Software Engineering (MEng)
Master of Engineering (MEng)
Offered by:Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
Why pursue a Master's in Software Engineering?
The Master of Software Engineering program prepares highly-qualified candidates to work confidently with software engineering applications in business and industry.
The MEng is a course-based program for practicing software engineers and is open to candidates interested in either full- or part-time study. The MEng program enables students to apply their professional experiences and broaden their understanding of advanced software engineering and other technological concepts. Students enhance their analytic and design skills and improve their ability to present technical material in written form. The normal duration of the program is two years.
Software engineers apply engineering principles and practices to design, test, operate and maintain computer software. Graduates of the Master's program are trained to work on all aspects of the software product life cycle. They learn how to develop high-capacity computer software in a controlled, systematic and quantifiable manner and ensure it is reliable, efficient and economic.
Program details
Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree or a graduate diploma in Software Engineering with very high standing. In addition, applicants holding an undergraduate degree with very high standing in another discipline such as engineering, science, computer science or mathematics must have at least two years of experience in IT or related industry. Qualified applicants requiring prerequisite courses may be required to take such courses in addition to their regular graduate program. Admission to the program is competitive and only applicants with high academic standing will be considered. The graduate studies committee, in consultation with the department, is responsible for recommending on all applications for admission.
Note: Students who have not completed an undergraduate degree or a graduate diploma in Software Engineering must take COMP 5541, SOEN 341 and SOEN 390 in addition to the other requirements for the program.
- Program of Study. The student, in consultation with faculty, must plan an individual program of study approved by the department graduate studies committee.
- Credits. A fully-qualified candidate is required to complete successfully a minimum of 45 credits. Additional credits may be required in some cases.
- Completion. Normally a full-time student will require six terms to complete the degree requirements.
- Transfer Credits. A student may be granted credit for, in general, not more than 12 credits taken in approved graduate studies prior to his or her entry into this program. A course submitted for transfer credit must be appropriate to the student’s program of study at Concordia University. An application for such credit will be considered only at the time of admission.
- Cross-Registration. A student in the program wishing to take courses under the cross-registration scheme outlined in the graduate calendar must first obtain permission of the graduate program director.
- Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulation page for further details regarding the Time Limit requirements.
- Courses. Students must take a minimum of 45 credits of course work consisting of 12 credits of core courses (SOEN 6431, SOEN 6441, SOEN 6461), a minimum of 24 credits from Topic Areas C08 through C13, and the remaining credits from Topic Areas C01 through C13, and C16, SOEN 6971, COMP 6961 and ENCS 6931. All students are required to pass a programming competency qualifying program in addition to and as part of their regular MEng (Software Engineering) program.
- Concurrent Qualifying Program. Students must take and pass a Programming Competency Test (PCT). The PCT is taken during their first term of studies after the first registration as full-time (part-time) students in the MEng (Software Engineering) program. Students who fail the PCT are required to take COMP 5481 the next time it is offered by the Department and achieve a grade of B or better. Until COMP 5481 has been successfully completed, students are only able to register for the core courses for their program. COMP 5481 counts as a course in addition to their program.
Programming Competency Test. Students take the Programming Competency Test (PCT) by registering for SOEN 6501. Students are assessed on the basis of a written test of their programming competency. The material covered in the PCT is the same as the material covered in COMP 5481. The PCT is normally administered by the Department.
- Project. Students may choose to do a project as part of their program. They do so by registering for SOEN 6971.
SOEN 6971 Project and Report (4 credits). The purpose of the project report is to provide students in the MEng (Software Engineering) program with an opportunity to carry out independent project work and to present it in an acceptable form. The project may consist of the following:
- A theoretical study of a software engineering problem.
- A design and/or development project conducted at Concordia.
- A design and/or development project conducted as part of the student’s full-time employment, providing the student’s employer furnishes written approval for the pursuit and reporting of the project.
A four-credit report is due on the last day of classes of the term (fall, winter, summer) in which students are registered. Students are expected to have a preliminary version of their report approved by their advisor before its final submission. On or before the submission deadline, students must submit three copies of the report to their advisor, who grades the report. One copy of the report is returned to the student, one retained by the advisor, and one by the Department.
The report, including an abstract, must be suitably documented and illustrated, should be at least 5000 words in length, must be typewritten on one side of 21.5 cm by 28 cm white paper of quality, and must be enclosed in binding. Students are referred to the latest edition of Form and Style: Thesis, Report, Term Papers by Campbell, Ballou and Slade, published by Houghton Mifflin (Academic).
Please apply online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures.
1. Submit your application and pay a $100CAD application fee. A student ID number will be issued
2. Log on to MyConcordia.ca portal to upload documents
3. A completed file that is ready to be assessed will include:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of purpose
- Transcripts (with mark sheets if applicable) for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.
For initial assessment purposes, scanned and uploaded copies of documents are accepted. To finalize a file, once admitted, Concordia University will require official documents.
| DEGREE |
FALL (September) |
WINTER (January) |
SUMMER (May/June) |
| Software Engineering | ||||
| Canadian/Permanent Resident | MEng | Feb. 15 | July 31 | n/a |
| International | MEng | Feb. 15 | June 15 | n/a |
Priority will be given to those who apply within the official deadlines listed above. Some programs may continue to accept applications after these deadlines. For more information, please contact the department.
Sample classes
- Advanced Software Architectures
- Software Systems Requirements Specification
- Software Project Management
- Software Comprehension and Maintenance
Curriculum
To see curriculum requirements, please visit the section above on degree requirements.
For topic area course lists, please visit the Graduate Calendar.
For course descriptions, please visit the Graduate Calendar.
Graduate students of computer science and software engineering may apply for positions as teaching assistants within the department. All candidates must have good language skills.
