Gannon University is partnering with Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany, to offer a unique Software Engineering International Degrees (SEID) program that will give U.S. computing students a competitive edge in the marketplace.
An official signing last semester marked the start of the first international, dual-degree program in Gannon’s College of Engineering and Business. It is the only program of its kind, both at Gannon, and in the United States. The unique partnership between Gannon and Esslingen University offers students the ability to complete two undergraduate degrees — an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science degree in software engineering or computer science and a European Bachelor of Engineering degree in Studienschwerpunkt – Softwaretechnik (software technology).
“This partnership uniquely provides our software engineering students the hands-on ability to experience the workings of the global economy first-hand,” said Deacon Stephen T. Frezza, Ph.D., P.S.E.M., professor of software engineering at Gannon and director of the program.
The 4 ½-year program includes three full years of bachelor’s-level study at Gannon University and a study abroad year at Esslingen University during a student’s junior year that includes a paid internship in software development. While in Germany, students will spend one semester taking software engineering courses, taught in English, as well as a course in German language.
Students completing the program earn a bachelor’s degree in either Software Engineering or Computer Science from Gannon University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Technology from Esslingen University.
“With the required internship embedded in the German degree program, students will be uniquely prepared with real-world experience that marks European bachelors studies, and the breadth and depth of small-school engineering at Gannon,” Frezza said.
Gannon software engineering graduates can expect a strong return on their investment: Software engineering was ranked by Money magazine as the “best job” in America, with strong growth prospects, potential for creativity and strong average salaries, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software engineering to be one of the fastest-growing occupations. Gannon graduates over the past several years have a 100 percent placement rate in either employment or graduate studies.
