In order to supply a fast growing demand in the job market, Iowa State has added a new software engineering degree.

The new degree is close to computer science and computer engineering except that it will focus on large pieces of software, said Gadia Shashi, associate professor of computer science.

Basic courses in computer science and computer engineering, as well as newly developed classes, will form the new curriculum, Shashi said.

Pamela Reinig, program director for engineering communications and marketing, said one of the reasons the new degree has been introduced is the high demand for software engineers.

“Computer software engineering is the fastest growing career field worldwide,” Reinig said.

“There is a great demand and will continue to be a great demand for computer software engineers well into the first two decades of this century.”

Arun Somani, professor and chairman of electrical and computer engineering, said the industry that employs engineers has realized more than half of the workforce in computer engineering will need the skills that will be taught in the new program.

“The industry had a great need. They were the one asking us to create such a program and they provided support at all levels,” Somani said.

The developing complexity of software is another reason why the program has been implemented. The new program will help individuals manage the new complex software. How to architect software, how to design software, how to design maintainable software, design methodology, how to test software, verification and validation will be the major focus of the new program, Somani said.

Students who graduate with this degree will have many opportunities.

“Anywhere the production of software is involved, that is where it helps,” Shashi said.

Almost every industry that has anything to do with computers will be searching for an engineer of this type. The individuals working in the industry now in software engineering do not necessarily have a degree in it, Somani said.

“They already have those engineers; they don’t necessarily have the degree in this program and they train them in house. We will train them here,” Somani said.

Software systems have become the norm across the industry, said Raj Aggarwal, chairman of the External Advisory Board for electrical and computer engineering, surpassing the use of hardware.

“If you look at the systems that are being developed across the industry, more than half the content is software-based. Hardware has become more of a commodity,” Aggarwal said.

Introducing a new degree does not happen overnight, Reinig said. There is a lot of planning and development that goes into making a new degree into a reality.

Approval of the degree by the Board of Regents is the most recent action that has been taken in the process of this becoming a degree, she added. Approval is required for a degree to be offered.

The process for making this degree available was no exception.

This particular program was first considered at the end of the last decade, Somani said.

“We had a workshop in 1998, and it took us eight years to get the program,” he said.

There will be plenty of job opportunities for students with this degree in Aggarwal’s opinion.

“I see that the demand in the industry for software engineers outpacing anything that ISU can produce,” he said.