Software Engineering Major

Software Engineering Major

Student working on a computer.

Why Software Engineering?

The software engineering major focuses on the engineering principles and practices necessary to build, maintain, and protect complex modern systems. Students study within a small cohort of fellow majors and are well prepared for careers in the tech field thanks to this program’s unique, hands-on curriculum designed to emulate real industry work.

Focus Areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Architecture and High-Performance Computing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Science and Informatics
  • Foundations of Computer Science
  • IoT, Robotics, and Embedded Systems
  • Networking
  • User-Centered Computing
Students will learn software engineering concepts such as design, architecture, development, analysis, testing, maintenance, and documentation starting in their first year. They'll also learn to work on multidisciplinary teams to identify and develop software solutions and to maintain software intensive systems of all sizes.
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What You'll Learn

  • You'll learn to apply disciplined software engineering practices and principles to the design, architecture, development, analysis, testing, and maintenance of complex software systems to meet the desired needs of the stakeholders within realistic constraints.
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Learning Outcomes

  • An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  • 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.
  • An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
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Career Connections

  • Connect with industry professionals through frequent career events.
  • Spend two full academic years collaborating with faculty or members of industry in the Senior Design capstone course.
  • Complete coursework designed to develop software skills as well as professional and interpersonal skills.
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Ranked #1 in Software Engineering

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100% placement rate for new graduates seeking work

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80% of graduates get first job offers before diplomas

How You’ll Learn

Hands-On Learning Experiences

  • Participate in our annual student-led CornHacks hackathon.
  • Work on multidisciplinary teams to identify and develop solutions and to maintain software-intensive systems of all sizes.
  • Complete curriculum that focuses on practical application and introduces software engineering concepts in the first semester.

Transferable Career Skills

  • Develop skills in the application of theory, experimentation, lifelong learning, and professional development.
  • Gain insight into the world of practicing professionals for collaborations, mutual support, and representing the profession to government and society.
  • Complete curriculum that involves teamwork, communication, and hands-on experience.

Social Connections

  • Study and socialize with fellow majors in our Student Resource Center community hub.
  • Join computing-focused student organizations to learn new skills and connect with students who share your interests.
  • Live, study, and explore opportunities with other computing students by joining a Learning Community.

Making a Difference

  • Enroll in a one-credit hour leadership and mentoring course to support students currently enrolled in one of the first core software engineering courses.
  • Join our student organization Initialize, a club dedicated to giving back to the community through computing.
  • Promote diversity in technology through campus events and local initiatives.

Core Academics

  • Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems using computational resources.
  • Contribute their expertise by effectively collaborating and communicating with other stakeholders in multidisciplinary teams.
  • Adapt to rapid advances in computing and software engineering tools, technologies, principles, and practices.

Research and Grad School Prep

  • Become an undergraduate research assistant and conduct research alongside graduate students and faculty through our programs and labs.
  • Connect with course instructors and receive guidance in exploring your research and career options.
  • Attend our annual Grad Info Day event to explore our graduate programs and opportunities.

Program Features

Research and Academic Opportunities

Student Organizations

The School of Computing is home to several highly engaged student organizations. These clubs provide a great opportunity to grow as a leader, gain experience, make meaningful connections, and have fun.

The School of Computing Advisory Board (cSAB)

This group is committed to helping the school improve by making student voices heard by faculty, staff, and leadership. This group organizes regular student events, such as the annual Involvement Fair and Student Advisory Panel, and leads initiatives to enhance student experiences.

Initialize

Initialize is a group dedicated to using computing skills to give back to the local community. This club’s activities include teaching robotics concepts to Lincoln middle schoolers, mentoring Girl Scouts at coding camps, and building new software for local nonprofits.

OS2G

The Operating Systems and Open-Source Group (OS2G) is a club for users of Linux and other free and open-source software (FOSS) to meet, socialize, and learn from one another.

Game Development Club

The university's only club focused on learning to develop video games. This group aims to guide students in learning effective professional game development techniques.

See All School of Computing Student Organizations

Recent Student Placements

Internships

  • Software Development Intern, Sandhills Global
  • UX Design Intern, Microsoft
  • Data Science Intern, Ameritas
  • Software Engineering Intern, Lockheed Martin
  • Application Development Intern, Buildertrend

Careers

  • Mobile Software Engineer, Epic
  • Software Engineer, Peloton
  • Database Developer, Sandhills Global
  • Software Engineer, Microsoft
  • Application Developer, Mutual of Omaha

Graduate Schools

  • Ph.D. Computer Science or MBA, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
  • M.S. Information Networking, Carnegie Mellon University
  • M.S. Computer Science, University of Southern California
  • M.S. Computer Science, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

4-Year Plan and Notable Courses

Explore major requirements and the courses you'll be taking through the 4-year plan.

4-Year Plan

SOFT 160: Software Engineering I

Software engineering techniques and tools for designing, modeling, and building event-driven and multi-layer applications.

SOFT 161: Software Engineering II

Software engineering techniques and tools for designing, modeling, and building event-driven and multi-layer applications.

SOFT 360: Software Engineering Mentoring and Leadership

Mentoring and leading software engineering teams.

SOFT 466: Software Design and Architecture

Introduction to the concepts, principles, and state-of-the-art methods in software design and architecture.

SOFT 467: Testing, Verification and Analysis

In-depth coverage of problems related to software quality, and approaches for addressing them.

SOFT 468: Requirements Elicitation, Modeling and Analysis

In-depth coverage of processes, methods and techniques for determining, or deciding, what a proposed software system should do.

Contact Us

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Olivia Ingle

Recruitment Coordinator
(402) 472-0434
olivia.ingle@unl.edu