The Master of Software Engineering degree requires 36 credits—18 core credits, 12 elective credits, and 6 capstone credits. You must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) throughout the program. A 3.0 cumulative GPA is required to graduate.
Courses are listed below, with course descriptions provided via links to the University Bulletin. Please refer to the prerequisites mentioned on this page as those listed on the University Bulletin may differ from Penn State Great Valley. All courses offered are three credits unless otherwise indicated.
Penn State’s Schedule of Courses lists course availability. General questions should be sent to [email protected]. Contact your assigned faculty advisor for advice on course selection.
Required Software Engineering Courses and Capstone
SWENG 881 – Software Testing
(Previously SWENG 581)
SWENG 886 – Requirements Engineering
(Previously SWENG 586)
SWENG 887 – Software Systems Architecture
(Previously SWENG 587)
SWENG 837 – Software System Design
(Previously SWENG 537)
SWENG 861 – Software Construction
SWENG/SYSEN 805 – Technical Project Management
(Previously SYSEN 505)
NOTE: You may take either SWENG 805 Software Project Management or SYSEN 805 Technical Project Management.
SWENG 894 – Advanced Software Engineering
To be taken after completing all core requirement courses. The capstone course is only offered in fall semesters.
SARI (Scholarship and Research Integrity) Required Online Activity
You must successfully complete the SARI requirement of the Penn State degree in order to graduate. The SARI Module is offered only in spring and fall semesters.
Software Engineering Elective Courses
Choose four courses (12 credits) from the following:
A-I 500 – Quantitative Methods
A-I 570 – Deep Learning
(Prerequisite: A-I 500) (Previously DAAN 570)
A-I 574 – Natural Language Processing
(Prerequisites: A-I 500 and A-I/DAAN 570)
A-I 572 – Reinforcement Learning
(Previously DAAN 572)
A-I 801 – Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
(Prerequisite: A-I 500 or equivalent)
DAAN 545 – Data Mining
(INSC 521 is NOT a prerequisite.) (Previously SWENG 545)
DAAN 825 – Large-Scale Database and Warehouse
DAAN 862 – Analytics Programming in Python
(Prerequisite: A-I 500)
DAAN 871 – Data Visualization for Analytics
DAAN 881 – Data-Driven Decision Making
(Prerequisite: A-I 500)
IE 575 – Foundations of Predictive Analytics
(Prerequisite: A-I 500 or with Division permission)
INSC 521 – Database Design Concepts
INSC 526 – Business Process Management and Integration
INSC 561 – Web Security and Privacy
INSC 846 – Network & Predictive Analytics for Socio-Technical Systems
SWENG 888 – Mobile Computing and Applications
SYSEN 536 – Decision and Risk Analysis in Engineering
SYSEN 850 – Creativity and Problem Solving I
(Offered online only)
SYSEN 555 – Invention and Creative Design
(SYSEN 850 recommended prior to SYSEN 555)
