Department of Software Engineering Resources

Visit your advisor for:

• Help interpreting program requirements

• Assistance with course selection

• Help resolving academic difficulties

• Guidance for setting academic goals

• Accurate and current information on University policies and procedures

• Referrals to campus resources, when you aren’t sure where to go Hours Students can meet with their advisor in two different formats: Open Advising and Appointments.

• Open Advising (for all students): These are time blocks decided by each advisor, offered on a first-come, first-served format. Most of these meetings are less than 15 minutes in length and are not available for Change of Program or Double Major conversations. Open advising times are posted in Starfish (undergrad only), and on weekly schedules posted on bulletin boards around the SE Office (all).

• Appointments (for all students): These can be made by logging into Starfish (undergrad only) or by visiting/calling the office (all). Each advisor has time available on their calendar to meet with students, and will work with students' schedules to find a mutually good time to meet.

o To schedule an appointment:  

               For undergrad students:

                                  • Log into SIS and click the teal Starfish icon

                                  • Click the My Success Network > Schedule Appointment link under your advisor's name

                                   • If there are no viable appointment blocks, contact your advisor or the office

                For grad students:

                                   • Email your advisor to set up an appointment time

                                   • Stop by the office to set up a time (GOL-1690) or call the front desk at 585-475-5461

These are time blocks offered by each advisor available for students, offered on a first-come, first-served format. Most of these meetings are less than 15 minutes, please click the link to find your advisor's Open Advising & Office Hours . 

 Last Names beginning A-H ***  For students entering fall 2021 and later: A-G

Carrie Koneski

Academic Advisor

Advising

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

caksma@rit.edu

585-475-6352

Last Names beginning I-Z *** For students entering fall 2021 and later: M-Z

Megan Lehman

Academic Advisor

Advising

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

melics@rit.edu

585-475-5179

*** For students entering fall 2021 and later: H-L

Sarah Mittiga

Academic Advisor

University Advising Office

Academic Affairs

sxmrgr@rit.edu

585-475-2012

Software Engineering 

J Scott Hawker

Adjunct Faculty

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

jshvse@rit.edu

585-475-2705

Data Science 

Travis Desell

Associate Professor

Department of Software Engineering

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

Graduate Program Director, Data Science

tjdvse@rit.edu

585-475-2991

Mentoring/Tutoring through SSE The Society of Software Engineers (SSE)

Mentoring Lab (GOL-1670) is staffed by volunteer student mentors who are available for help with coursework, tips on balancing academics, and other activities. A schedule is posted outside the lab each semester. Review Sessions The SSE mentors hold review sessions for introductory Computer Science and Software Engineering courses throughout the semester. Sessions are scheduled to align with upcoming exams in each course. Physics Help SE has hired a physics tutor to help with questions and concerns regarding University Physics I and II. The physics tutor will be available in the SSE lab during the semester (check with the SE Office or the SSE lab for times).

Academic Success Center (ASC)

The ASC offers a number of programs and services that assist and empower students to achieve academic success, including individual and group instruction, tutoring, content-specific support in math and physics, peer to peer learning, and online content. The ASC serves all students, from incoming freshmen to graduate students. In addition to skill development, the ASC offers courses designed to teach students how to improve their study techniques and how to make the most of their individual learning abilities. 

Tutoring Center

Targeted, one-on-one tutoring is available in a wide range of subjects at tutoring centers across campus. Visit their website for hours and locations of specific tutoring centers.

Khan Academy

Video tutorials on a range of subjects, including Calculus and Computer Science.

HowToStudy.org

Links to great resources, tips and tricks. Plus specific study tips by subject matter. Student Self-Audit Are you on track with your program requirements? Need to know which classes to register for?

Are you on track with your program requirements? Need to know which classes to register for?

We recommend following these steps to audit your progress each semester. As always, contact your academic advisor with questions at any time!

To conduct a Self-Audit:

1. On SIS, access your  "My Academic Requirements"  (Miscellaneous > Academic Advising).

2. Download your curriculum flowchart.

3. Check off completed courses on your flowchart.

4. Plot out when you plan to take future courses.

    • TIP: Factor in pre-reqs and course timing.

    • TIP: Remember to include all required co-ops in your plan.

5. Contact your academic advisor with questions! Schedule Maker: https://schedule.csh.rit.edu/

Undergraduate

To be considered for admission to Software Engineering you must have a high school diploma and a demonstrated ability to do college level work. Admission decisions are based on high school courses and grades, as well as standardized tests if applicable.

More info from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

More info about Software Engineering BS Degree.

Transfer

Are you a community college student interested in transferring after you earn your associates? Work with our academic advisors to develop a course plan that will help you stay on track with the Software Engineering curriculum.

Transfer Credit Pre-approval

Software Engineering majors must go through the central RIT process for transfer credit articulation, if you have questions please reach out to an SE advisor. Please review transfer credit processes and policies here: RIT Transfer Credit Policies. 

Undergraduate electives are listed on the Software Engineering BS degree program page.

Students may also choose another course with advisor approval. Submit the Elective Approval Form for review.

