BS in Software Engineering

What is a Software Engineering Degree?

Software engineering is a systematic, disciplined, measurable approach to building and maintaining software. Starting with thorough preparation in mathematics and computer science, software engineering students at Florida Tech learn how to successfully implement and manage the development, maintenance, and evolution of software products.

Whether you want to design dynamic Internet applications, debug embedded software systems, or engineer a new way to protect electronic information, a software engineering degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in computer science and provides experience in the design and development of software products.

Accreditation

The undergraduate software engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Internationally Recognized Faculty — Personalized Attention

Another reason Florida Tech is among the best software engineering colleges is its experienced, internationally recognized professors. These active research scientists have interests in software testing and quality assurance, software evolution, and secure software development, addressing some of the most topical issues in software engineering today.

Florida Tech professors are completely accessible to students, actively working with them on their classwork and in research projects. Student programming teams in the department have advanced to the world finals of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition (ICPC) five times in the past 15 years. The ACM ICPC is often called the “Battle of the Brains,” as it brings together the best student problem-solvers from all over the world—setting Florida Tech apart from other software engineering colleges.

Students study in small-sized classes with a student-to-faculty ratio of just 9:1, something not normally found in most software engineering colleges. The close-knit family atmosphere allows students to cultivate an intimate working relationship with fellow students and professors who genuinely care about their success.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BS in Software Engineering. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, students working toward a software engineering degree build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Upsilon Pi Epsilon (the computer science honor society), the Computer Gaming Society, student government, and over 100 other student organizations.

Our chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery is an award-winning organization that participates in ACM Intercollegiate Programming competitions. ACM also holds weekly tea and cookie parties for networking and making friends.

Robotics at Florida Tech (R@FT) also takes part in robotics competitions and challenges, allowing members to utilize skills gained from software engineering internships and research to create real working machines in a team-based environment.

It All Started With 37 Cents

Florida Tech was founded in 1958 as "Brevard Engineering College." It all started as an idea in the mind of Jerome P. Keuper, a visionary physicist working at Cape Canaveral.

As university lore would have it, Keuper expressed his desire to create a scientific and technological university to a friend over drinks at a local pub. Overhearing the conversation, a fellow patron pushed 37 cents in change across the bar and said, “There’s your first donation, Jerry. Now, go and build that college.”

So, Keuper did. And what started with 37 cents as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program is now a comprehensive national research university recognized worldwide for excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

Core Values

• Research for the Benefit of All Humankind
• Education for a Lifetime of Success
• Global Citizenship for a Better World

Mission Statement

Florida Institute of Technology’s mission is to provide high-quality education to a culturally diverse student body in order to prepare students for entering the global workforce, seeking higher-education opportunities, and serving within their communities. The university also seeks to expand knowledge through basic and applied research and to serve the diverse economic, cultural, and societal needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

In support of this mission, we are committed to:

• Promoting student development by fostering and sustaining a productive institutional culture of assessment that leads to the continuous improvement of academic and administrative programs
• Developing an organizational culture that values and encourages intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and shared purpose among faculty, students, and staff, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors
• Recruiting and developing excellent faculty to become leaders in their respective fields and internationally recognized scholars
• Achieving recognition as an effective, innovative, technology-focused educational and research institution
• Recruiting and retaining an excellent, highly select, and culturally diverse student body
• Continually improving the quality of campus life for all members of the university community
• Providing personal and career growth opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students and members of the faculty and staff
• Securing and maintaining professional accreditation for all appropriate programs

We Are Florida Tech

What we are is a private, coeducational, residential, research-intensive, doctoral-granting university located in Melbourne on Florida’s sunny “Space Coast.” But who we are is so much more. We are a community of researchers, scholars, and learners hailing from all around the world. We are engineers, aviators, innovators, leaders, educators, athletes, and astronauts. We have the brains of rocket scientists and the hearts of Panthers. We are Florida Tech.

We Are Relentless

Florida Tech is a university of leaders and learners—a diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni who are united in the relentless pursuit of greatness.

We Are International

Students from more than 90 countries worldwide choose to live and learn at Florida Tech, making us a truly global university. When we say #YouAreWelcomeHere, we mean it.

We Create The Future

One of the primary tenets of Florida Tech’s mission is advancing science and technology for the benefit of Earth and all of its inhabitants. So, that’s what we do.

We Have Panther Pride

You may feel it the first time you visit the campus, the day you graduate, or at some point in between. But when you do, you’ll see that Panther Pride is more than school spirit. It’s a family.

We Make Connections

Florida Tech is proud to be part of the Brevard County community and welcomes its neighbors to explore the many personal, professional, corporate, and cultural opportunities we have to offer.

We Are STEM

There's a reason Florida Tech is known as Florida's STEM University™. To put it simply: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are in our DNA. This makes STEM a driving force behind who we are, what we do, and why we exist.