What is Software Engineering?
We hear this term "Software Engineering" every day - but what does it really mean? What do Software Engineers learn, and what kind of work do they do for a living? Well, simply stated Software Engineering is a field dedicated to designing, implementation, and maintaining high quality software. Software - of course is a very general term and applies to anything that runs on a computer, ranging from games, social networking websites like Facebook, Skype, banking software, online shopping website, etc. The systematic way of building these exciting applications that will meet the needs of the current market is an important objective of software engineering. As an analogy, imagine you had to design a high-speed race car. Will a well qualified mechanical engineer be able to do so? Yes. Well, how about designing an efficient and high quality software application (like Facebook or Gmail)? A qualified software engineer will be able to do so!

APIIT's well equipped library with access to digital libraries

Software Engineering Degree at APIIT
The Software Engineering degree is one of the most popular degrees at APIIT. Considering the demand for software engineers within the island, and across the world this does not come as a big surprise. Moreover, our programme is designed to meet such needs by grooming excellent professionals to work in the software/IT industry. This award aims to produce graduates who can develop software solutions to a wide range of real-world problems. They should be proficient in several programming languages, understand the theoretical underpinning of these languages, and be able to use them in the development of robust, large scale systems. They should be experts in the entire software development lifecycle, from project initiation to maintenance. Software Engineers can apply their skills in all areas of the computing industry - from business systems to computer games to embedded systems. Typical job titles of recent graduates include Application Programmer, Software Engineer, and Systems Developer.

Over the 3 years, the students learn topics related to following modules - Introduction to Software Development, Hardware and Software Systems, Math and Statistics, Operating Systems, Object oriented Programming, Systems Modelling, Algorithms and Data Structures, Networking, Professional Development, Databases, Imaging, Principles of Software Production, Project Planning, Web Applications, and Testing & Evaluation etc. The curriculum includes all the necessary modules to train a student to become a software engineer, and beyond.

Students are required to undertake a project as part of their training in their final year. This project gives an opportunity for critical thinking, research and satisfaction of developing a working application. There is close interaction with supervisors who have ample experience in guiding student projects. Most of the students enjoy this research-oriented aspect of project design and development. Some of our students have gone a step further by publishing their work at international level conferences, or giving a talk or presentation to local staff and students

Lecture panel
School of Computing has a very dynamic environment that facilitates sharing of techniques and tools to make the learning experience meet high quality standard - this is due to the excellent pool of lecturers in School of Computing, which includes staff members with PhDs and Masters degrees, Most of our academic staff is also trained in technical areas related to their field of study or research, and they can provide useful guidance to students during and after course delivery. Most importantly, we are proud to say that our Lecturers are effective teachers - they know how to make the students learn and enjoy the subjects at the same time. Periodically, our own staff undergoes teaching training to keep abreast to new teaching methods and developing active learning techniques. Such techniques differentiate us from others since we try our best to adopt student-centric techniques, which has been proven to make learning more enjoyable and long lasting. Students also actively participate by providing feedback on delivery, facilities, and student support, which in turn helps APIIT in maintaining a high standard. Currently there are 11 fulltime Lecturers, with Dr. Dhananjay Kulkarni as the Program Leader.

Career opportunities
The degree programmes offered at APIIT School of Computing aim to develop professional skills as well as provide good practical grounding in the chosen area of study. All the specializations provide prospects of employment in a wide spectrum of careers in Computing/IT and cater to the growing demand for industry specialists such as Application Developers, System Analysts, Software Engineers, Project Managers, Database Administrators, Analyst Programmers and Data Communication Specialists.

These programmes are structured carefully to offer in-depth knowledge within the area of computing covering computer systems, hardware, software, and information systems. Students are also required to engage in many development projects to help them acquire technical capabilities. Thus APIIT students are groomed to become 'employable' graduates, possessing hands on experience, knowledge and skills on par with the industry requirements.

APIIT school of computing
The School of Computing at APIIT offers Degree programmes in Computing and Applied IT. Equal emphasis on theory and practice of computing and an industry oriented project work towards the latter part of the programme is a distinctive feature of the Computing Degrees. The School of Computing is driven by a vision to be the leading Computing School in the Asia Pacific Region with a global reputation for academic excellence; its mission is to produce IT professionals who are effective in a competitive international environment. We offer degree programme in Computing Science, Software Engineering, and Computer Networks and Security (scheduled to be launched in September 2011).
APIIT - Sri Lanka, incorporated in September 1999 in partnership with the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology - Malaysia and Staffordshire University, UK offers tertiary education in Computing/IT, Business and Legal studies.

This is your opportunity to secure a prestigious British IT Degree and be globally competitive. Students wishing to enrol in the next intake commencing on June 20, are advised to contact the Admission Office on 2675060 or info@apiit.lk for further information and assistance. We kindly invite you to visit the APIIT City Campus at 388, Union Place, Colombo 2 to experience the APIIT Advantage.

- Dr. Dhananjay Kulkarni, Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer - APIIT School of Computing
PhD, University of California - Riverside, USA, M.Sc, University of California - Riverside, USA, B.E, University of Pune, India.