagine my time without it.”

Jordan Robertson

Software Engineering '26

Where Do Software Engineers Work?

Because our curriculum is guided by industry needs, you'll be prepared for careers in a variety of areas:

Application and System Development
Embedded Systems
Computer Games
Operating and Network Systems

You'll also be prepared for further graduate study, such as with a Master of Science in Computer Science. 74% of our software engineering graduates stay in Florida, though there are opportunities both locally and beyond.

What Do Software Engineering Graduates Get Paid?

The average salary for our software engineering alumni is $76,144.

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Level Up Your Career in Computer Science

Fast-track your education and career with our Combined B.S. to M.S. Program in Computer Science. Designed for motivated students, this accelerated pathway lets you complete up to 9 graduate credits as an undergraduate, saving time and money. With concentrations in Cybersecurity and Data Science, you will gain advanced technical expertise that sets you apart in today’s competitive tech landscape. Whether you are preparing for leadership roles or aiming to drive innovation in the field, this program gives you the skills, knowledge, and edge to succeed.

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Accreditation
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Institutional Accreditation

Information on FGCU institutional accreditation is available at www.fgcu.edu/accreditation

Program Accreditation

The B.S. Software Engineering program at FGCU is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. Additional accreditation information can be found here.
Admissions Information
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Admissions Information for the 2025-2026 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2025-2026 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
Students admitted to FGCU as a degree seeking student in good academic standing may declare a major in engineering. All engineering majors must satisfy the academic milestones as described in the student guidebook. Refer to the Software Engineering (B.S.) Student Guidebook for further information on milestones.

In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
- Complete a minimum of 48 of the 120 credits at the upper division (3000-4999 level).
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfy the Service-Learning requirement.
- Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
- Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 credits, including 12 credit hours in the major must be completed at FGCU. Also, CEN 4934 and CEN 4935 must be taken at FGCU.
- Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an application for graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
Program Requirements
1. FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
  To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
2. Common Prerequisites
  For this major, common prerequisite courses with an asterisk (*) require prior knowledge and skills demonstrated through degree acceleration programs (e.g., the College Board's Advanced Placement Program [AP], International Baccalaureate Program [IB], College-Level Examination Program [CLEP], Advanced International Certificate of Education Program [AICE]); dual enrollment; placement exam; or college coursework.
  
  FGCU Course: *COP 1500 Intro to Computer Science (3) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: COPX500 or COP X000
  [Prerequisites of MAT 1033 minimum grade of C then MAC 1105 Minimum grade of C; or relevant accelerated credit; or placement exam]
  
  FGCU Course: COP 2006 Programming I (3) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: COP X250, COP X253, or COP X800
  
  FGCU Course: *MAC 2311 Calculus I (4) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: MACX311
  [Prerequisites of MAT 1033 minimum grade of C then MAC 1105 minimum grade of C then MAC 1147 minimum grade of C; or relevant accelerated credit; or placement exam]
  
  FGCU Course: MAC 2312 Calculus II (4) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: MACX312
  
  FGCU Course: PHY 2048 General Physics I (3) and PHY 2048L General Physics I Laboratory (1) Minimum grade of C
  FGCU Course: PHY 2049 General Physics II (3) and PHY 2049L General Physics II Laboratory (1) Minimum grade C
  Acceptable Substitute: [(PHYX048 and PHYX048L) and (PHYX049 and PHYX049L)] or (PHYX048C and PHYX049C)
  
  FGCU Course: *STA 2023 Statistical Methods (3) or *STA 2037 Statistics with Calculus (3) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: STAX023 or STAX037
  [For STA 2023 Prerequisites of MAT 1033 minimum grade of C; or relevant accelerated credit; or placement exam]
  
  Math Electives (6-7 credits) from the following (Minimum grade of C):
  FGCU Course: MAC 2313 Calculus III (4)
  FGCU Course: MAP 2302 Differential Equations (3)
  FGCU Course: MHF 2191 Mathematics Foundations (3)
  FGCU Course: MHF 2310 Symbolic Logic (3)
  Acceptable Substitutes: (6-7 credits) from: MACX313 or MAPX302 or MHFX191 or MHFX310
  
  Science Electives (4 credits) from the following (Minimum grade of C):
  FGCU Course: BSC 1010C Gen'l Biology I w/Lab (4)
  FGCU Course: BSC 1011 General Biology II (3) and BSC 1011L General Biology II Laboratory (1)
  FGCU Course: *CHM 1045 General Chemistry I (3) and CHM 1045L General Chemistry I Laboratory (1)
  [Prerequisites of MAT 1033 minimum grade of C then MAC 1105 minimum grade of C; or relevant accelerated credit; or placement exam]
  FGCU Course: CHM 1046 General Chemistry II (3) and CHM 1046L General Chemistry II Laboratory (1)
  FGCU Course: GLY 1010C Physical Geology (4)
  Acceptable Substitutes: BSCX010C or (BSCX010 and BSCX010L) or BSCX011C or (BSCX011 and BSCX011L) or CHMX045C or (CHMX045 and CHMX045L) or GLYX000C or GLY X010C or (GLY X010 and GLYX010L)
3. Required Courses in the Major (36 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  CEN 3031 Software Engng Fundamentals (3)
  CEN 3073 Requirements Engr & Analysis (3)
  CEN 3078 Computer Security (3)
  CEN 4065 Software Architecture & Design (3)
  CEN 4072 Software Testing (3)
  CEN 4934 Senior Software Engr Project I (3)
  CEN 4935 SeniorSoftware Engr Project II (capstone) (3)
  COP 3003 Programming II (3)
  COP 3530 Data Structures & Algorithms (3)
  COP 3710 Intro to Data Engineering (3)
  COP 4610 Operating Systems (3)
  MAD 3107 Discrete Mathematics (3)
4. Restricted Electives in the Major (21 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  Complete one from the following*:
  CDA 3104 Comp Org'n & Assem Lang Prog (3)
  CDA 3200 Digital Systems & Architecture (3)
  
  Complete two from the following*:
  CEN 3941 Internship in Software Engr (1-3)
  CEN 4083 Intro. to Cloud Computing (3)
  CEN 4721 Human Computer Interaction (3)
  COP 3350 Systems Admin and Programming (3)
  COT 3400 Design&Analysis of Algorithms (3)
  
  Complete four from the following*:
  CAP 4662 Introduction to Robotics (3)
  CAP 4730 Computer Graphics (3)
  CAP 4770 Knowledge Disc. & Data Mining (3)
  CDA 3104 Comp Org'n & Assem Lang Prog (3)
  CDA 3200 Digital Systems & Architecture (3)
  CDA 4150 Computer Architecture (3)
  CEN 3941 Internship in Software Engr (3)
  CEN 4026 Software Maint & Evolution (3)
  CEN 4083 Intro. to Cloud Computing (3)
  CEN 4216 Cyberphysical Systems (3)
  CEN 4721 Human Computer Interaction (3)
  CEN 4930 Special Topics in Software Eng (1-3)
  COP 3350 Systems Admin and Programming (3)
  COP 4908 Independent Study (3)
  COP 4931 Special Topics in Comp. Sci. (3)
  COT 3400 Design&Analysis of Algorithms (3)
  
  *Additional courses and/or substitutions may be permitted with approval of the Academic Unit housing the degree program or major.
  
  The same course that is used to satisfy a *required* class for major cannot meet a *restricted elective*, e.g., COT 3400 can either count as a required class for major or a restricted elective, but not both.
5. Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement (3 credits)
  Select at least 3 credits in sustainability coursework (SCGR Attribute)
6. Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
Degree Map
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Course Description
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting Started With the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSEATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting, BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes
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Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes

The Software Engineering Program has formulated the following Program Educational Objectives, which describe the career and professional accomplishments that our BS Software Engineering degree program is preparing graduates to attain. In support of these objectives, the faculty have also identified the following Student Outcomes, which describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the FGCU BS Software Engineering degree program are expected to within a few years of graduation:
1. successfully enter chosen careers in application software development, system software development, and/or graduate studies,
2. practice life-long learning in their professions, adapting to the rapidly changing technological world.
Student Outcomes

Students by the time of graduation will have attained:
1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified software engineering needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and sustainability factors.
2. Recognize professional and ethical responsibilities in software engineering and make informed judgments.
3. Use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for software engineering practice.
Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through oral and written presentations, exams, design projects, laboratory assessment and other assignments throughout the curriculum.
Communication Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Select, organize, and relate ideas and information in written, oral, and graphic form with coherence, clarity, and unity.
2. Develop and present consistent arguments to select and diverse audiences.
Communication skills are assessed at the University, College, and Department levels through oral and written presentations, exams, projects, laboratory assessment and other assignments throughout the curriculum.
Critical Thinking Skills
Graduates will be able to:
1. Identify problems and the critical information needed for their solution.
2. Analyze and synthesize information, and draw reasoned inferences.
3. Formulate and evaluate appropriate problems-solving strategies.
Critical thinking skills are assessed at the University, College, and Departmental levels through oral and written presentations, exams, projects, laboratory assessment, and other assignments throughout the curriculum.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Student Account Services website.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Website for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.