Postgraduate Courses \ LM459 MSc in Software Engineering and Entrepreneurship

Introduction

The MSc in Software Engineering and Entrepreneurship is a joint programme offered by the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Department of Management & Marketing, Kemmy Business School.

The overall aim of this programme is to meet the needs of Software Engineers who want a business and management education that will prepare them to either start new, innovative high growth software firms or to work in organisations where continuous software innovation and new product and process development technologies are key defining features.

Specific objectives include:

(i) To provide students with an integrated understanding of the linkages between software engineering and entrepreneurship.

(ii) To educate students in advanced software engineering principles.

(iii) To educate participants on the contemporary tools and methods for product design and development and commercialisation.

(iv) To develop an understanding of how to develop a comprehensive buisness plan to include establishing the technical, marketing and financial feasibility of a business idea.

Programme Outcomes

On completion of the programme participants will have acquired the knowledge and skills to contribute to improving operational efficiency and competitiveness in an organisation. This integrated programme will also attract employees with an entrepreneurial outlook who wish to advance their careers within their organisation or those who wish to pursue further research careers in innovation, creativity or entrepreneurship.

Structure

This one-year programme will comprise three semesters: two taught semesters; in the third semester students will complete a substantial dissertation. The modules and their associated learning outcomes are outlined at the end of this page.

Entrance Requirements

Primary Honours Degree (with First or Second Honours) in a suitable discipline, such as Computer Systems, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Applied Mathematics.

An applicant with a degree or postgraduate diploma with relevant work experience who can satisfy the course admission team that he/she has the ability to contribute, complete and benefit from this course. In order to recognise applicants' prior learning (in accordance with the University's policy on the accreditation of prior learning), these candidates will be required to submit a written portfolio of business learning outcomes with accompanying testimonials. An interview may be a part of the selection process for these candidates.

Fees

This programme will be funded under the Postgraduate Skills Initiative in the Academic Year of 2011/12. For EU students this means significantly reduced fees of €2,750 in the Academic Year 2011/12. Non-EU tuition fees in the Academic Year of 2010/11 for this programme were €13,243.

How to Apply

EU applicants
You may apply on-line or by downloading and completing the taught postgraduate application form. A completed application form along with the relevant supporting documentation should be returned to the
Postgraduate Admissions Office,
Graduate School,
Foundation Building,
University of Limerick,
Limerick.

Non EU Applicants should apply directly to the
International Education Division, University of Limerick, Limerick
Telephone: +353-61-202414
Fax: +353-61-213062
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Contact

Course Directors:
Dr. Ita Richardson, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , +353-(0)61-202765
Dr. Briga Hynes, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , +353-(0)61-202619

Course Structure

Year 1 | Semester 1

CS5721 Software Design
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Describe the array of techniques necessary to design quality object-oriented software.

2. Design quality blueprints for enterprise-level systems that incorporates architectural and design patterns.

3. Develop the supporting documentation for the requirement, analysis, and design phases of a software development project using an Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) method in conjunction with The Unified Modelling Language (UML).

4. Create supporting documentation for the specification workflow in a Component-Based Development (CBD) approach.

5. Use a CASE-tool to enhance & facilitate this process.

6. Evaluate different design alternatives.

7. Critique, and compare and contrast the artefacts delivered from the OOAD and CBD approaches.

8. Generate alternative refactorings based on said critique that might better support quality attributes such as modifiability.

9. Demonstrate an appreciation of the importance of analysis and design techniques in the development of enterprise-level software systems.
CS5702 Software Requirements
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Define, distinguish and discuss a wide range of requirements concepts and terminology including quality and other types of non-functional requirements.

2. Plan, describe and justify how requirements would be elicited, verified and validated with the stakeholders in different project situations.

3. Using a specification template such as the IEEE-830 or the Volere template, specify the functional requirements and the non-functional requirements for a given software product or system.

4. Select and justify appropriate requirements elicitation techniques for use in a given project or situation.

5. Select and justify appropriate requirements modelling techniques for use with different kinds of stakeholders.

6. Select and justify appropriate requirements management practices and requirements management tools.

7. Evaluate new or proposed requirements techniques and/or practices for suitability in a range of requirements situations.

8. Demonstrate an appreciation of the value and the need for involvement of all kinds of stakeholders in the requirements process.

9. Demonstrate an awareness of the inherent difficulty of achieving an ideal requirements specification.
MP6001 Establishing New Ventures
MP6011 Entrepreneurial Marketing and Research Methods
MP6021 Managing Innovation and Intrapreneurship

Year 1 | Semester 3

CS6223 Dissertation 2

Year 1 | Semester 2

CS5722 Software Architecture
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Design and understand software architecture for large scale software systems.

2. Recognise major software architectural styles, design patterns, and frameworks.

3. Describe a software architecture using various documentation approaches and architectural description languages.

4. Develop architectural alternatives for a problem and select among them.

5. Use well-understood paradigms for designing new systems.

6. Compare and contrast current trends and technologies such as model-driven, service-oriented, and aspect-oriented architectures.

7. Assess the quality attributes of a system at the architectural level.

8. Demonstrate an appreciation for the importance and role of software architecture in large scale software systems.

9. Demonstrate an appreciation for the architectural concerns and approach for families of products.

10. Demonstrate an awareness of future trends in software architecture research and practice.
[Elective]
CS5705 Human Computer Interaction
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Enumerate the key elements required for the design of interactive technologies.

2. Identify the conceptual and methodological bases of interaction design, as well as it's historical context.

3. Summarize the psychological and social scientific bases of HCI.

4. Apply principles and heuristics for the design of interactive technologies.

5. Conduct a user-centred usability evaluation of an interactive artefact and derive recommendations for re-design from this process;

6. Critique a variety of methods for involving end users as participants in the creation of new interactive technologies.

7. Display an appreciation of the importance of user participation in the design process.

8. Value the different skills and abilities of people in the context of human-system interaction.

9. Embrace the importance of inclusive design.
[Elective]
CS5703 Software Engineering Quality
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Devise a set of test cases to verify a set of functional and non-functional requirements.

2. Analyse various software development processes (examples include project management, risk management, reviews, configuration management).

3. Prescribe various mechanisms that promote the institutionalization of processes within a software development organization.

4. Investigate how the results of a software process assessment may be used.

5. Describe one software process model and the process categories within that model (e.g. Software Process Improvement and Capability determination Model, ISO 15504).

6. Defend the concepts of product and process quality.

7. Demonstrate an appreciation for the importance of effective and mature processes.
MP6022 Managing International Business Growth
[Elective]
MP6012 International Small Business Planning/Consulting
[Elective]
MP6002 Internationalising Entrepreneurial Ventures
CS6222 Dissertation 1

CSIS - Department of Computer Science & Information Systems