Study Software Engineering - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Through the Software Engineering major in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) you develop cutting-edge skills for your future engineering career.
Professional software engineers are responsible for constructing, deploying and maintaining high-quality software in a systematic, timely and disciplined manner. Software engineers must be technically proficient and work effectively in teams and with multiple stakeholders.
You learn to design, develop, test and maintain software. To prepare you for a career as a professional engineer you also develop your communication and teamwork skills.
This is part of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).
If you’re studying software engineering, you’ll learn to design, develop, test and maintain software. You’ll explore mathematics and computational techniques, data structures and algorithms, software theory and construction, data and process modelling, interface design and engineering management.
Most of your first-year courses are shared between the majors in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and the Bachelor of Engineering Technology, making it easy for you to switch between our engineering degrees and majors.
You also need to complete 800 hours of planned, supervised work experience to graduate, in addition to completing all your courses. This experience exposes you to common engineering industry practices and helps you gain knowledge of engineering procedures, engineering responsibilities, and health and safety practices.
Year 1
Complete the following courses
- COMP500 Programming Concepts and Techniques
- DIGD507 Mahitahi | Collaborative Practices
- ENGE500 Introduction to Sustainable Engineering Design
- ENGE501 Engineering Mathematics I
- ENGE503 Engineering Mechanics
- ENGE504 Electrical Engineering Fundamentals
- ENME502 Engineering Materials I
- ENGE600 Engineering Management
Year 2
Complete the following courses
- ENGE601 Engineering Mathematics II
- COMP604 Operating Systems
- COMP610 Data Structures and Algorithms
- ENEL608 Intro to Microcontrollers
- ENSE600 Software Construction
- ENSE602 Object Oriented Programming for Engineers
- ENSE603 Database System Design
You also choose one elective course.
Year 3
Complete the following courses
- COMP716 Highly Secure Systems
- COMP719 Applied Human-Computer Interaction
- ENGE707 Data Engineering and AI
- ENSE701 Contemporary Issues in Software Engineering
- ENSE704 Software Engineering Mathematics
- ENSE705 Software Team Project
- ENSE706 Data Process and Software Modelling
- ENSE707 Software Quality Assurance
Year 4
Complete the following courses
- ENGE891 Final Year Research Project (Part A)
- ENGE892 Final Year Research Project(Part B)
- ENGE803 Innovation and Research Management
- ENSE803 Formal Specification and Design
And choose four from
- COMP806 Software Architecture
- ENSE807 Digital Signal Processing
- ENSE808 Digital Systems Design
- ENSE810 Embedded Software Engineering
- ENSE814 Wireless Sensor-Actuator Networks
Workplace experience
Your industry-based research project in Year 4 is your opportunity to gain real-life industrial experience in a software engineering environment, under the guidance of an experienced supervisor.
Want more info about work integrated learning at AUT?
Read more about workplace experience in AUT programmes, how it works and why it’s so beneficial when you start your career.
Workplace experience in AUT programmes
Students who started at AUT before 2024
If you started your studies in this programme before 2024, the courses you need to complete are a little different. Updated study plans for current students in this programme will be available on Canvas. If you have questions about your study plan and what courses you should take, email engineer@aut.ac.nz
Career opportunities if you study software engineering
- Software engineer
- Database programmer and architect
- Software tester
- Software development project manager
- Embedded software designer
- Embedded software developer
- Mobile apps designer or developer
- Cloud applications developer
- Solutions architect
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other majors in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
- Architectural Engineering
- Civil Construction Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Maritime Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
Postgraduate study
- Covers a wide range of engineering skills
- Local and international career opportunities in a variety of professional roles
- A balance between technical and soft skills
- Includes an industry-based project in your final year
- Interested in developing high-quality software
- Having a high attention to detail
- Technically proficient
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.