SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

The Software Engineering – Certificate of Achievement is designed to provide learners with a solid foundation in programming, operating systems, computer security, user interface design, and database design and implementation. In this certificate, learners explore the areas of software design, development, maintenance, and will be able to devise software application solutions for business problems. Learners will acquire the process of analyzing user requirements and then designing, building, and testing software application which will satisfy those requirements.

This certificate exposes students to best practice methodologies using a variety of tools and techniques required for solving real-world problems. Topics covered in this certificate include object-oriented analysis and design, the science of programming, software metrics, software systems architecture, and software testing and analysis. Learners will be taught to put theory into practice thus preparing them for the fast-growing, rapidly evolving opportunities in the field of software development. Every part of the curriculum of this certificate is dedicated to developing required communication skills, ethics, and standards of professionalism. 

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completing the Software Engineering Certificate of Achievement, learners will be able to:

1. Create software requirements specifications, and design and develop multifaceted software systems.
2. Acquire everything about software engineering starting from introduction, software development lifecycle and its models, various software development architectures, and software development tools.
3. Analyze, design, and develop database solutions by translating database modeling theory into sound database design and implementation.
4. Analyze and design complex front-end applications for cloud and client-server architectures and integrate them with backend databases.
5. Demonstrate critical thinking and ability to analyze and synthesize computer science concepts and skills with ethical standards.

Based on the LMI report provided by LAOCRC, there appears to be a supply gap for the programming occupation in the region. The report shows the five-year occupational demand projection to be 5826 jobs available annually in the region due to new job growth and replacements. Los Angeles Southwest College Computer Science projects a minimum of 30 learners per semester will enroll in this pathway. 

The Software Engineering Certificate of Achievement Goals and Objectives are consistent with the mission of the community colleges under Education Code section 66010.4 which states “A primary mission of the California Community Colleges is to advance California’s economic growth and global competitiveness through education, training and services that contribute to the continuous work force improvement.”

The practice of software engineering blends engineering, computing, project management, and software development. As Learners deepen their understanding by completing this certificate, they develop new ways of thinking that they ​can apply in everyday scenarios. They also learn user interface design principles essential to programming and making great applications. This certificate will prepare learners to enter the field of software development with solid foundation as the demand for programmers is increasing at all levels. With more practice as programmers, students get better at designing clever and efficient solutions to coding challenges. This certificate intent is to help filling the anticipated supply gap within the field.

The following table outlines the sequence of course requirements of the Software Engineering Certificate of Achievement: