Application Software Engineer Schools

Schools by State for This Career

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Career Highlights

Training generally required for this career includes: Bachelor's degree.

Jobs and Salary
Median Salary (2008)	$85,430
Unemployment Vs. Other Jobs	Very Low
Jobs (2006)	507,000
Job Growth (2006-2016)	44.6%
Jobs (2016 forecast)	733,000

Flexibility
Working Part-Time	3%
Self-Employed	2%

Education of Current Workers
Bachelor Degree or Higher	85%
Some College	13%
High School or Less	2%

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What Kind of Person Has This Career?

(Numbers are % of people choosing the item.)

Important Natural Abilities	% Choosing
Anticipating Problems	69%
Deductive Reasoning	69%
Inductive Reasoning	66%

Full List

Work Values	% Choosing
Pleasant Working Conditions	75%
Recognition	72%
Achievement	67%

Full List

Areas of Personal Interest	% Choosing
Mental Problem-Solving	95%
Hands-On Physical Work	67%
Following Instructions	61%

Work Style Characteristics	% Choosing
Analytical Thinking	87%
Attention To Detail	84%
Dependability	81%

Full List

Which Skills and Knowledge are Needed for this Job?

(Numbers are % of people choosing the item.)

Important Personal Skills	% Choosing
Programming	99%
Critical Thinking	96%
Complex Problem Solving	91%

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Important Professional Knowledge	% Choosing
Computers And Electronics	94%
Mathematics	69%
English Language	62%

Full List

Which Activities and Situations Are Involved in Doing The Job?

(Numbers are % of people choosing the item.)

Common Work Conditions	% Choosing
Electronic Mail	98%
Spend Time Sitting	96%
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled	92%

Full List

Common Job Activities	% Choosing
Interacting With Computers	98%
Thinking Creatively	85%
Making Decisions And Solving Problems	83%

Full List

Tools and Technologies Used by Some
Software Engineers For Applications

Analytical Or Scientific Software
Application Server Software
Backup Or Archival Software

Full List

Information Sources

BrainTrack's information on colleges and careers is drawn from many sources, including government databases, BrainTrack's own research, and results from original data analysis algorithms.

Application Software Engineer Job Description

Software applications are used for business productivity, computer and network management, games and entertainment, conducting transactions on the Internet, and just about anything else that a computer can do. Application software engineers analyze the needs of people who will be using the software, and create packaged software or custom programs using programming languages.

Additional responsibilities of application software engineers include:

Collecting and analyzing client requirements
Making recommendations as to efficient and effective ways of applying, developing and implementing software applications
Planning and designing applications
Creating solutions for problems and better processes by developing software
Using different programming languages to construct applications
Providing support, fixes and enhancements of software products for clients
Overseeing testing and implementation of software applications

Many application software engineers travel frequently to client sites or different facilities to guide implementation and provide training to users.

Degrees and Schools

Most colleges and universities offer four-year degree programs in software engineering or computer science.

Classes

Students in a software engineering program usually divide their time between class and computer lab. Courses include:

Fundamentals of information technology
Principles of software application development
Requirements gathering and project planning
Systems analysis and design
Computer programming
Database design and development
Network technologies
Information systems security
Systems administration and management
Web technologies and development
Organizational behavior

Online Classes and Programs

Bachelors degree programs in software engineering and computer science are readily available online. E-learning programs that are offered by campus-based colleges and universities are more likely to have internship and job placement programs.

Online learning programs and/or the school should have accreditation through agencies recognized by the US Department of Education, such as the Accreditation Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which focuses on certifying programs to a set of e-learning standards.

Employment Requirements

Most employers of application software engineers require:

Certification in relevant software packages, languages and technologies
Substantial experience in application development
A bachelors or masters degree in software engineering or computer science

How to Evaluate Software Engineering Schools

When evaluating software engineering and computer science degree programs, asking the following questions can be helpful:

Reputation and location - How does the program rank nationally and/or by reputation among employers? Is it located in a community where software engineering and technology is a prominent industry?
Classes and subjects - Does the curriculum offer sufficient elective courses in programming languages and technologies of interest? Are popular classes difficult to get into?
Practical experience - Are computer labs well-equipped with leading technologies? Does the program provide a variety of internship opportunities that are appealing?
Financial aid and expenses - Are students provided substantial guidance in finding scholarships, work / study programs, grants, student loans and other financial aid opportunities?
Graduate success - Over the past several years, what has the program's track record been for placing graduates in relevant jobs?

Example Job Titles

(Titles per survey respondents and career experts.)

.NET Developer
Application Architect
Application Integration Engineer
Application Integrator
Applications Analyst
Applications Developer
Applications Engineer
Applications Programmer
Applications Quality Assurance Specialist
Applications Software Engineering Information Technology Specialist
Applications System Analyst
Artificial Intelligence Specialist
Automation Engineer
Beta Tester
Bioinformatics Specialist
Business Analyst
Business Systems Analyst
Computer Applications Developer
Computer Applications Engineer
Computer Architect
Computer Consultant
Computer Engineer
Computer Programmer
Computer Programmer Analyst
Computer Software Engineer
Configuration Manager
Data Analyst
Data Modeler
Data Warehouse Architect
Database Analyst
Database Designer
Database Technician
Enterprise Architect
Firmware Engineer
Game Developer
Game Engineer
Implementation Specialist
Information Architect
Information Systems Analyst
Information Technology Analyst (IT Analyst)
Information Technology Consultant (IT Consultant)
Internet Application Developer
Internet Consultant
Internet Site Designer
Java Programmer
Lotus Notes Developer
Program Analyst
Programmer
Programmer Analyst
Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)
Quality Assurance Engineer (QA Engineer)
Software Analyst
Software Applications Engineer
Software Applications Specialist
Software Architect
Software Computer Specialist
Software Design Engineer
Software Designer
Software Developer
Software Development Engineer
Software Development Specialist
Software Engineer
Software Engineering Supervisor
Software Installer
Software QA Tester
Software Quality Assurance Specialist
Software Quality Engineer
Software Requirements Engineer
Software Systems Engineer
Software Tester
Software Writer
Solutions Architect
Supplier Quality Engineer
Systems Administrator
Systems Analyst
Systems Analyst Programmer
Technical Consultant
Technical Support Engineer
Test Engineer
Usability Engineer
Video Game Engineer
Windows Software Engineer