Senior Project

• Overview
• Browse projects
• Sponsorship

Graduation

• Timeline and info
• Order of the Engineer

IBM Academic Initiative
The Software Engineering department is a member of the IBM Academic Initiative which provides accredited and approved academic members with access to a wide range of IBM products for instructional, learning and non-commercial research (see https://www.research.ibm.com/university/index.html). Offerings include no-charge licenses for IBM software (including WebSphere, DB2, Lotus, Tivoli, Rational, and others), as well as training materials, books, and other supplies. Some items are directly available to students via the Student Portal. Others need to be obtained by a registered faculty member. Contact Professor Scott Hawker for further information.

DreamSpark (formerly Microsoft Academic Alliance)
Through an agreement with Microsoft, the Software Engineering Department is pleased to announce that all Software Engineering students can download a variety of Microsoft products off the web free of charge. If you are interested in this opportunity, follow this link to get started.
If for whatever reason you are not allowed to download software, either you are not registered as an SE student, are not taking an SE class, or have let your SE password expire. If your SE account allows you to log in in the labs, your DreamSpark access should work.

Instructions:

1. log into DreamSpark. This login is your SE account name and password.
2. Once logged in successfully, click on software. This will bring you to a pull-down choice of software to download and once checked out, select the appropriate CD-key. If you have problems, please stop by 70-1527.

For quick problems, send an email.

Palo Alto Networks
www.paloaltonetworks.com/

Google Cloud Platform
https://cloud.google.com/

Plan of Study

For students earning an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering, view the Plan of Study (PDF) for course requirements. These requirements will be completed in addition to the requirements for the undergraduate degree, and students will work with both their undergraduate academic advisor as well as the graduate program coordinator to ensure timely planning of these courses.

Admissions Guidelines

• Have third year standing in the Software Engineering major
• Have attended RIT for at least one semester
• Possess a grade point average of at least 3.25
• Have completed at least one co-op block

The deadline to apply is the last day of classes in order to be considered for the following semester.

To start the application process and learn more, please fill out the BSMS Interest Form.

We offer an accelerated BS/MS program in Software Engineering and Cybersecurity or Computer Science. This program is for undergraduate students who wish to earn a BS in Software Engineering and an MS in Cybersecurity. A student accepted into this program will be able to take up to three graduate courses (9 credit hours) in Cybersecurity and apply them to both the BS and MS degree requirements.

In general, any three graduate courses in the CSEC MS program will be acceptable to be counted toward both awards. For example, the following three core courses can be double-counted toward the SE Security Application Domain and the MS in Cybersecurity:

CSEC-601 Research Methods & Proposal Devel (3 Credits)
CSEC-603 Enterprise Security (3 Credits)
CSEC-604 Cryptography and Authentication (3 Credits)

This three-course overlap will give students the opportunity to complete both degrees in six calendar years, given careful planning and execution. Our typical advising strategy is to count all three CSEC graduate courses toward application domain, so students should plan accordingly.

To be considered for admission into this program, students will need at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA, have at least third year standing, and must have attended RIT for at least two terms. Students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average to stay in the program. Admission to the program is decided jointly by the SE department and the CSEC department, and bridge course requirements will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Students should also consult the MS in Cybersecurity: http://www.rit.edu/gccis/computingsecurity/academics/ms/overview

Students interested in this program should use a Change of Program form. We encourage students to wait until at least the end of their second year at RIT before making this request, but should also take their course enrollment choices into account as early as possible.

For further questions, contact your advisor or Prof. Meneely.

* For graduate level students only 

Course Assistants (CA) assist with class instruction, grade homework and labs, and hold office hours.  Generally, work about 10 hours a week.

Graduate Assistants (GA) assist with special projects for the department, professional- level admin support, prepares PowerPoint presentations, data entry, collating marketing materials, etc. Generally work 10-20 hours week. 

Student Labbie would hold open lab hours for students to come in and work.  This position would also assist with checking equipment in/out during Sr. Project meetings, aiding in access to team rooms and printing assistance and maintaining cleanliness in tour team rooms (straightening chairs, cleaning white boards).   We also have 1-2 Sr Labbie positions.  In this role, you are responsible for training the new labbies with process and procedures as well as alerting the SE Office of any equipment issues or supply needs.

For more information on how to apply, please contact SE Office Manager at 585-475-4921

Graders assist professors by grading homework assignments and/or projects (NOTE graders do not grade exams). The amount of time that you will spend grading varies but it will typically not exceed 10 hours per week.

If you are interested in working as a grader, review the schedule of courses for the term in which you want to grade. Identify the course(s) you are qualified to grade for and make an appointment to see the faculty teaching the course to discuss your interest and qualifications.  Note: it’s likely that faculty will have different requirements for graders. Also, they will expect that you are a student in good standing and that you have taken the course you want to be a grader for.  If you are selected by the faculty, they will email the SE office and we will reach out to you for hiring details.

We hire students to work in the SE main office. Students working in the office help out with various clerical tasks such as answering the phones, making copies, helping staff setup events, and so on. The number of hours that you will work varies but your hours will be sometime during the normal workday (Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm).  Generally, work about 10 hours a week. *Note that we do not typically hire students enrolled in any of the SE programs to work in the office.

You can find postings for this job position at the Career and Co-op Services website. 

Students in the following majors may not apply for the clerical positions: Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science Computer Security, Computational Math and Computer Engineering.

Please find postings for all on-campus employment and co-op opportunities at the Careers Services and Co-op page.   

For department Co-op requirements and general information, please visit the department's Co-op Resources page.