Software Engineering Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Iowa State University is home to the world’s first electronic digital computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (The ABC).
• Launched in 2007, Iowa State University’s Software Engineering Program is well-established and ABET-accredited.
• Jointly administered through the College of Engineering and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University offers a unique, standalone Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering degree that allows you to tailor your interdisciplinary program.

• In addition to university-awarded scholarships, each year the College of Engineering grants approximately $3 million in scholarships to engineering students. The generous support of hundreds of individuals and corporations allows us to recognize the academic accomplishments of outstanding, hard-working students.
• If you are a current Software Engineering student at Iowa State, please check the OneApp application to see what scholarships you are eligible for at this time.

See the Engineering Career Services website for more information on internship and job opportunities.

• 3D Printing and Design
  • Designing 3D models on the computer is one thing, but turning those models into real objects can be a whole other world! 3D printers are becoming more and more practical, and can be very useful for engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs. This club will learn about and practice using 3D printers, while meeting others with the same interests.
• Cardinal Space Mining Club
  • The Cardinal Space Mining Club consists of students in the STEM fields coming together to design and build a robotic mining system to compete in the NASA Robotic Mining Competition.
• Computer Science and Software Engineering Club
  • The Computer Science and Software Engineering Club provides students within the Computer Science and Software Engineering majors to share their passion for technology, as well as connect with other students, faculty, and industry professionals.
• Data Science Club
  • The Data Science Club is an organization aiming to promote data science among all students and by bringing together students with an interest in data for networking opportunities, company visits, as well as technical workshops.
• Digital Women
  • Digital Women is an Iowa State University student organization dedicated to encouraging, supporting, and retaining women in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and MIS. We want to help you succeed by providing opportunities for networking, career development, and much-needed fun with other like-minded women in technical majors.
• Emerging Leaders in Engineering
  • Emerging Leaders in Engineering (ELE) is a student organization at Iowa State University that creates a space for students in engineering to interact and work with each other to develop leadership skills, as well as, help each other with class work. We focus on soft skills not covered in most classes that make a big difference in the professional world. Our hope is that we would be a community committed to fun, challenging ourselves and others, and growing to become great leaders in engineering.
• Engineering Student Council
  • Engineering Student Council (ESC) is the governing body of the engineering student organizations at ISU.
• Engineers for a Sustainable World
  • Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW-USA) was founded on the belief that engineers and community members can work together to identify and solve technology-based problems, employing solutions that can be locally sustained, leading to an improved quality of life. Here in Ames, the Iowa State University chapter focuses on the improvement of campus through the design and execution of projects that fit into the ESW values.
• Engineers Without Borders
  • Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.
• Engineers’ Week
  • The mission of Iowa State University Engineers’ Week is to involve the College in a celebration of engineering that encompasses all students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The goals of the week are to provide students the opportunity to interact with fellow students, faculty, and company representatives in both a professional and social manner, to educate the public about engineering and to provide service to the community.
• Game Development Club
  • The purpose of this club is to bring together students of different disciplines in order to explore the creation of video games. The club also seeks to expand its members’ knowledge of the tools, techniques, and processes used in contemporary video game development. Members will collaborate on game development projects of their own choosing and explore their creativity in the game development space.
• Hackathon Club
  • Hackathon Club’s goal is to facilitate meetings before hackathons at Iowa State and at surrounding Universities. At these meetings, we will make teams and come up with ideas for projects, as well as relay any information about the upcoming Hackathon. We will also help organize transportation to and from the event. We will also host workshops and events.
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the world’s largest professional technical society devoted to the advancement of technology. The ISU Chapter of IEEE is devoted to serving the students of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.
• National Society of Black Engineers
  • The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is an international professional organization with an Iowa State student run chapter that promotes the development and retention of all, especially underrepresented and multicultural, students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related curricula. The mission of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”
• Robotics Club
  • The purpose of the Robotics Club at Iowa State University is to provide students the extracurricular opportunity to learn about, build, and compete with robotics, in robotics competitions, groups, and independently.
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers & Latinos in Science and Engineering
  • The purpose of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers & Latinos in Science and Engineering is to enhance the personal & professional development of Hispanic Engineers and Scientists.
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
  • The Society of Women Engineers Collegiate Section at Iowa State University (ISU SWE) was founded over 40 years ago and currently has more than 200 members. As well as being part of the national professional organization, it is a student-run organization at Iowa State. They offer our members leadership experiences, great networking opportunities, and community involvement.
• Cardinal Solar Car (PrISUm)
  • PrISUm exists at Iowa State University as much more than a student organization one can join as a freshman, senior, or graduate student. PrISUm is an advanced Research and Design (R&D) project for the applications of renewable and automotive technology.Its members are dedicated, passionate, and skilled individuals who want to make an impact on the world around them. Through members’ dedication, PrISUm is able to design, fabricate, and race our creation, raise capital, and share our story with millions, all while attending class as full-time students.
• Tau Beta Pi
  • The Iowa Alpha chapter of Tau Beta Pi, founded in 1907, is the oldest continually active honor society at Iowa State University and one of the most celebrated of the 248 Tau Beta Pi chapters located at universities throughout the country.
• Web Development Club
  • The purposes of the Web Development club are to promote learning and professional growth in the field of web development, establish a network of like-minded individuals who want to pursue web development as well as give back to the Iowa State University community and local community by offering web development services to students, faculty, and clubs and organizations.
• Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE)
  • The Program for Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) was founded in 1986 by a group of Iowa State University faculty and staff concerned about the underrepresentation and underutilization of women in science and engineering. WiSE provides:
    • Outreach programs to over 9,000 K-12 students to create awareness and enthusiasm about pursuing STEM careers
    • First-Year Experience and Transfer Experience as well as programming for undergraduate women in STEM majors
    • Opportunities for alumnae, professionals, and businesses to ‘give back’ and support the mission of WiSE via their time, talent and resources

