Since you’ve had a look at What It’s Like Studying Software Engineering at UNSW, it would only make sense if you were now looking for a real student’s real opinion on the course.
If that’s the case, you’ve come to the perfect place. We were lucky enough to score a chat with Sophia, a fourth year Software Engineering student, who gave us a personal insight into the course.
If you want to find out the ins and outs, ups and downs and pros and cons of UNSW’s Bachelor of Software Engineering, then keep scrolling!
Why should you study a Software Engineering degree at UNSW?
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 UNSW Software Engineering
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying UNSW Software Engineering
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study a Software Engineering degree at UNSW?
As Sophia said, Software Engineering at UNSW is a 4-year undergraduate degree with a required Honours year built in to the program. It’s one of UNSW’s more recent course additions and generally follows the structure of a standard engineering degree with a couple more specialised software subjects thrown in.
So, you’ll graduate with a holistic understanding of engineering as a discipline with a focus on software engineering on the side.
As a student, you’ll learn how to design and utilise efficient, reliable and secure software systems for a wide range of solutions, functions and practices. You’ll graduate with a degree geared toward industry standards with a focus on project management and software implementation, testing and documentation.
Top 3 Pros of a Software Engineering degree
#1: Career-focussed program
Ready to smash it as a software engineer once you graduate? Sophia told us that the Bachelor of Software Engineering at UNSW is really all you need. The degree is based on industry standards with compulsory work experience, accomplished teachers and fundamental skills and knowledge.
Sophia said, “The core classes will be really beneficial to you in your future career as a software engineer or as a pathway into the general tech industry since it offers a really comprehensive view of the computer science subjects.”
“It ranges from algorithms to verification to classes focussed on hands-on experience. It’s great if you’re feeling confused on how to enter the field or what it takes to be a successful software engineer. The school basically tells you by listing all of the required courses that you need to graduate.”
Sophia’s description of the course as “kind of like a safety net” rings true when we take a more in-depth look at your core units.
Your first year as a software engineering student is going to be broken up into foundational subjects involving maths, data structures, maths engineering design and… probably some more maths. In your second year, you’ll begin to focus on software engineering with software construction, database systems and programming.
Then, as you progress to third and fourth year, you’ll get to choose some electives, undertake software engineering workshops and then it’s your Honours year! Wow, doesn’t time fly?
#2: Beneficial postgraduate options
While you don’t have to give too much thought to what you plan on studying after your degree, it’s good to know that you’ll have a wide scope of potential options.
This is a major pro, according to Sophia, who’s a big fan of how students are set up for their future studies once they graduate. With the Bachelor of Software Engineering’s universal recognition, Sophia’s next steps will be made as simple as possible.
“It’s a great degree if you want to apply to a PhD or postgraduate degree in other countries. The traditional Computer Science degree may not be recognised by other countries like the US or UK because their Bachelor’s degrees are typically four years,” Sophia said.
“By doing an Honours year in your last year you gain that hands-on research experience and benefits your postgraduate application process.”
So, if you plan on becoming extra qualified in the software engineering field, you can feel comfortable that your 4-year degree will be recognised anywhere you go.
#3: You’re pretty set on acquiring a job in the field
A common problem among new graduates is the collective fear of spending all those years and all that money on a degree only to come out on the other side feeling unaware of where to go next. A great feature of the Bachelor of Software Engineering degree is that you’re basically guaranteed a job once you graduate (as long as you gain practical experience beforehand).
“I guess the third pro is a little controversial but I think if you pass your courses, you have what it takes to be successful in the future. The required industrial training as part of the degree gives you more time and experience in finding internships and job experience before you graduate,” Sophia explained.
The Industrial Training is pretty much the equivalent to practical training or internship that you may find at other unis. As a course requirement, you’ll have to complete a minimum of 60 days industrial training to graduate.
It may sound a bit daunting but it’ll give you such a unique opportunity that employers will love to see. You can even commence the experience overseas or interstate!
Find out a little bit more about the industrial training at UNSW right here!
Top 3 Cons of a Software Engineering degree
#1: Engineering courses aren’t too flexible
Software Engineering at UNSW is a pretty structured and prescriptive program. You’ve really only got 12 units of electives alongside the 168 software engineering units, 12 units in general education and 24 units in an optional minor.
So, unfortunately, you won’t have too many chances to explore or branch out. With that said, it just means you’ll get extra time to practice all those software engineering skills!
Sophia said, “The courses are a little less flexible. You won’t get to design your own degree since there are quite a lot of required courses like the core maths courses, core programming courses and core computer science courses.”
