Course syllabus for Research project in software engineering

Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-01 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameForskningsprojekt i programvaruteknik
  • CodeDAT640
  • Credits15 Credits
  • OwnerMPSOF
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studySoftware Engineering
  • DepartmentCOMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 24122
  • Maximum participants25
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0124 Written and oral assignments 15 c
Grading: TH		7.5 c7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Course round 2

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 24122
  • Maximum participants25
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0124 Written and oral assignments 15 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

To be eligible for the course, at least 30 credits must come from courses on the advanced level withing the area of software engineering, including the following courses: Advanced Requirements Engineering, Quality Assurance and Testing,  Empirical Software Engineering, and Project Management, or equivalent.

To be admitted to the course the student must
1) Identify an academic supervisor who is committed to supervising the student and monitoring the progress towards the learning goals,
2) Provide a planning report that clearly defines the research problem, research questions, related work, and proposed methodology for the project.

Students get admitted on approval of the planning report. The subject of the proposed project should be in the field of software engineering.

Aim

Students in this course develop in-depth theoretical and practical understanding of a selected problem area in software engineering. Through a research project, students develop a contribution that advances the state-of-the-art in this area.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

Knowledge and Understanding
  • apply in-depth knowledge of software engineering and, in a scientifically correct way, relate this knowledge to current research and development work
  • choose and state one's reasons for selecting their project method with respect to the chosen software engineering problem
Skills and Abilities
  • critically, independently and creatively identify, formulate and address complex software engineering issues
  • plan, execute, and evaluate the research project
Judgement Ability and Approach
  • create, analyze, and critically evaluate different technical solutions to the chosen research questions
  • observe and discuss ethical and societal aspects of the research and development work, both pertaining to how the work is carried out as well as the topics it explores/develops

Content

This course is formed mainly by an individual research project conducted in collaboration with an academic supervisor. In this project, students must apply and extend their knowledge of software engineering concepts. 

Students are expected to identify a research challenge with practical significance, develop research questions to address, formulate an appropriate research method, rigorously collect data, analyze that data to develop answers to the formulated questions, and communicate their findings. 

Literature

The course literature will be decided in consultation with the chosen supervisor.

Examination including compulsory elements

The course is assessed through an individual written report and a demonstration of the project results. The final report is a written document containing a project description, background, related work, research questions, research method description, results, and discussion (including threats to validity). The report should be accompanied by a demonstration of the main results of the project to the examiner.

In order to pass the course, both the final report and the demonstration have to be approved. The final grade in the course is decided from the grade of the final report. 

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.