Software Engineering with Work Placement
Software engineering is the discipline concerned with the systematic design, development, testing and maintenance of complex software systems. Unlike programming as a craft, software engineering applies rigorous principles to the challenge of building large-scale, reliable and maintainable software in team environments under real-world constraints of time, budget and evolving requirements. It is one of the most in-demand graduate disciplines in the modern economy, as software underpins almost every sector from finance and healthcare to transport, education and public services.
At the University of Glasgow this programme combines theoretical grounding in computing science with the principles and practices used in the modern software industry, giving you real-world experience of software development at scale. The course runs over five years full time, reflecting both the depth of the Scottish honours degree and the inclusion of a work placement year and a year abroad, which together provide substantial professional and international experience. You will develop expertise in software design, algorithms, data structures, programming languages, testing, version control, software architecture and the professional practices of collaborative software development.
You will learn to think rigorously about software quality, to work effectively in development teams using modern engineering practices, and to apply computing science theory to practical engineering problems. The combination of academic depth and real industry experience is a significant advantage in the graduate market for software engineers.
Graduates from software engineering programmes at Glasgow are well positioned for roles as software engineers, full-stack developers, systems architects, technical leads and development managers across technology companies, financial services, healthcare technology, games, defence and public sector digital services. Postgraduate study in computing science or a related discipline is also an option for those wanting to pursue research or specialist technical roles.