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.
Through the Software Engineering major you develop cutting-edge skills for your future career. 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.
Minimum entry requirements
Guaranteed entry
Applicants will automatically be offered a place in this programme if they have a rank score of 250 or higher, along with 14 NCEA level 3 credits in each of Calculus and Physics or CIE A levels in Mathematics and Physics.
All other applicants who have met the admission requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Selection criteria
Interview may be required
Preferred school subjects
Chemistry, Digital Technologies, English
Year 1
Students in all majors do the same papers in the first year. These papers cover mathematics and computational techniques, as well as the communication and teamwork skills that are essential for the team environment engineers work in.
Year 2
Topics cover data structures and algorithms, software theory and construction, data and process modelling and database design. You will also further your engineering mathematics skills.
Year 3
This year you learn about software engineering and undertake a software team project. Topics also cover operating systems, engineering management and secure systems.
Year 4
In the final year you grow your understanding of the engineering industry, interface design, software architecture and high performance computing.
Workplace experience
Your individual industry project in Year 4 is your opportunity to gain real-life industrial experience in an engineering environment, under the guidance of an experienced supervisor. You also need to complete 800 hours of planned supervised work experience to graduate, in addition to completing all your papers.