Introduction

The Departments of Computer Science & Information Technology of Virtual University of Pakistan offers 4-year BS in Software Engineering program to fulfill the needs of rapidly growing market of software development in the country. The BS in Software Engineering degree will equip students with technical knowledge of the fundamentals of computer systems, programming languages, and the basic concepts of algorithms and data structures that are required to establish reliability and safety in software. The course emphasizes the development of professional skills in the technical area of software engineering, that is, the systematic application of analysis, design, and construction techniques for computer systems and applications.

Program Objectives

The objective of the program is to prepare students for professional careers in software engineering. The Strategic objectives of BSSE program are as follows:

1. Enhance students’ skills to apply theoretical, technical and practical knowledge of software development life cycle.
2. Enable students to develop state of the art solutions of the given problem using software engineering approaches.
3. Empower students to work in one or more application domains.
4. Provide students with awareness of current industry standards and practices.
5. Enlighten students to function as proficient software developers and effective team members.
6. Empower and enhance communication and interpersonal skills.
7. Inculcate and enhance professional responsibility and application of ethical principles.

Program Outcomes

After completing the program, students should be able to:

1. Apply the basic principles of software engineering for providing reliable software systems.
2. Design, Implement, deploy and maintain simple as well as complex software systems.
3. Apply software project management skills, like project initiation, Project planning, project scheduling, costing etc.
4. Apply different software engineering artifacts.
5. Demonstrate their knowledge in the field of computing and Software Engineering.
6. Understand professional responsibilities and apply ethical principles in the work environment as well as in society.

Admission Eligibility Criteria

Admission Eligibility Criteria for Students having 12-Years Education

1.  Minimum 50% marks in Intermediate/12 years schooling/A- Level (HSSC) or Equivalent with Mathematics are required for admission in BS in Software Engineering program. Equivalency certificate by IBCC will be required in case of education from some other country or system.
2.  The students who have not studied Mathematics at Intermediate level have to pass deficiency courses of Mathematics (06 credits) in first two semesters.

OR

Admission Eligibility Criteria (Entry Route) for Students having 14-Years Education

The candidates having at least 2.0 out of 4.0 CGPA in Associate Degree or 45% marks in their 14-Years of Education obtained from HEC recognized university / institute are eligible provided that they also qualify for admission based on their 12 years of education as stated above. The candidates who acquired Associate Degree or 14-Years of Education prior to the implementation of new admission criteria (Fall 2023) for Associate Degree are also eligible for admission in BS Software Engineering program.

Note: Entry route candidates may get course exemption. However, number of courses to be studied in BS degree and resident time will be determined by the Equivalence Committee.

Duration

It is a four-year study program spread over eight semesters.
Degree Completion Duration

Course Exemption

Course(s) exemption is allowed.

Courses of Study

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Assessment of Study Progress

The students’ study progress evaluation mechanism is based on continuous assessment throughout the semester by giving assignments, on-line quizzes, Graded Discussion Boards (GDBs), mid-term and final-term exams. The mid and final term exams are conducted at VU’s designated exam centers and usually count for 80 to 85% of the total marks for a course.

Project

Students of each BS degree offered by the CS & IT dept. must enroll and pass “CS619 Final Year Project” course, worth 6 credit hours, in the 7th Semester of respective degree program. The department intends to provide option to hardship cases who are not able to pass CS619 at the end of the 8th semester to take 2 courses each of 3 credit hours in lieu of CS619 in the subsequent semester(s) to complete their degree requirements.

Award of Degree

To become eligible for award of BS degree, a student must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Must have studied and passed the prescribed courses, totaling at least 134 credit hours.
2. Must have earned CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of at least 2.0 on a scale of of 4.0.

However, as per HEC guidelines, students enrolled in BS Program can convert their respective BS program to Associate Degree (AD) after the completion of four semesters (2 years) of their BS program. In such scenario, students are required to fulfill the following requirements:

• Student has to take and clear final project of 3 credit hours.
• Student has studied/passed all the courses to fulfill the respective AD requirement.
• In case of deficiency, student has to clear the remaining courses.
• All the study change rules defined by the university may be applied.

If student wants to exit the respective BS program before completing the four semesters, then the student will have to apply for the study change program and following will be applicable:

• Study scheme of respective AD.
• Any extra course will be treated as non-credited course.

All the study change rules defined by the university.

Fee Structure

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Disclaimer

• The courses may be revised time to time as a result of continuous review to bring them at par with courses from being taught at top-class foreign universities. While reviewing the courses, needs of local industry and job market are also given full consideration.
• The University reserves the right to change fee structure from time to time.