Master of Science in Software Engineering

The Master of Science program in Software Engineering trains individuals to successfully design, develop, implement, integrate, and maintain software and software related products. Software engineering is been defined as "the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to obtain economical software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines."

The department also offers a unique five-year combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Software Engineering. Undergraduate students begin graduate course work during their senior years and pursue a master's degree in one year.

Computer software engineers apply the principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to the evaluation, design, development, testing, and maintenance of the software systems. Software engineers are involved in all aspects of software development; namely, software project management, system specifications, requirement analysis, design techniques, documentation, coding, testing, maintenance, quality assurance, and configuration management.

The software engineering program at St. Mary's University does not focus on providing students with a large repertoire of programming skills that emphasize a particular language syntax or semantic. Coding is only one phase of the software life cycle. Instead, the program gives students the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and manage large-scale software systems with a primary focus on quality, reliability, and maintainability. It emphasizes the organizational structures, development processes, analysis and modeling techniques, design methodologies, documentation standards, quality and controls.

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Software Engineering, graduates are prepared for careers as systems analysts, applications specialists, marketing engineers, design engineers, systems managers, systems administrators, project managers, software developers, software tester, software quality assurance manager, human-machine interface designer, data architects, database administrators, network managers, web developer, and systems troubleshooters.

To apply online, click here. For more information about the graduate school, click here.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact Djaffer Ibaroudene, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director, at (210) 431-2050 or dibaroudene@stmarytx.edu

Program of Study

Courses are organized into a core of 15 semester hours of required courses and 15 hours of other approved electives. Students may elect a 30 hour thesis program consisting of 27 hours course credit and 3 hours of thesis credit, EG 6339. The general examination for thesis students is oral. Non-thesis students must complete 30 credit hours of course work and a Special Project combined with an oral comprehensive exam at the time of the project presentation.

The Graduate Program Director will assist the student in designing a Degree Plan which meets university requirements. All courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.

Admission and Prerequisites

Admission is granted only to those with high promise for success in graduate study. Applicants demonstrate this potential through previous academic records and testing.

To be considered for admission to the Master's in Software Engineering program, applicants must:
  1. Have a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Computer Science, computer engineering, or a closely related discipline. Applicants from other disciplines may be admitted with the provision that they take the prerequisite courses.
  2. Have a minimum Grad Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (A = 4.00) for their bachelor's degrees. Applicants who have an overall GPA below 3.0 may be admitted on a conditional status. The Graduate Program Director will evaluate these cases on an individual basis.
  3. Have a minimum GRE quantitative score of 600.
  4. International students must submit the TOEFL scores and show a minimum of 213 in the computer-based test or 550 in the paper-based test or 79 in the Internet-based test.
  5. Submit a completed application form, a written statement of purpose indicating the applicant's interests and objectives, two letters of recommendation concerning the applicant's potential for succeeding in the graduate program and official transcripts of all college level work.

Prerequisites:

EG 1302 or EG 1304 or CS 1410 (or equivalent C/C++ course) - 3 semester hours
CS 1311 (or equivalent Data Structures course) - 3 semester hour
CS 2315 (or equivalent Algorithms course) - 3 semester hours
MT 3323 (or equivalent Discrete Math course) - 3 semester hours
Calculus I and II - 3 semester hours

Faculty

Ozgur Aktunc, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering
Office: Richter 218
Phone: (210) 431-2052
oaktunc@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., Istanbul Technical University, 1999
M.S., The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2002
Ph.D., The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007

Research areas of interest:
  • Software Engineering
  • Component-based development
  • Software Metrics
  • Information Theory

Mehran Aminian, Ph.D.

Professor of Electrical Engineering
Office: Richter 219
Phone: (210) 431-2047
maminian@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details
B.S., Sari College (Iran), 1978
M.S., University of Oklahoma, 1982
Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 1989

Mehran Aminian, Ph.D. joined St. Mary's University in 1988 after graduating from University of Oklahoma with a doctorate in Electrical Engineering. His areas of interest include Computational Intelligence, Optical Communication, Quantum Electronics, Quantum Computing, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Collision Theory and Semiconductor Devices. He teaches a variety of electrical engineering courses such as Electronics, Semiconductor Devices, Communication Theory, Neural Networks, Optical Communication, Senior Design Project, Electromagnetic Wave Theory, Circuit Theory, Signals and Systems, etc.

He has published numerous papers in Journals such as Physical Review A, Journal of Physics B, IEEE Transactions, Journal of Electronic Testing Theory and Application. He has served in numerous committees such as Campus Technology Committee, Campus Safety Committee, Tenure and Promotion Committees, etc.

Vahid Emamian, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Office: Richter 223
Phone: (210) 431-2049
vemamian@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details


B.S., Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 1995
M.S., Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 1997
Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 2003

Vahid Emamian received his bachelor's and master's in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran in 1995 and 1997, respectively, and his Ph.D from University of Minnesota in Electrical and Computer Engineering, in 2003. The focus of his Ph.D. thesis was “collaborative communications for cellular wireless systems.” He then joined St. Mary's University in 2003 as an Assistant Professor of Engineering, and was elevated to Associate Professor position in 2008.

Emamian teaches an undergraduate course, Circuit Analysis I, in addition to many graduate level courses: Wireless Communications, Automatic Control Systems, Digital Control, Data Acquisition, Presentation, and Analysis, and Engineering Problem Solving Using Matlab. He established a Control and Data Acquisition lab using a grant from Education Department, and a Wireless Communications lab using a grant from the Department of Defense. He is a Senior Member of IEEE reviews papers for IEEE journals. Emamian has published more than 10 journal and conference papers. He has been an associated editor of the International Journal of Computers and Electrical Engineering since 2007.

Djaffer Ibaroudene, Ph.D.

Professor of Computer Engineering
Office: Richter 237
Phone: (210) 431-2050
dibaroudene@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., University of Bridgeport, 1981
M.S., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1985
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1991


Wenbin Luo, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Computer Engineering
Office: Richter 217
Phone: (210) 431-5002
wluo@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., Fudan University (Shanghai, P.R. China), 1996
M.S., Fudan University, 1999
M.S., University of New Mexico, 2002
Ph.D., University of New Mexico, 2003

Wenbin Luo, Ph.D., received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering, his master’s in electrical engineering and statistics, and his doctorate in computer engineering. In addition, he received the Stanford University Advanced Computer Security Certificate and Software Security Foundations Certificate.

Some of Luo’s accolades include the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in the School of Engineering at the University of New Mexico and St. Mary’s University Distinguished Faculty Award in 2008. A St Mary’s engineering department faculty member since 2003, Luo is an active researcher in the areas of computer security, digital image processing and hashing algorithms.

He has published more than thirty peer-reviewed technical papers in leading research journals and professional conferences, and has won the best paper award at 24th International Conference on Computers and Their Applications in 2009.

Since 2006, Luo has been an Associate Editor of International Journal on Computers and Electrical Engineering. He is also an active paper reviewer for seventeen research journals and many conferences. Luo was the publication chair for the 2008 and 2009 IEEE International Conference on System of Systems Engineering and was the local arrangements Co-Chair of IEEE SoSE2007. Luo is a member of Eta Kappa Nu honorary society of engineering and Kappa Mu Epsilon honorary society of mathematics. He is a Ubuntu Certified Professional (UCP), and as a hobby, he enjoys experimenting with the Linux operating system.

Bahman Rezaie, Ph.D.

Chair of the Engineering Department and Professor of Electrical Engineering
Office: Richter 220
Phone: (210) 431-2051
brezaie@stmarytx.edu

Full Bio Details

B.S., Pars College (Iran), 1971
B.S.E.E., Southern Methodist, 1978
M.S.E.E., Southern Methodist, 1980
Ph.D., Southern Methodist, 1984

Bahman Rezaie, Ph.D., earned his doctorate in Electrical Engineering from SMU in 1984. The results of his thesis (on image registration and pattern recognition) were published as a paper in IEEE transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems in November 1984.

After teaching for three years at Southern Methodist University, Rezaie joined St. Mary’s University where he is currently Professor and Chair of the Engineering Department. In 1980, Rezaie was awarded a $300,000 research grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The research was titled "Rotation Invariant Image Registration" and was geared to investigate rotation invariance of certain features on different images to develop a class of fast algorithms to detect and register rotated objects within the image scene.

He was also co-investigator on a $137,000 research grant awarded to the Department of Engineering by the U.S. Department of Education titled "Development of Academic Program and Acquisition of Equipment for Manufacturing Engineering Degree" in 1980. Recently, he co-authored a $2.1 Million Title V grant awarded to St. Mary’s University by the U.S. Department of Education titled “St. Mary’s University’s Plan to Improve Academic Programs through Instructional Technology."

At St. Mary’s University, he served as the Acting Dean of the School of Science, Engineering, and Technology in 2000. He has taught a variety of electrical engineering courses both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, including Digital Signal Processing, Digital Image Processing, Computer-Aided Circuit Design, Microprocessors, Signals and Systems and Microelectronics. His areas of specialization are signal processing, pattern recognition, robotic vision, medical imaging, adaptive filtering, microcontrollers and embedded systems.

Rezaie is a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi honorary societies of engineering. He is the recipient of the 1987-1988 Distinguished Faculty Award, (School of Science, Engineering and Technology), at St. Mary's University; recipient of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award at St. Mary's University during 1991-1992; and recipient of the 1993-1994 Distinguished Faculty Award, (Graduate School), at St. Mary's University. In 2001, Rezaie was selected as a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in the State of Texas.




Who We Are

A close-knit academic and spiritual community boasting a 13-1 student to faculty ratio

Who We Are

Hands-on professors, Fulbright Scholars, and “Piper Professor” winners who teach in the classrooms, labs, and abroad

Who We Are

A diverse university of nearly 4,000 students, with five schools, more than 40 academic programs including Ph.D. and J.D. programs, and numerous pre-professional programs

Engagement and Service

More than 70 percent of students participate in community service—last year, they logged 125,000 service hours

Engagement and Service

Recognized by The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Engagement and Service

Named a “College that Builds Character” by the John Templeton Foundation and one of the nation’s top “Colleges with a Conscience” by The Princeton Review and Campus Compact

Engagement and Service

Student-athletes completed more than 2,000 community service hours during the 2008-2009 academic year

Engagement and Service

Renowned speakers visit campus every year, including primetime news anchors, presidential candidates, Fortune 500 CEOs and entrepreneurs

Engagement and Service

School of Law received the 2009 Law School Commitment to Service Award from the Texas Access to Justice Commission

World Class Academics

Ranked fourth in the West region for best value and quality by U.S. News & World Report

World Class Academics

Tuition priced below the national average

World Class Academics

Graduation rates are among the highest in Texas

World Class Academics

Bill Greehey School of Business ranked sixth nationally for “Greatest Opportunity for Women”

World Class Academics

University-wide, 92 percent of professors hold a Ph.D. or equivalent is in their field

Outstanding Student-Athletes

Home to 12 Academic All-Americans and 219 student-athletes who have earned regional or national awards

Outstanding Student-Athletes

Student-athlete graduation rate of 63 percent, significantly higher than the NCAA Division II average

Outstanding Student-Athletes

Six national titles in basketball, baseball, softball and golf (one individual and one academic)

Outstanding Student-Athletes

Member of NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference

Innovative Programs, Exceptional Outcomes

Historically, more than half of St. Mary’s graduates who apply are admitted to medical and dental schools, above the national average of 35 percent

Innovative Programs, Exceptional Outcomes

Unique tracks include a one-year M.B.A. program, an evening law program, three forensic science tracks, and combined bachelor’s and master’s degree programs

Innovative Programs, Exceptional Outcomes

Learning laboratories include a technology-enhanced trading room where students manage a $1 million investment portfolio

Innovative Programs, Exceptional Outcomes

International opportunities include exchange programs with universities in China, Germany and Mexico, as well as study abroad programs in Europe and South America