How higher-education systems influence software engineering degree programs

Over the last few years, many members of the software development community have advocated that software engineering should be underpinned as an independent profession. A prerequisite for this professionalization is the establishment of specific elements such as accreditation, certification, licensing, and an adequate education for future professionals. SE teaching has certainly undergone a series of changes over recent years. Traditionally, students gained SE knowledge mainly in postgraduate programs. A trend toward explicitly including this knowledge in undergraduate programs started as computer science programs began incorporating some SE knowledge as compulsory subjects. Furthermore, SE-specific programs have proliferated in several countries, such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Although these programs focus on SE knowledge, they might also offer electives related to advanced CS knowledge, depending on the university. After analyzing Australian, Canadian, European, and US HEI´s we conclude that the primary cause of this difference in proliferation of SE programs in the organization of these countries´ higher-education system. We also determine that these organizational differences don´t generally affect the amount of SE knowledge that student´s receive.