So you’ve done your research, you know what you want to study but are unsure about which university to choose and whether Software Engineering at Monash is a degree to consider?
Preeth tells us what it’s like to study a Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) at Monash University. He gives us the pros and cons, things you should know before starting the degree, and other aspects worth noting.
Want to learn more? Then keep scrolling!
Why should you study a Software Engineering degree at Monash?
Top 3 Pros of a Software Engineering Degree
Top 3 Cons of a Software Engineering Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting Monash Software Engineering
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying Monash Software Engineering
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study a Software Engineering degree at Monash?
Monash University offers flexible courses, enabling students to study Software Engineering as a double degree or a single degree with options for electives, meaning students can choose a degree that best suits them or caters to their interests.
Students who choose to take a double degree will graduate with two degrees following an extra year of study, however this greatly limits the number of electives they can take. On the other hand, a single degree will enable students to explore a wide variety of units offered both within and outside their Engineering degree.
Additionally, Monash is ranked in the top 5 in Australia for Computer Science and Information Systems. It is a highly reputable university with high quality academics and tutors to help you and answer your questions.
Top 3 Pros of a Software Engineering degree
#1: Real life projects
Through project-based assignments, students learn project management strategies and design techniques, working in teams to develop software that solves problems identified in a brief. By building on a student’s skills in teamwork, project management and communication, this degree equips students with practical skills necessary for the workforce.
“Being part of projects, working with different team members, just getting to know each other, putting out ideas and trying those ideas. That was extremely fun and it’s a really nice experience while gaining practical skills,” Preeth shares.
#2: Industrial practice
Monash has a lot of industrial relations, helping students to find internships and gain practical experience as part of their degree.
“Industry Based Learning (IBL) helps you to get connected to top people in various industries in Software Engineering fields. So for people looking for an internship, Monash makes it a compulsory part of your course to prepare you for life after university,” he explains.
#3: Support
Monash University is one of the top Engineering Schools in Australia and this is in part due to the support the teaching staff offer to students.
Preeth says, “You get really high quality lecturers, people are always going to be there to help you out and you are always going to get answers to your questions. So that’s something that we can always rely on Monash to deliver.”
Top 3 Cons of a Software Engineering degree
#1: Lots of theory
“A lot of theory and honestly, sometimes it just doesn’t make sense at all. You just have to learn it, memorise it onto the exam paper. Sometimes they’re just too abstract for me to get an understanding of the concept,” Preeth laughs.
#2: Hard exams
Preeth notes that exams can be very hard to prepare for with limited resources being provided to students, where the university will only provide one or two samples of past papers.
He talks about how important it is to “know your content well“.
“You can’t just rely on the sample exams to guide what you study, but the case with uni exams is that you need to know the content well and only use the sample papers as a reference,” he explains.
#3: Self-motivation
Engineering builds upon content and knowledge learnt in previous weeks so it is essential that students stay on top of their studies.
Preeth says, “You have to make sure you are willing to take the extra effort and time to research stuff until you understand what is happening in that week.”
Any regrets?
Preeth states that he has no regrets about choosing to study a Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) at Monash.
Although, he states, “I would have loved to take a gap year in between high school and uni to just go and do some travelling and to take some time for myself, explore a bit, learn a bit more about myself. Other than that, I don’t have any regrets — I enjoy what I’m doing.”
What do you wish you had known before starting the degree?
Preeth states that he did a lot of research before choosing his degree and spoke to his older mates so they caught him up, telling him what the hard units and easy units were going to be.
“The units never went beyond my expectations so doing the research before doing stuff has helped to make sure I’m not going overboard with my expectations,” he shares.
The best advice that Preeth was given was to not slack off, which he jokes would be applicable to any student.
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) from Monash University are professionally accredited by Engineers Australia and the Australian Computer Society.
Additionally, Monash’s course structure ensures that students get practical experience during their degree through internships. The university has really good connections with industry partners, enabling students to complete Industry-Based Learning (IBL) in a wide variety of sectors.
“They don’t just focus on your academics, they also make sure you are prepared for life after university, which I feel is very important — especially when you’re doing an Engineering degree where it’s not only about the theory, it’s also about applying whatever you learn into practice,” Preeth highlights.
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What inspired you to choose this degree?
In choosing his specialisation to be Software Engineering, Preeth recalls a unit he undertook in his first year, Engineering Mobile Apps which is mostly dreaded by first years.
He tells us, “People that come into Engineering don’t usually have a lot of software or coding experience, and the unit puts you into the deep end. But I ended up getting a high distinction for it and I enjoyed doing it — so the confidence I got from it made me confident that I could do well in Software Engineering.”
Another reason that inspired Preeth to choose Software Engineering was that it is less math-based compared to other Engineering specialisations.
He says, “I’m not bad at math but at the same time I’m not too good at it. I feel like I understand the concepts but I struggle with answering questions during an exam.” Jokingly he adds, “With Software Engineering you can enter it into a calculator and get the answer for it.”
Additionally, the prestige and reputation of Monash was particularly attractive to Preeth although once he got in, there was more to it “like the industry partnerships they have and how they prepare you for life — where when you go into a job, you will know what they are doing because that is how they taught you in class.”
He warns, “Don’t go choosing universities based on reputation or rankings, see which one is closest to what you are looking for in a degree. Each school has its own pros and cons, so choose your university according to the pros you want.”
What are the possible career paths?
Software Engineering has strong job growth projected over the next five years. Additionally, Monash has reported that 81.4% of graduates from this degree find full-time employment within four months of graduating.
“There’s plenty of jobs for software engineers, they are going to be in demand all the time — especially with the way the world’s progressing right now,” Preeth highlights.
Here are some of the careers you may find yourself in with a Bachelor of Software Engineering from Monash:
- Software engineer
- Software architect
- Software developer
- Data engineer
- Block chain developer
- Game development
On the hunt for other university resources?
Deciding where to study is a big choice to make, so check out some of our other articles to help you make an informed decision:
- Pros and Cons of a Bachelor of Software Engineering at RMIT
- What It’s Like Studying Software Engineering at UNSW
- What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Software) at USYD
- The 15 Different Types of Engineers You Should Know About
- 20 Professional Careers You Can Pursue with a Bachelor of Engineering
Tiffany Fong is currently completing a double degree in Media and Communications with Law at Macquarie University. She currently contributes to the university zine, Grapeshot where she enjoys writing feature articles, commentary on current affairs or whatever weird interest that has taken over her mind during that month. During her spare time, Tiffany enjoys reading, writing, taking care of her plants or cuddling with her two dogs.
