Program Education Objectives, Outcomes and Goals

The Software Engineering Bachelor of Science degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the General Program Criteria and the Software and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria

The educational objectives of the BS Software Engineering program are to ensure that the graduates are fundamentally solid, practical, dependable, collaborative, and professional. Specifically, three to five years after graduation, the successful graduates will have

• Engaged in successful professional practices in their chosen discipline
• Demonstrated professional and personal leadership by pivoting and making decisions in the face of ambiguity in their workspace and the society
• Demonstrated effective collaboration and communication in the work environment and beyond
• Utilized formal and informal learning opportunities to maintain and enhance technical excellence and professional growth
• Demonstrated ethical and professional responsibility by recognizing and nurturing it across the board

To prepare the students for a successful professional and personal life, the BS Software Engineering program is designed to produce software engineering graduates who have attained the following student learning outcomes at the time of graduation:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. 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
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The student learning experience at SJSU is centered on helping students achieve five important goals. These goals represent the skills and knowledge that power lifelong learning and career success. San José State University graduates will have developed:

1. Social and Global Responsibilities. An ability to consider the purpose and function of one’s degree program training within various local and/or global social contexts and to act intentionally, conscientiously, and ethically with attention to diversity and inclusion.
2. Specialized Knowledge. Depth of knowledge required for a degree, as appropriate to the discipline.
3. Intellectual Skills
   1. Fluency with specific theories, assumptions, foundational knowledge, analytical and interpretive protocols, tools, and technologies appropriate to the discipline or field of study. 
   2. Skills necessary for mastery of a discipline at a level appropriate to the degree and leading to lifelong learning, including critical and creative thinking and practice, effective communication, thorough and ethical information gathering and processing, competence with quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies, and productive engagement in collaborative activities.
   3. For undergraduate students in a baccalaureate program: an understanding of critical components of broad academic areas, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, quantitative reasoning, and sciences.
4. Integrative Knowledge and Skills
   1. Mastery in each step of an investigative, creative, or practical project (e.g., brainstorming, planning, formulating hypotheses or complex questions, designing, creating, completing, and communicating) with integration within and/or across disciplines.
   2. An ability to articulate the potential impacts of results or findings from a particular work or field in a societal context.
5. Applied Knowledge. An ability to apply theory, practice, and problem solving to new materials, settings, and problems.