Black Intelligentsia Libraries
The New Way Of Thinking
Computer Software Engineer
Do you love to play video games?  Are you fascinated by the apps on smartphones?  Do you aspire to someday design your own video games, phone apps that would make users' lives easier, custom-made ERP software systems for Fortune 500 companies, or security software for governments?  If so and if you love Math, Science, and especially computer code and programming, then a career as a Computer Software Engineer may be the one for you.

Computer Software Engineers apply Computer Science, engineering, and Math to design, develop, and test software (such as video games and cell phone applications).  Software Engineers first analyze users' needs.  In programming, or coding, they tell a computer, line by line, how to function.  Though they must possess strong coding skills, they are more likely to develop algorithms and solve problems than write code.  They often work as part of a team that designs new hardware, software, and systems, a core team consisting of engineering, marketing, factory, and design people working together to complete a product.

Duties include but are not limited to:  analyze users’ needs and designing, testing, and developing software to meet those needs; designing each piece of the application or system and planning how the pieces will work together; creating flowcharts and other models that instruct programmers how to write the software’s code; ensuring that the software continues to function normally through software maintenance and testing; documenting every aspect of the application or system as a reference for future maintenance and upgrades; and collaborating with other computer specialists to create optimum software.

High school students interested in studying Computer Software Engineering benefit from taking courses in Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Applications, and Mathematics—Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus.  Students entering Computer Engineering Bachelor's of Science programs from high school with no previous Computer Engineering training should expect a period 4 to 5 years to complete said program and should expect coursework to include Programming Languages and Software Development.  A Professional Engineer's license (or PE) is required for those who wish to someday establish their own Software Engineering consulting firm and to provide services directly to the public.  In most states, continuing education is required to maintain Software Engineering licensure.  Graduate education is needed for many research and development positions.

Computer Applications Software Engineers design, construct, and maintain computer programs based on customers' needs and can develop a program for just one person or for many people to use separately.  Computer Systems Software Engineers construct and maintain computer programs for companies, like setting up an "intranet"—an internal and secure computer network—for a company.  And as networks have expanded, Software Engineers are able to use modems, laptops, e-mail, and the Internet to identify and fix customers' problems from their own office.

The demand for Computer Software Engineers is rising at a very high rate (nearly twice the total job rate), as businesses are looking for new ways to get ahead of competition and make their computer systems the fastest.  The growing concerns over "cyber security"—making sure only certain people can see private information—will certainly mean more jobs for these engineers.
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
​Median Salary:  $88,150

Salary Range:  ~$48,480 - $138,140+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
The more prevalent routes to becoming a Software Engineer have been to major in either Computer Engineering, Information Systems Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Computer and Information Science, Systems and Computer Science, Computer Information Science, or Applied Mathematics, for many of their concepts, theories, and principles coincide.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
​Colleges and universities that have Computer Engineering and the related majors are:  North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Howard University (Washington, DC); Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas); Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee); Alabama A&M University (Normal, Alabama); Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia); South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, Alabama); Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina); Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC); Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia); Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina); Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama); University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland); Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama); Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, Florida); Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Florida); Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, Georgia); Florida Memorial University (Miami Gardens, Florida); University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff, Arkansas); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); Kentucky State University (Frankfort, Kentucky); Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); Dillard University (New Orleans, Louisiana); Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia); Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana); Bowie State University (Bowie, Maryland); Alcorn State University (Lorman, Mississippi); Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena, Mississippi); Coppin State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Philander Smith College (Little Rock, Arkansas); Xavier University (New Orleans, Louisiana); Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, Mississippi); Bennett College (Greensboro, North Carolina); Winston Salem State University (Winston Salem, North Carolina); Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia); Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina); Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina); Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina); Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee); Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas); Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania); Cheyney University (Cheney, Pennsylvania); Texas Southern University (Houston, Texas); Voorhees College (Denmark, South Carolina); Talladega College (Talladega, Alabama); LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee); Saint Augustine's University (Raleigh, North Carolina); West Virginia State University (Charleston, West Virginia); Lane College (Jackson, Tennessee); Texas College (Tyler, Texas); Rust College (Holly Springs, Mississippi); Virginia Union University (Richmond, Virginia); Bluefield State College (Bluefield, West Virginia); and Saint Paul's College (Lawrenceville, Virginia).
Available Scholarships