#2: You’re required to take the Honours year
As Sophia told us, this negative can be viewed in two ways. If you’re like Sophia, keen on getting a postgraduate education, the in-built Honours program is a useful feature in the course. If you’re someone keen on getting in and out of Software Engineering, the Honours year is a lot to get through.
“The compulsory Honours course isn’t always liked. For example, if you’re not interested in research, it would not be a fun time to be forced to do a research project, so I guess that’s why some people might consider this a con,” Sophia said.
While the degree does have the in-built Honours year, you’ll still be required to achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) above 50%. Otherwise, you won’t be able to continue to the final year of the course.
#3: UNSW’s not big on AI
“I’ll be honest, if you’re thinking about going into AI, it’s not really UNSW’s strong suit based on the research records. UNSW doesn’t rank really high in the AI fields. I know it’s a popular field so I feel like it’s important to mention,” Sophia explained.
So, there’s some insider information for you. If you’ve gone through high school, perhaps you’ve aced robotics or software design and development, and you’re set on studying AI, UNSW may not be your top pick.
Sophia explained the importance of doing your own research into what UNSW is best known for. Try and find universities that can support your interests, no matter what they are!
Any regrets?
Sophia didn’t have any regrets! She racked her brain and couldn’t think of a single thing. I guess that just speaks to the quality of the course.
Still, now would be a good time to mention that everyone has a different experience at uni, so don’t take this article as bible. The parts that Sophia didn’t love, may be exactly the bits that appeal most to you!
You’re never really going to know until you try it for yourself. If software engineering seems like something you’re interested in, then you can’t go wrong with Software Engineering at UNSW.
What do you wish you had known before starting UNSW Software Engineering?
Get some software experience where you can
Don’t worry, the knowledge of software and programming isn’t an essential prerequisite for the Bachelor of Software Engineering course. In fact, as long as you graduated Year 12 with maths, you’re good to go. Even so, Sophia advised to get some experience where you can if you want to be competitive amongst your cohort.
“The first year is going to be pretty intensive. We use a C programming language, which is a much higher level language than Java or Python or other programming languages. So, it’s going to be pretty hard to start,” Sophia explained.
So, it looks like you’ve got a pretty tough first year ahead of you, but don’t let that hinder your application process. There’ll be plenty of supportive tutors and lecturers to help you out along the way.
Since it’s going to be quite a difficult introduction, Sophia recommended trying to find some programming lessons before you begin (but again, this isn’t compulsory and you can definitely learn on the job).
“If you don’t really have any previous programming experience, you may find the course to be really time consuming. For example, it could take you days just to finish a lab assignment,” Sophia mentioned.
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
#1: One of a kind internship opportunities
“Speaking from someone who is just about to graduate, I interned at Google twice, so UNSW has a really good reputation among those kinds of companies. In the Google intern cohort, I think pretty much 50 to 60% of the interns come from UNSW,” Sophia said.
That means UNSW is pretty well-off if a number of their students are receiving internships at Google! Can you imagine the potential? Sophia explained that a large majority of Google’s interns are from UNSW.
#2: Great reputation
Following on from Sophia’s last point, another appealing feature of Engineering at UNSW is their global reputation in the field.
If you’re looking for a globally recognised and high quality engineering reputation, Software Engineering at UNSW has everything you could look for.
What inspired you to choose this degree?
Sophia was brutally honest with us when it came to what inspired her to choose Software Engineering:
“In Australia, a software engineer is generally high paying, the base salary is really high and there’s usually bonuses, stock and equity on top of that. I guess I just have a strong passion for money, that’s my primary motivation.”
So there ya go! No shame there. If you’re looking for a high paying job, have a keen interest in programming, what are you waiting for?!
Sophia added, “I guess secondly, I just think problem solving is really fun.”
What are the possible career paths?
There’s going to be a world of opportunities waiting for you once you graduate from Software Engineering at UNSW.
Not only can you become a valued member of the software and engineering world with positions like UX Design, Data Engineering or Robotics Engineering, but you can also set your sights for beyond the tech world as an academic, journalist or consultant! Seriously, your options are limitless.
Most importantly, the Software Engineering at UNSW will teach the essential skills and knowledge to suit a wide range of professions. Critical thinking, engineering and collaboration are key parts to software engineering and almost every job requires them.
As a graduate, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be able to score a role in various industries with the transferable skills you’ve learnt!
Gemma Billington is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and an undergraduate student at the University of Technology Sydney. While studying Journalism and Social and Political Sciences, Gemma enjoys spending her time at the gym or reading about Britain’s medieval monarchy – ideally not at the same time. She currently creates and administers social media posts for Central News and writes for the student publication, The Comma. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to study a Masters of Medieval History and is very excited about the prospect!
