Breadth versus depth in software engineering education

The design of software engineering courses in tertiary education usually involves some compromise over what material is included, and what is left out. The discipline of software engineering has become so comprehensive that there is only room for selected aspects in all but the specialised degree. In this paper we consider the design of software engineering subjects to be included within a computer science major. The need for a balanced treatment of computer science topics restricts the amount of time that can be devoted to software engineering. We look: at the detailed syllabi of three software engineering subjects, their relation to each other, and their place in the overall degree. We discuss how the subject objectives may be seen in the context of the degree course objectives