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Software Development

Major
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Program Description

Software Development is the study of the principles, tools, and techniques for developing modern software. Software developers create the web, mobile, and desktop applications that we use every day. They typically work as full stack developers, writing and maintaining the secure front end and back end code that turns a specification into a real-world, functioning system. The University of Utah's Software Development program consists of courses in object-oriented programming, data structures and algorithms, software engineering, security, ethics, and databases to name a few. Students will also have the opportunity to pursue any of these topic areas at a deeper level through the various electives that are offered. The program's culminating experience is the Senior Capstone course, where students will work in teams to develop a significant software project.
 
Student who wish to pursue the Software Development degree are required to complete a pre-major sequence of courses before officially declaring the major. Students should meet with an Academic Advisor in the Kahlert School of Computing to discuss the pre-major requirements.
 

The Student Experience

To supplement your academic coursework, students can consider gaining work experience as a teaching assistant or tutor. Students also have the opportunity to take part in a variety of clubs in the department such as Women in Computing, Cybersecurity Club, Software Development Club, Technical Coding Club, or Association of Computing Machinery Club. Students are also encouraged to advance their programming and professional skills by seeking an internship experience.

Career Opportunities

Students who complete the Software Development degree can pursue careers as a Software Developer, Applications Developer, Games Developer, Web Designer/Developer, Software Tester, Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Analyst, IT Consultant, or a Mobile Developer.

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Catalog

Exploratory Classes

  • CS 1400 - Intro to Computer Programming
  • CS 1420 - Accelerated Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
  • CS 1810 - Intro to Computing Systems

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Last Updated: 3/5/25