The Software Engineering Preliminary Examination is offered every April.
Revised topic and reading lists are available on the first day of the Spring semester. On that date, the lists become the official basis for the examination.
The examination is a combination of essay, short-answer, and problem-solving questions covering the following general topics:
- Software Architecture
- Configuration Management
- Design Principles and Methods
- Environments and Tools
- Life-Cycle Models and Phases
- Measurement, Evaluation, and Experimentation
- Process
- Reliability and Safety
- Requirements Engineering
- Reuse
- Security
- Testing, Analysis, and Verification
Not all topics are covered in every examination, and not all topics that are covered are covered in equal weight. You are expected to have a basic understanding of the topics at the level of an introductory graduate course. You should have knowledge sufficient to:
- discuss the major focuses, issues, and trends in an area;
- offer critical judgements about the strengths, weaknesses, and suitability of techniques in an area;
- apply particular techniques to specific problems in an area; and
- synthesize problems and solutions across areas.
The examination is open book.
Additional Information
- Examination committee members: Kenneth M. Anderson (chair), John R. Black, Douglas C. Sicker
- Reading list
- Information on Related Courses
- Graduate Programs in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder.