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Program Description

Over the last few years, Egypt witnessed a significant growth in its communication and information technology industry in general and software development in particular. Different studies and indicators place Egypt among the countries with the highest potential growth in these sectors, and foresee that the software industry could become one of the main contributors in Egypt's economy in the decades to come. One of the challenges however, is the number of qualified technical professionals that would lead this effort and build the base for this promising industry. There is a shortage of well-formed software architects, designers, team leaders, and project managers with the skills needed to really produce the scale and quality of software products that would place Egypt on the world's map in software development. It was therefore a strong motive for Nile University with its vision of "growing leaders of the technology driven high-growth economy" to offer a graduate program specialized in fulfilling this need and help raise the standards of the Egyptian software industry to become competitive in the global market. The program aims at producing technically astute graduates with solid managerial, leadership, and communications skills, prepared for future roles as leaders in the software industry.

• To apply to this program go to Admissions

Degree Awarded

Master of Communication and Information Technology – Software Engineering awarded by Nile University (accredited by the Supreme Council of Universities)

Local/ International Partners

The program is offered in cooperation with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) -Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the University of Minnesota, and the Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC).

Who should attend/Target Market

The program is targeting software professionals who seek to develop their knowledge of the software engineering discipline. Prospective students are typically from computer science, or computer engineering backgrounds. An experience and background in the software development industry is highly recommended. The target market is software development companies or any organization developing its own information system.

Admission Requirements

Generally, students admitted to NU are required to hold an appropriate university degree preferably in engineering, computer science or other related discipline. Decisions on admission to the University are made by the admissions committee based on the student's academic records, TOEFL and GRE scores, recommendation letters and the student's statement of purpose. General guidelines are a grade of "Good" from recognized universities in Egypt or a GPA of 3.0 from an accredited university or program. A minimum score of 61 in internet-based (iBT) TOEFL or equivalent is required from applicants who did not receive their prior degrees from an English speaking institution. The GRE could be taken during the first semester of study. The academic committee of Nile University may admit a student with a GPA lower than 3.0 based on the overall evaluation of the student file, work experience, and his/her potential for successfully pursuing postgraduate studies. Other evaluation measures include a personal interview.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the program will:

1. Have a solid understanding of the software development life cycle and the concepts of operation of software projects.
2. Possess the knowledge and practice of managing software development.
3. Be able to utilize the methodologies of hardware, software integration, and networking.
4. Master the principles of requirements management, analysis modelling, software architecture design, testing and verification, and quality assurance.

Faculty

The program faculty consists of highly qualified and experienced instructors from NU and international partner universities and institutions.

Research

Students in the program have the opportunity to participate in research activities under the supervision of NU faculty and collaborating faculty from partner universities. Full-time research assistant (RA) positions are also available for outstanding applicants.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence. Applicants may be considered for the scholarships when they submit their applications. Full-time research assistants appointed at NU receive full scholarships.

Curriculum

The master program consists of 30 credits of courses plus 6 credits of software development studio for a total of 36 credits. The degree is typically completed in 4 semesters. Courses are designed to provide well-rounded education and are divided into three categories:

• Core CIT courses providing foundation and breadth by covering software, hardware, and system concepts.
• Specialized courses in software engineering including software process, software architecture, software project management, and testing & verification.
• Business and management of technology electives providing students with business and management skills necessary in today's business word.

An important part of the program is the Software Development Studio (SDS) in which students work on industry-sponsored, real life software projects. Projects typically cover the complete cycle of software development and result in marketable products.

Two options are available:

1. Thesis Option:
   Students electing the thesis option are committed to academic excellence through conducting an extensive research study producing results of publishable quality.



2. Course-Based Option:
   This option aims at producing professionals who will serve the needs of the industry by being capable of analyzing and solving technical problems.

I. Core CIT Courses

All students must complete three required core courses

II. Specialized Software Engineering Courses

Students must complete five specialized courses to satisfy the specialization requirement

III. Management of Technology and Business Courses

MCIT-SWE students must complete 3-6 credits of Management of Technology or Business courses.

IV. Thesis

MCIT-SWE students who select the thesis option must successfully complete and defend a master thesis.

• To apply to this program go to Admissions

Important Links

• CIT Course Details



• Download Software Engineering Program Brochure (pdf)

• SWE Professional Certification   New

Additional requirements

Additional requirements for the software engineering specialization: knowledge of one or more programming language.