Software engineering programmes are not computer science programmes

  • Authors:

  • David Lorge Parnas

  • Affiliations:

  • NSERC/Bell Industrial Research Chair in Software Engineering, Department of Computing and Software, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1

  • Venue:
  • Annals of Software Engineering - Special issue on software engineering education
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

Programmes in “Software Engineering” have become a source of contention in many universities. Some Computer Science departments, many of which have used that phrase to describe individual courses for decades, claim software engineering as part of their discipline. However, Engineering faculties claim “Software Engineering” as a new speciality in the family of engineering disciplines. This paper discusses the differences between traditional computer science programmes and most engineering programmes and argues that we need programmes that follow the traditional engineering approach to professional education and educate engineers whose speciality within engineering is software construction. One such programme is described.