Some South Carolinians choose to begin their career in software development by earning a two-year degree in programming from one of the state's technical colleges. That degree qualifies graduates for entry-level programming jobs at many companies around the state. But some positions request a higher level of training, particularly occupations leading to management positions. Thus, some students wish to earn a four-year software engineering degree soon after completing their two-year programming degree. Also, four-year degree holders have a higher average salary.
Winthrop University's Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Software Engineering (ASEN) degree is intended for students that have completed their Associate in Applied Science in Computer Technology - Programming Specialization (AAS.CPT.PROG) at a South Carolina technical college. ASEN students should be able to finish their degree at Winthrop in two years - two fall semesters and two spring semesters.
The ASEN degree program was approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in Summer 2024.
The ASEN program provides two paths to graduation. One is a four year ASEN degree and the other is a 2+2 degree. Acceptance into the 2+2 ASEN is limited to students that have completed the AAS.CPT.PROG degree from a South Carolina technical college. Additional admissions criteria can be found on Winthrop's Transfer Information web page.
Almost all of the courses required for the ASEN Programming degree will count directly toward the requirements of the ASEN degree. The following table is a sample set of courses taken by a possible AAS Programming student, and how those courses would transfer to Winthrop. Note that this is a sample. The degree requirements for the ASEN degree might change slightly. Also, the AAS Programming degree requirements might also change, and can vary slightly between SC technical colleges. York Tech's curriculum is used in this example.
| Tech College | Winthrop Equivalent | Credit Hours | Application to ASEN |
|---|---|---|---|
| COL 101 | ACAD 101 | 1 | GenEd: Foundation |
| ENG 101 | WRIT 101 | 3 | GenEd: Foundation |
| ENG 160 | WRIT 199 | 3 | needed for HXCT 301 |
| HSS 205 | HUMA 299G | 3 | GenEd: Humanities and Arts |
| SPC 205 | SPCH 205 | 3 | general elective |
| MAT 110 | MATH 151 | 3 | prereq for MATH 105 & MATH 261 |
| MAT 120 | MATH 241/BSAN 205 | 3 | stats prereq for CSCI 346 & CSCI 466 / quant reasoning requirement |
| ECO [210, 211], PSC 201, PSY 201 | ECON [216, 215], PLSC 201, PSYC 101 | 3 | GenEd: Social Science |
| CPT 242 / IST 272 | CSCI 355 | 3 | ASEN core |
| IST 168 & 188 | CSCI 199 | 6 | general electives |
| any thirty credits or CPT or IST numbered 2xx |
CSCI 299 | 30 | ASEN core |
The following is a sample course plan to complete courses at Winthrop.
| First Fall: Term 05 | First Spring: Term 06 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSCI 466 Networking | 3 | CSCI 327: Soc Imp of Comp | 3 | |
| CSCI > 299 elective | 3 | CSCI > 299 elective | 3 | |
| HXCT 301 Human Exp & Crit Thinking | 3 | MATH 105 Applied Calculus or MATH 201 Calculus I |
3-4 | |
| MATH 261 Discrete Math | 3 | GenEd: Historical Perspective | 3 | |
| GenEd: Social Science | 3 | GenEd: Lab Science | 4 | |
| 15 | 16-17 | |||
| Second Fall: Term 07 | Second Spring: Term 08 | |||
| CSCI 311 Computer Architecture | 3 | CSCI 411 Operating Systems | 3 | |
| CSCI 346 HCI | 3 | CSCI 476 Sw Eng II | 3 | |
| CSCI 475 Sw Eng I | 3 | CSCI 477 Sw Proj Mgmt | 3 | |
| GenEd: Constitution/Elective | 3 | Gen Ed: Global Perspective | 3 | |
| GenEd: Humanities and Arts | 3 | Physical Education | 1 | |
| 15 | 13 | |||
ASEN students select at least six credits of upper-division CSCI elective courses. Possible electives include:
Note - the following must be taken as part of AAS degree in order to potentially graduate on time: MAT110: College Algebra or higher, MAT120: Probability and Statistics, CPT242: Database / IST272: Relational Database, a second ENGL/WRIT course (i.e., ENG160).
Graduates from the BS in Applied Software Engineering degree will be qualified for many careers, including:
software developer
front-end or back-end engineer
mobile application developer
DevOps engineer
quality assurance (QA) analyst
cloud application developer
software test engineer
Software engineering skills are in high demand across industries—from healthcare and finance to logistics, education, and entertainment. A 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report projects a 17% growth rate for software developer roles from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is driven by the ongoing expansion of software-based services, the rise of cloud computing, and the continued demand for mobile and web applications.
York Technical College's Catalogs - requirements for their AAS Programming degree
Winthrop University's Catalogs - detailed requirements for the ASWD degree
Academic Pathways - Winthrop and York Tech bridge program