NOTE: For a list of all current Student Organizations (Clubs), please visit https://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/.

• The Software Engineering Program at Iowa State University works hand in hand with the College of Engineering International Programs to provide opportunities for enriching, productive, and once-in-a-lifetime international experiences for our students. Visit the College of Engineering International Programs website https://www.engineering.iastate.edu/studyabroad/ for details.
• Software Engineering students have studied abroad in: Australia, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Scotland, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan, Wales

Undergraduate students at Iowa State University have many opportunities to work alongside faculty on a variety of research projects. Working with a professor on a research project provides students hands-on, practical experience, enhances a student’s academics and provides students a mentor. For more information, please visit the Undergraduate Research website.

Students within the program can participate in a number of ways to acquire test-out credit for other college-level courses. Test-out credit is not used to compute your ISU GPA, but the credit:

• Becomes part of your official academic record
• May be applied toward your graduation requirements

Prospective Students

• AP: We urge students to participate in as many AP courses as are available to them. Generally, plan on taking the AP exam. It is not necessary to take the English composition and the Math AP exams, however you may want the test-out credits to apply to your program before you complete the higher level course.
• Foreign Language: Whether or not you wish to pursue studying a foreign language further, you can potentially receive 4, 8, even 16 college credits for what you already know, or will learn before you leave high school. See the World Languages & Cultures site for details on testing.
• International Baccalaureate Program: This program offers college preparatory courses at some high schools in the United States and abroad. Refer to the International Baccalaureate website for more details.

Current Students

• CLEP: Iowa State participates with the College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). The program is administered by the Student Counseling Service. Refer to the Testing Services links on the Student Counseling Services website for details.
• Software Engineering 1850 Test-Out: The Software Engineering Program offers a test-out for the SE 1850 course each semester. The test-out is offered the Thursday before the beginning of the semester.
• Departmental Test-outs: Many departments offer test-outs for some of their courses. These test-outs are usually offered at the beginning of a semester. You will need to consult with an individual department for details. Some departments, like Mathematics, Computer Science and English, have test-out information on their website. The Department of English also offers test-out information for Speech (SpCM 2120) on their website.
• English Placement: If you are placed into English 2500 and pass with a “C” or better, you get three credits of test-out for English 1500. Refer to the TESL/Applied Linguistics website for further information about English requirements and placement tests at Iowa State. Also, consult the Intensive English & Orientation Program (IEOP) for information about acclimating and succeeding at an English-speaking university.
• Math Placement: If you are placed into Math 1660 or higher based on your math placement results, you can get test-out credit for Math 1650 (Calculus I).

More Information

• College Board AP
• Credit by Examination
• World Languages & Cultures
• International Baccalaureate Program