Contact Us

Seattle University
Department of Computer Science & Software Engineering
901 12th Avenue, P.O. Box 222000
Engr 506
Seattle, WA 98122-1090

E-Mail: csse@seattleu.edu

Phone: 206-296-5510
Fax: 206-296-5518

Richard LeBlanc, Chair
leblanc@seattleu.edu 

Michael Smith, Administrative Assistant
mikesme@seattleu.edu  
 

• Admission Requirements
• Degree Requirements
• Software Engineering Project
• Typical Program Schedule
• Graduate Admission
• MSE Information Sheet
• Curriculum Flow Chart
• Check the Status of Your Application
   

Seattle University has long been a leader in software engineering education. It established its pioneering Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program in 1979, and awarded the world’s first degree in 1982. It established its pioneering Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program in 1979, and awarded the world’s first degree in 1982.

Our program is designed with the needs of the working professionals in mind. All classes are offered in the evenings. The program builds upon the computing experience of its students and offers extensive course work in a variety of software engineering and computer science topics, with an emphasis on teamwork and a disciplined approach to problem solving. We offer a balanced core curriculum of technical and managerial courses, and a variety of elective streams to address areas of personal interest. The principles and techniques learned throughout the course-work are integrated into a year-long software project as at the capstone experience.

Our graduate faculty has extensive industrial experience as well as strong academic credentials. Our curriculum has been shaped by close contacts with local industry, ensuring that courses are relevant to the work place and that projects are tailored to the professional needs of our students.

Admission Requirements

• Completed Application for Graduate Admission and non-refundable application fee (waived for Seattle University alumni)
• A four-year equivalent bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA of 3.00 calculated from official transcripts of all post-secondary educational institutions attended in the last 90 quarter/60 semester credits of your bachelor’s degree, including any transfer credits earned during this time, and any post-baccalaureate course work
• Current résumé reflecting at least two years of full-time work experience in software industry.
• Master of Software Engineering Applicant Information form noting working knowledge of at least one programming language, such as C++, Java or C#
• Professional autobiography
• Two professional recommendations using forms supplied in the application packet. At least one of the two recommendations should be prepared by a supervisor. Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test results from within the past five years. The Subject Test in Computer Science is optional.
• If English is not applicant's native language, official TOEFL paper-based score of 580 (92 internet-based or 237 computer-based) required. Equivalent MELAB and IELTS scores also accepted to determine English Proficiency
  
   Application Deadlines:
       Fall - July 20, Winter - November 20, Spring - February 20
       International: Fall - April 1, Winter - September 1, Spring - December 1
  

Degree Requirements

Minimum requirements for the degree are 47 graduate credits. These include 29 credits of required courses, 9 credits of elective courses, and 9 credits of software engineering project. Core courses in computing (SEGR 501 and 503) may be waived for students passing a placement exam, and replaced by additional electives. A maximum of 3 credits of 59X courses may be taken toward the MSE degree without department approval. A maximum of 12 credits taken in non-matriculated status may be applied to this program. Transfer credit regulations are described earlier in this Catalog. All degree requirements must be completed within six years after course work has begun.

I. Required Courses 

29 credits including:

• SEGR 501 - Object-Oriented Concepts
• SEGR 503 - Data Structures and Algorithms
• SEGR 520 - Software Requirements
• SEGR 521 - Software Architecture and Design I
• SEGR 523 - Human-Computer Interaction
• SEGR 524 - Software Construction
• SEGR 525 - Data Modeling
• SEGR 526 - Software Project Planning
• SEGR 531 - Software Architecture and Design II
• SEGR 580 - Ethics and Professional Issues in Computing

Note: Core courses in computing (SEGR 501 and 503 ) may be waived for students passing a placement exam, and replaced by additional electives.

9 credits from the following:

• SEGR 530 - Software Economics
• SEGR 534 - Software Testing
• SEGR 536 - Software Project Management
• SEGR 537 - Software Quality Assurance
• SEGR 543 - Applied Formal Methods
• SEGR 544 - Distributed Computing
• SEGR 551 - Embedded Systems
• SEGR 570 - Artificial Intelligence
• SEGR 572 - Software Security

 9 SEGR credits including:

• SEGR 585 - Software Engineering Project 1
• SEGR 586 - Software Engineering Project 2
• SEGR 587 - Software Engineering Project 3

Note: Satisfactory performance in the three-quarter software engineering project sequence (SEGR 585 , 586 , and 587 ) is required of all MSE students. Students are grouped into teams that complete a significant software project. Students who are not full-time are expected to take only the project sequence in their final year. Students are encouraged not to begin the software engineering project sequence unless SEGR 587 will be their final course in the program. All participants in the project sequence will be required to sign a Seattle University intellectual property (IP) and computer project room agreement, and may be required to sign an IP agreement with the project sponsor.

Typical Program Schedules

Three-year track with SEGR 501 and 503 required:

Three-year track with CSSE 501 and 503 waived:

Two-year track with SEGR 501 and 503 required:

  * If needed to maintain full-time status.

Two-year track with SEGR 501 and 503 waived:

  * If needed to maintain full-time status.

If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact us at csse@seattleu.edu or by phone at (206) 296-5510.