Why Study / Key Benefits

The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Professional), majoring in Software, combines engineering fundamentals with advanced software engineering and industry-focused learning. Swinburne describes the Software major as preparation for advanced software engineering, with emphasis on teamwork, problem solving, quality assurance, project management and practical use of industry-standard techniques and tools.

Key benefits include:

• Study software engineering within an Engineers Australia-accredited Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).
• Develop programming, software development, deployment and testing skills.
• Study cloud computing and artificial intelligence alongside software engineering.
• Develop teamwork, project-management and problem-solving capabilities.
• Undertake industry-linked projects every semester, beginning in Year 1.
• The Professional degree incorporates a 12-month paid work-placement component.
• Gain academic credit for the professional placement.
• Develop experience with industry-standard software engineering techniques and tools.
• Graduates are eligible to apply for graduate membership of Engineers Australia.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The professional degree consists of core engineering studies, Software major studies, electives and a mandatory professional-placement component. The current published sequence is an indicative Semester 1, 2026 study plan and may change according to unit availability, advanced standing and exemptions.

Year 1 – 100 credit points

Semester 1:

• Humanitarian Engineering Design Project – ENG10001
• Engineering Materials – ENG10002
• Preliminary Mathematics – MTH00007
• Energy and Motion – PHY10001

Semester 2:

• Introduction to Programming – COS10009
• Technology in an Indigenous Context Project – COS10025
• Engineering Mechanics – ENG10003
• Linear Algebra and Applications – MTH10013.

Students meeting the required Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics prerequisite may receive an alternative 12.5-credit-point elective in place of Preliminary Mathematics.

Year 2 – 100 credit points

Semester 1:

• Calculus and Applications – MTH10012
• Object Oriented Programming – COS20007
• Engineering Technology Inquiry Project – ENG20009
• One elective

Semester 2:

• Cloud Computing Architecture – COS20019
• Engineering Technology Design Project – ENG20010
• Internet and Cybersecurity for Engineering Applications – TNE20003
• One elective.

Professional work placement – 100 credit points

The Professional degree includes a 12-month professional placement:

• Work Experience in Industry A – WEI20001
• Integrated Professional Placement A – Engineering – ENG20003
• Work Experience in Industry B – WEI20002
• Integrated Professional Placement B – Engineering – ENG20004

The four placement units together account for 100 credit points.

The course handbook specifies mandatory placement of between 1,672 and 1,976 hours, with the exact total depending on the number of placement weeks completed.

Year 4 – 100 credit points

Semester 1:

• Professional Experience in Engineering – EAT20008
• Data Structures and Patterns – COS30008
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence – COS30019
• Interface Design and Development – COS30043
• Engineering Technology Sustainability Project – ENG30002

Semester 2:

• Software Development for Mobile Devices – COS30017
• Engineering Technology Innovation Project – ENG40011
• Software Testing and Reliability – SWE30009
• One elective.

Year 5 – 75 credit points

Semester 1:

• Artificial Intelligence Engineering – COS40007
• Software Architectures and Design – SWE30003
• Deploying Secure Engineering Applications Online – TNE30024

Semester 2:

• Concurrent Programming – COS40003
• Software Deployment and Evolution – SWE40006
• One elective.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The selected engineering major is:

• Software

The Software major covers areas including:

• Software engineering
• Programming
• Object-oriented programming
• Data structures and programming patterns
• Cloud computing
• Cybersecurity
• Interface design
• Mobile software development
• Software testing and reliability
• Artificial intelligence
• Software architecture
• Secure application deployment
• Concurrent programming
• Software deployment and evolution
• Engineering technology projects.

Programme Highlights

• Five-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Professional).
• Software engineering major.
• 475 credit points.
• 12-month paid professional work placement.
• Mandatory placement component of approximately 1,672–1,976 hours.
• Industry-linked projects every semester from Year 1.
• Engineers Australia accreditation.
• Practical learning in programming, software development, cloud computing, AI and cybersecurity.
• Software testing, architecture and deployment included in the major.
• Hawthorn campus in Melbourne.
• 2027 Semester 1 and Semester 2 intakes.

Career Outcomes

Swinburne identifies career opportunities including:

• Software engineer
• Software systems developer
• Software modeller
• Project and technology manager.

The curriculum also provides technical preparation relevant to:

• Software development
• Software testing and quality assurance
• Cloud computing
• Artificial intelligence
• Software architecture
• Secure software deployment
• Mobile application development
• Concurrent programming
• Technology and engineering project management.

International Student Visa Requirements

International students intending to study this course in Australia generally require an Australian Student visa (subclass 500).

Main visa requirements

Applicants should be prepared to:

• Hold a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless an exemption applies.
• Meet the Genuine Student requirement.
• Meet applicable health and character requirements.
• Provide financial evidence where required.
• Submit the documents specified by the current Department of Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool.