The Department of Computer Science at Bellarmine University is proud to announce our new Master of Arts in Software Engineering (MASE). In a changing world where businesses and institutions continue to integrate AI models into the workflow, the ability to deal with and manipulate technology has become even more important.
If you know how to write programs that incorporate AI into business systems and workflows, you become even more valuable and employable.
In this post I’ll orient you to the MASE program and provide several reasons why this program might be right for you.
Overview
The MASE is an 18-month, 39-hour degree program designed to meet the unique challenges in today’s job market. It is offered 100% online in an asynchronous format so you can continue working throughout the program.
The program is designed for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-computer science area such as English, history, biology, or psychology as well as some areas of information technology. The program prepares students of any age for entry-level programming positions and other related jobs.
Through the MASE, you will be exposed to several programming languages and technologies involved in software development, including machine learning, data analysis, and AI in the form of large language models and image recognition.
Earnings in this field are significant. Median national salary estimates range from $133,000 to $186,000. The median salary in Kentucky is about $110,000, with entry-level salaries starting around $83,000.
Comprehensive View of Software Engineering
You will start with basic programming and end with a capstone course to demonstrate the skills and knowledge you’ve gained. In between, you will learn several programming languages such as Java, C#, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and SQL, as well as database and application development.
You will also learn to write code that accesses and uses large AI models, recognizes images, and manipulates data models.
18-Month Completion Time
The program consists of four semesters, each having two approximately 7-week sessions. In each session you will take a maximum of two courses. This format allows you to bootstrap your background in software development quickly and gain the foundation and skills you need to be competitive in the marketplace.
Accessible Faculty
Courses are asynchronous, so you won’t be required to join live class sessions. However, professors are available by appointment or in regular meetings to answer questions one-on-one or in groups.
Using MS Teams, we can host live chats, video calls, and share screens and documents as needed, giving you real-time access to your professors.
Standard Software Engineering Tools
Modern developers use a wide variety of tools in daily work. Throughout the MASE, you’ll gain exposure to command-line and scripting environments, GitHub for repository management, virtual machine technologies like Oracle VirtualBox and VMWare, CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Travis CI, and cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
You’ll also have opportunities to apply for internships to put your skills to use before graduation, potentially leading to a permanent position.
Reasonable Mathematics Load
Similar master’s programs often require extensive math and undergraduate CS coursework before admission. The MASE is structured with you in mind — requiring only college algebra or similar skills to enroll.
The only math course in the MASE is specially curated to provide you the necessary foundation: discrete mathematics, a minimal calculus overview, logic, graph theory, set theory, basic combinatorics, and algorithm development. These are essential topics for developing complex software applications.
AI and Data Engineering Baked In
Many software engineers and application developers are heavily involved in operationalizing data mining and machine learning systems — acquiring data, storing it, providing dashboards, and deploying models into production. This is the work of data engineering, and it’s woven throughout the MASE.
You will learn about data engineering in courses such as database management systems, software design and development, and machine learning.
AI and data engineering are not add-ons — they’re integral to the program.
Experienced Faculty
Bellarmine faculty bring wide-ranging expertise, including programming and managing computing clusters for scientific computing, developing and implementing machine learning models, managing databases, and application development.
Conclusion
As you can see, the MASE program at Bellarmine has many strengths. We strongly believe our graduates will have the background and skills to be successful in a range of industries and positions.
Dr. Nathan P. Johnson
Program Director, Master of Software Engineering
Division of Computer Science and Math
Bellarmine University