The Master of Software Engineering is a 2–3 year degree (full-time) degree depending on your prior study.

Course structure

First year

In your first year (or equivalent) you’ll complete foundation engineering subjects – tailored to students from a non-engineering background. If you’ve completed the Computing and Software Systems major or Computing major in your bachelor’s degree, plus the required maths and science subjects, you’ll receive credit for these foundation engineering subjects and start in the second year.

Second and third year

In the second and third year (or equivalent), you’ll focus on your chosen engineering discipline. As a software engineering student, you will focus on learning how to produce and manage large and small-scale software systems. You’ll specialise in algorithms, internet technologies and database systems and gain expertise in in subjects from artificial intelligence to cloud computing.

You’ll undertake an industry, design or research project and gain the skills and knowledge to practice as a professional software engineer.

Choose your specialisation

As a Master of Software Engineering student, you can pursue your career goals and interests through one of five specialisations, or you can choose not to specialise if you’d prefer.

Artificial Intelligence

Develop expertise in the design, implementation and analysis of machines that learn, plan and reason, covering topics like machine learning and digital ethics.

Business

Study tailored business subjects developed in partnership with the Melbourne Business School, covering how economics, marketing and finance relate to engineering.

Cyber Security

Discover how to create new technologies to improve security and minimise vulnerabilities in design systems, covering topics like cryptography and security analytics.

Distributed Computing

Learn how to manage large quantities of data through networked computers by exploring topics like distributed algorithms and parallel computing.

Human Computer Interaction

Evaluate interactive technologies, learn how to create the next generation of interfaces and gain expertise in areas like user experience and social computing.

Industry, design and research subjects

Internship subject

Gain skills and work experience through our academically credited internship subject. Running over 10–15 weeks, you could intern as a software engineer in a variety of industries, including healthcare and financial services or technology companies and start-ups.

Creating Innovative Engineering subject

Collaborate on a real-world innovation challenge with an industry mentor through our Creating Innovative Engineering subject.

Master Advanced Software Project

Be guided by experienced engineers through the agile software development process to produce a software system for an external client in the year-long Masters Advanced Software Project.

Master Software Engineering Project

You could develop and manage a repeatable process within a software system for an external client with Masters Software Engineering Project. You’ll learn advanced software engineering techniques and methodologies first-hand, including analysis and modelling, product and project metrics, design and technologies, product testing and measurement and validation.

Handbook entries

Master of Software Engineering