History

MS Software Engineering Degree Program

Proposed in Fall 2003, the degree program was approved in July 2004 by the Chancellor of the California State University system. The degree proposal was based on existing software engineering programs in the College of Engineering: the Enterprise Software Technologies Program and the Software Systems Engineering Program. The existing programs helped complete the approval in record time.

Enterprise Software Technologies Program

Established in 1996 as the Client/Server Computing Program in the College of Engineering at the San Jose State University, the Enterprise Software Technologies Program is one of the leading graduate programs in Silicon Valley that focuses on state-of-the-art software technologies. The program is distinctive in its approach to computing research and teaching in its emphasis on three themes. They are: focus on leading edge computing technologies, strong collaboration with the software industry, and hands-on learning.

The program was started by Robert Orfali and Dan Harkey, the best-selling authors of numerous computing books in the field of distributed objects, component-based software, and n-tier client/server computing models. It has grown from two courses with 40 students in Spring 1996 to more than 500 students enrolled in seven concentration courses in Spring 2002. Today, the program offers courses in the latest client/server n-tier architecture, mobile programming, XML technologies, Web Services computing, distributed transaction processing and security, Java-based J2EE and EJB technologies, client user interface design and programming, relational and object databases, design patterns, component-based software construction and eXtreme programming practices.

The program is shaped by research and teaching efforts with faculty with experience from companies throughout the Silicon Valley. It is also influenced by it strong connections with leading software companies in nearby Silicon Valley.

Students work in a state-of-the-art research lab equipped with powerful workstations and servers running on a mixture of Windows, Linux and Unix operating systems. Through this lab, students gain access to latest development tools and application servers from vendors such as BEA, IBM, Oracle, and Borland, and commercial databases from Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft.

The program admits both full-time and continuing education students from industry. Full-time students work side-by-side with experienced continuing education students in class assignments and master projects.