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Software
Engineering
Building software is architecture, process, and collaboration, not just code. This course teaches the discipline that lets teams scale and ship.
What You'll Learn
A full semester of software engineering — completed at your own pace, with no deadlines or fixed class times.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Critically evaluate the essential elements and defining features of computer software across various fields, assessing their significance and applications in modern society
- Analyze and evaluate foundational concepts, processes, and techniques in software engineering, applying them to real-world scenarios
- Critically analyze and synthesize methodologies of system analysis within software engineering, proposing solutions to complex system issues
- Evaluate and critique object-oriented analysis and design methodologies, designing improved approaches for organizing software around data to enhance modularity
- Synthesize the crucial steps in the software engineering process and create frameworks incorporating best practices to optimize project outcomes
- Analyze and adapt various systems development life cycles, designing customized methodologies tailored to specific project needs
Major Course Topics
Course chapters and lessons
Software Engineering has 15 chapters across 59.5 instructional hours, as listed in the course syllabus. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
- Chapters
- 15
- Lessons
- 103
- Instructional hours
- 59.5 hrs
- Semester hours
- 3
Chapter 1
Introduction to Software and Engineering Foundations
- 1.1 What Is Computer Software? Core Definitions and Everyday Uses
- 1.2 The Software Engineering Process: From Requirements Through Deployment
- 1.3 Approaches to Software Development: Plan-Driven, Agile, and Hybrid Paradigms
- 1.4 Analyzing Systems Within the Software Engineering Workflow
- 1.5 Designing with Objects: The OOAD Approach
- 1.6 Proven Steps and Guidelines for Building Quality Software
- 1.7 Walking Through the Systems Development Life Cycle
- 1.8 Common Misconceptions in Software Engineering
- 1.9 The Waterfall Approach: Structure, Strengths, and Use Cases
- 1.10 Recognizing Process Patterns Across Engineering Workflows
Chapter 2
Process Models and Development Strategies
- 2.1 Building Software in Cycles: The Iterative Approach
- 2.2 Making Progress in Stages: Incremental Decision Models
- 2.3 Managing Risk Through the Spiral Process
- 2.4 Parallel Workflows: Concurrent Development Strategies
- 2.5 Assembling Systems: Integration and Configuration Approaches
- 2.6 Constructing Software from Reusable Components (CBSE)
- 2.7 Formal Techniques in Software Engineering: Concepts and Practice
Chapter 3
Unified Process and Real-World Model Applications
- 3.1 Putting the Unified Process to Work in Projects
- 3.2 How Process Models Play Out in Real Projects
- 3.3 Weighing the Strengths of Agile Development Methods
- 3.4 User Stories vs. Use Cases: Comparing Agile Artifacts
- 3.5 Toolkits and Frameworks That Support Agile Teams
- 3.6 Growing Agile Across Large-Scale Organizations
Chapter 4
Rapid Development, Testing, and Software Evolution
- 4.1 Speed-Driven Development: The RAD Approach
- 4.2 Collaborative Design Through Joint Application Development
- 4.3 Guiding Products Forward with the Stage-Gate Process
- 4.4 Software Testing Essentials: Methods, Mindsets, and Techniques for Quality Assurance
- 4.5 How Software Changes Over Time: Evolution and Maintenance
- 4.6 Refactoring in Agile: Cleaning Code Without Breaking It
- 4.7 Getting Started with Agile Thinking
Chapter 5
Agile Methodology in Practice
- 5.1 Core Principles of Agile Software Development
- 5.2 The Agile Lifecycle: From Planning to Delivery
- 5.3 Applying Agile at Scale for Complex Projects
- 5.4 The Five Core Values of Extreme Programming and the Culture They Create
- 5.5 XP Engineering Practices: Pair Programming, TDD, Continuous Integration, and Refactoring
- 5.6 Surveying Agile Process Frameworks
- 5.7 Running Projects with Scrum
Chapter 6
Requirements Engineering and Prototyping
- 6.1 Foundations of Modeling Software Requirements
- 6.2 Prototyping Software: Building to Learn
- 6.3 What Makes Good Requirements? Engineering Essentials
- 6.4 Capturing Requirements Through Real-World Scenarios
- 6.5 Getting Started with UML: A Visual Modeling Language
- 6.6 Structuring Information: Data Modeling Basics
- 6.7 Organizing Data with Class-Based Modeling
- 6.8 Drawing Interactions: UML Use Case Diagrams in Action
- 6.9 Mapping Data and Control Flow: DFDs and Control Flow Diagrams Compared and Applied
Chapter 7
Behavioral Models and Requirements Analysis
- 7.1 Documenting Use Cases: Diagrams, Templates, and Best Practices
- 7.2 Defining System Boundaries with Context Diagrams
- 7.3 Modeling How Systems Behave Under Different Conditions
- 7.4 Breaking Down Requirements: Classes, Functions, and Behaviors
- 7.5 Handling Requirements for Web-Based Applications
- 7.6 Visualizing Object Interactions with UML Sequence Diagrams
- 7.7 How the Software Design Process Works
- 7.8 Essential Ideas Behind Effective Software Design
Chapter 8
Object-Oriented Design and Architecture
