Software Engineering Master of Science Degree
Overview for Software Engineering MS
Why Pursue an MS in Software Engineering at RIT?
STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
Hands-on Experience: Our program immerses you in near real-world environments, providing practical experience in developing large-scale software systems.
Cutting-edge Specializations: Explore full-stack development, data science, DevOps, cloud engineering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other emerging fields that rely on advanced software engineering skills.
Flexible Learning Paths: Whether you're transitioning into software engineering or looking to specialize your existing skills, our program caters to diverse career goals. We support students entering adjacent fields like data science and artificial intelligence, as well as those aiming to advance their current software development careers.
Career Services and Networking: Benefit from our strong industry connections, career fairs, co-op connections, and alumni network to galvanize your career or advance to higher positions in your current field.
Capstone Project or Thesis: Showcase your expertise through a significant software development project or research thesis and produce tangible evidence of your capabilities to potential employers.
Growing Industry Demand According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of software developers is projected to grow 17 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average (4%) for all occupations.
Building with AI: SE is fundamentally about building things—and AI is transforming how we build. At RIT, you’ll have access to AI experts in the classroom and AI woven throughout the curriculum.
As you pursue a software engineering master’s degree your educational experience will parallel the realities of the industry as you learn how to define, design, develop, and deliver modern software. Utilize computer science theories to create software that allows computers to meet the demands of an ever-changing, technologically-dependent society. Conduct research in many areas including data science for software engineering, artificial intelligence applications in software engineering, software modeling. Gain hands-on experience through team-based projects that help you master modern software engineering techniques.
RIT is renowned for its cooperative education program, one of the oldest and largest programs in the world. Co-op is full-time, paid work experience in industry. A number of graduates from the software engineering master's degree are employed at companies such as Citrix, SpaceX, Intuit, Amazon, Microsoft, and many others.
RIT’s Master’s in Software Engineering
Since these systems are rarely the result of a single individual’s effort, RIT’s master’s in software engineering focuses on a team-based approach that recognizes the significant role teams play in the design, development, and implementation of software systems of varying size and complexity. You will be actively engaged in software architecture, software security, and mining of software repositories research. And, you will be involved in the software engineering department's emerging areas of research in data science for software engineering and software engineering for data science. As a result, our software engineering master's degree prepares you to contribute to and lead software development projects from day one.
Software Engineering Courses
RIT’s master’s in software engineering accepts students from many educational backgrounds, including recent undergraduates and professionals interested in pursuing a software engineering career. An introductory course, Software Construction, helps students get up to speed on programming and basic computing concepts. We also have an introductory core course, Software Engineering Fundamentals. Students with degrees in engineering, science, business, and education have all been successful graduates of our program. Our students master modern software engineering techniques in a team setting using state-of-the-art tools and platforms.
With careful selection of your electives and the topics chosen for your course projects and capstone project or thesis research, you may focus on core software engineering topics, or you may specialize in the applications of software engineering to numerous fields, including:
- Data Science: Specialize your Software Engineering Master's via course sequences in data science, helping you to understand how to build and maintain systems enabling the use and application of AI and Machine learning.
- Potential courses: Foundations of Data Science, Software Engineering for Data Science, Applied Data Science, Engineering Cloud Software Systems
- Full-Stack Web Development: Specialize in web development, teaching you to build, scale, secure, and maintain large web and cloud applications.
- Potential courses: Software Architecture, Web Technologies I, Web Technologies II, Secure Coding
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Focus on developing intelligent systems and algorithms that can learn from data.
- Potential courses: Machine Learning Fundamentals, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision
- Technology and Project Management: Gain valuable experience in engineering software for business analytics or create your own start-up company by taking electives from RIT's MS in business analytics or MS in technology innovation management and entrepreneurship.
In RIT’s software engineering department, you will learn and receive personalized attention from faculty who are working in many areas of software engineering and its applications. Outfitted with the latest hardware and software technology, our facilities include studio labs, project labs, team rooms, a collaboration lab, and a real-time and embedded systems lab–all designed to help you collaborate on projects, polish your skills, and collaborate with faculty. The department has partnered with a number of software companies to provide you with access to a wide range of software products for learning and research.
Capstone Project or Thesis
Showcase your expertise through a significant software development project or research thesis. This non-trivial work prepares you for your career beyond education and provides tangible evidence of your capabilities to potential employers. Those who do a thesis will perform real science, producing a tangible scientific impact that can help you step into a future in either industry R&D or academia. Those who do a capstone will engage in team projects that simulate real-world development scenarios, honing your teamwork and communication skills crucial for success in the software industry.
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Don't Delay Your Ambitions Until the Fall
This program offers a spring start, which means you can jumpstart your graduate journey and begin your studies this January.
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Affordable Now. Valuable for Life.
Earn your master’s degree without the full price tag. With Master Up you can receive a 30% tuition scholarship for an RIT master’s degree.
Careers and Cooperative Education
Typical Job Titles
| Software Architect | Systems Engineer | Technical Product Manager |
| DevOps Engineer | Full Stack Developer | Cloud Solutions Architect |
| Machine Learning Engineer | Security Engineer | AI Research Engineer |
| Systems Analyst | QA/Automation Engineer | Software Tester |
Cooperative Education
What’s different about RIT’s engineering education? It’s the opportunity to complete engineering co-ops and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart.
What makes an RIT education exceptional? It’s the ability to complete relevant, hands-on career experience. At the graduate level, and paired with an advanced degree, cooperative education and internships give you the unparalleled credentials that truly set you apart. Learn more about graduate co-op and how it provides you with the career experience employers look for in their next top hires.
Featured Work and Profiles
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Video: RIT Computing Graduate Students Thrive in Academia and Industry
Learn more about our leading research opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities in this new video.
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SE Students Use AI to Help Local Business Expand Across North America
While kids are out having fun, RIT software engineers are hard at work building the tech that helps families identify events and activities in their area.
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Pursue Your Passion in Software Engineering at RIT
Explore the software engineering BS experience at RIT in this video highlight.
Read More about Pursue Your Passion in Software Engineering at RIT
Curriculum for 2025-2026 for Software Engineering MS
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is available on-campus only.
| Offered | Admit Term(s) | Application Deadline | STEM Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full‑time | Fall or Spring | Rolling | Yes |
| Part‑time | Fall or Spring | Rolling | No |
Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. Part-time study is 1‑8 semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.
Application Details
To be considered for admission to the Software Engineering MS program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
- Complete an online graduate application.
- Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
- Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent) is recommended.
- Satisfy prerequisite requirements and/or complete bridge courses prior to starting program coursework.
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Submit a personal statement of educational objectives.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Entrance exam requirements: GRE optional for Spring 2026 and Fall 2026 applicants. No minimum score requirement.
- Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, etc.), if required. Details are below.
English Language Test Scores
International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver.
Duolingo (DET): 130
IELTS: 6.5
LanguageCert Academic: 74
PTE Academic: 60
TOEFL: 88
International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Deaf and hard-of-hearing test takers with significant hearing loss do not need to take the listening and speaking sections for the TOEFL and IELTS. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.
How to Apply Start or Manage Your Application
Cost and Financial Aid
An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns. Graduate tuition varies by degree, the number of credits taken per semester, and delivery method. View the general cost of attendance or estimate the cost of your graduate degree.
A combination of sources can help fund your graduate degree. Learn how to fund your degree
Additional Information
Bridge Courses
Candidates without a computing background will be considered. Based on the evaluation of academic and relevant experience, the graduate program director may require some applicants to successfully complete bridge courses to fill in any gaps in their background.
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