- 8.1 Designing Software the Object-Oriented Way
- 8.2 Components of a Complete Design Model
- 8.3 Mapping Deployment with UML Diagrams
- 8.4 Reading and Creating Conceptual Architecture Diagrams
- 8.5 Architectural Styles, Archetypes, and Building Blocks for Robust Software Systems
- 8.6 Transform Mapping: Turning Data Flow into Architecture
Chapter 9
Component-Level Design and Practical Application
- 9.1 Connecting Data Flow Diagrams to System Architecture
- 9.2 What Goes Into Component-Level Design
- 9.3 Designing Components Around Classes: Principles and Process
- 9.4 Putting Component-Level Design into Practice: Steps and Examples
- 9.5 Using Component-Level Design in Real Software Projects
Chapter 10
User Interface Design: Principles, Guidelines, and Implementation
- 10.1 What Is User Interface Design and Why It Matters
- 10.2 Rules and Guidelines for Human-Centered Interfaces
- 10.3 Methods for Evaluating and Analyzing Interface Design
- 10.4 From Concept to Screen: Implementing UI Designs
- 10.5 Building Interfaces for Web and Mobile Platforms
- 10.6 UI Design in Practice: Real-World Software Examples
Chapter 11
Software Verification, Validation, and Dependability
- 11.1 Checking That Requirements Are Right: Validation Techniques
- 11.2 What Makes a System Dependable? Core Properties and Goals
- 11.3 Applying Formal Methods to Software Development
Chapter 12
Reliability Engineering and Security
- 12.1 Reliability Engineering: Definitions, Goals, and Getting Started
- 12.2 Writing Code That Holds Up: Reliable Programming Practices
- 12.3 Measuring How Well Systems Perform Over Time
- 12.4 A Survey of Information Security Categories
- 12.5 Putting Network Security to the Test
Chapter 13
Project Management, Planning, and Agile Governance
- 13.1 Identifying and Managing Risk in Software Projects
- 13.2 Planning a Project: Processes, Tools, and Techniques
- 13.3 Assembling Teams and Assigning Roles
- 13.4 Planning the Agile Way: Methods and Tools
- 13.5 Tackling Common Challenges in Software Project Management
- 13.6 The W5HH Framework: Asking the Right Project Questions
Chapter 14
Project Estimation, Configuration, and Change Control
- 14.1 Estimating Timelines When Activity Durations Are Uncertain
- 14.2 Building Quality into Software Through Management Systems
- 14.3 Scheduling Policies and Configuration Management Plans
- 14.4 Configuration Management Processes: Identification, Control, Status Accounting, and Auditing
- 14.5 Configuration Management Tools: Version Control, Build Systems, and CI/CD Pipelines
- 14.6 Tracking Control Items and Procedures in Configuration
- 14.7 Handling Change in Projects: Planning and Key Components
- 14.8 Reusable Software at Scale: Component-Based Engineering Revisited
- 14.9 How Distributed Computing Works: Principles and Environments
Chapter 15
Distributed Systems, Services, and Sociotechnical Topics
- 15.1 Middleware: The Glue Between Software Layers
- 15.2 Client-Server Networks: How They Work and When to Use Them
- 15.3 Architecture Patterns for Building Distributed Systems
- 15.4 Service-Oriented Architecture and SaaS: Models, Benefits, Trade-Offs, and Real-World Value
- 15.5 Engineering Services: From Definition to Delivery
- 15.6 People and Technology Together: Sociotechnical Systems Theory
- 15.7 Conceptual Models: What They Are and How to Use Them
- 15.8 Managing Procurement in Software Projects
- 15.9 Systems of Systems (SoS): Complexity and Coordination
These chapters come straight from the official course syllabus, which also sets out the graded assignment and the proctored final exam.
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Master software engineering and build a foundation for a tech career.
Building software is architecture, process, and collaboration, not just code. This course teaches the discipline that lets teams scale and ship.
🎯 Why It Matters
- Gain in-demand technical skills recognized by employers
- Understand systems, security, and infrastructure at a practical level
- Build knowledge that applies across IT roles and industries
- Foundation for certifications and advanced study
💼 In-Demand Careers
- Software Engineer / Developer
- Systems Analyst
- IT Project Manager
- QA & Testing Engineer
- Solutions Architect
- Technical Consultant
🚀 How This Sets You Up
- Complete structured lessons and a comprehensive final exam
- Earn 3 transferable college credit hours
- Recognized by NCCRS cooperating universities globally
- Self-paced — no deadlines, no campus visits required
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Everything You Need to Succeed
Video-Based Lessons
HD video lectures broken into short, focused modules. Watch at your own pace — pause, rewind, replay any time.
Quizzes & Final Exam
Evaluate your understanding after every section with quizzes and a comprehensive final exam that mirrors real college assessment.
Structured College-Level Course
Structured lessons covering every topic — designed as a standard Software Engineering college-level course.
Official Transcript
Complete the course, request your transcript, and transfer 3 credit hours to NCCRS cooperating universities. No separate exam required.
Earn 3 College Credits
for $250.
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