Apply For a BrainTrack Computer Science Scholarship

To help students currently pursuing a computer science degree, the BrainTrack Computer Science Degree Scholarship gives a winning and second place award every semester. Through entrant essays, the scholarship is designed to be a resource for future students considering fields such as programming, software engineering, systems analysis, database administration, network administration, systems administration, network analysis, and communications analysis. Eligible studies include associate, bachelor, master, or doctoral degree programs in computer science, information science, or information technology.

For recent winners and a selection of entries please visit BrainTrack's Computer Science Student Stories section.

Scholarship Details and Submission Form

The BrainTrack Scholarship for Computer Science helps current students pay for their education. Entrants must respond to essay questions that are geared toward helping people evaluate computer science as a potential career path. BrainTrack will publish those essays which prove most helpful to future students.

The scholarship is open to students with at least one semester of credits towards graduation with an appropriate degree in computer science. One student award of $1,000 for the best entry and one of $500 for the second best entry is planned for each of two semesters, on an annual basis. Entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1, with awards payable towards the student's current or following semester.

Winners will be selected based on the creativity, focus, overall thoughtfulness, accuracy, and practical value of their responses to essay questions. Determination of winners will be undertaken by a committee that includes independent judges familiar with computer science as well as BrainTrack staff.

For more background on BrainTrack and its scholarships, please visit About BrainTrack Scholarships.

How to Apply

Submit answers to questions designed to help those considering computer science as a career path. All answers must be entered into the scholarship entry form, which is started by clicking the I Agree button below.

Rules

Scholarship entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1 of every year. The deadline for the next scholarship award is November 1, 2010.

The scholarship competition is open to enrolled students who have completed at least one semester of credits in a computer science degree program and are currently pursuing a degree. Students must be enrolled in one or more relevant classes at the time of the entry deadline. Students may be in either a full-time or part-time program. They may also be enrolled in an on-campus and/or online program.
Winners will be notified by email and telephone, typically within six weeks following the entry deadline. All award payments are made to the school, toward the student's tuition.
Candidates may submit only one entry every 12 months.
Entrant's school must be in the US and have accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education.
Entrant must be a US citizen, have permanent resident status, or have an appropriate student visa.
Entrant must be living in the US or if living abroad entrant must be a US citizen or permanent resident currently enrolled in an online degree program with a qualified US-based school.
All submissions become the property of BrainTrack's publisher, FutureMeld LLC, and entrants grant permission to FutureMeld to use their essay answers, school name, and degree status for promotional or other purposes.
Entrants that are selected as finalists will be contacted by FutureMeld to provide one or more references from their school. FutureMeld will contact the reference(s) to verify an entrant's qualifications for the scholarship.
For non-winning entrants, FutureMeld will keep a student's name, contact information, and references private for use only in conjunction with this scholarship.
Winning entrants will have their name published. Winners must agree to a brief telephone interview with a BrainTrack staff writer for publication as part of the winners' announcement.
BrainTrack reserves the right to change rules between scholarship competitions at its discretion and to make rule clarifications at any time as needed.
Questions or comments? Please contact BrainTrack using our contact form.

Related Careers

Relevant Schools for This Career That Respond Quickly to Info Requests Through This Site

Schools below offer related online and distance education programs. School names link to detailed profiles. Please use the More links to contact one or more schools directly for additional information.

School	Campuses	Awards
AIU Online	Online	Bachelor
American InterContinental University	GA	Bachelor
American Sentinel University	Online	Bachelor, Master
Baker College Online	Online	Associate, Bachelor
Briarcliffe College	NY	Diploma
Brown Mackie College	KY	Diploma
CDM Institute	NJ, PA	Certificate
CHI Institute	PA	Diploma
California College San Diego	CA	Bachelor
Capella University	Online	Bachelor
CollegeAmerica	AZ, CO, WY	Bachelor
Colorado Technical University	CO, SD	Bachelor, Doctorate, Master
Colorado Technical University Online	Online	Bachelor, Doctorate, Master
DeVry University	MN, TX	Bachelor
DeVry University Online	Online	Bachelor
Everest College	CO, UT, MO, OR	Associate, Bachelor
Everest Institute	NY, MI	Diploma
Grantham University	Online	Associate, Bachelor
Heald College	CA, HI	Associate
Herzing College	MB, ON, QC, Online	Associate, Bachelor
Herzing University	AL, GA, WI, FL, LA	Associate, Bachelor
Herzing University Online	Online	Associate, Bachelor
Kaplan College	CO	Diploma
McCann School of Business & Technology	PA	Associate
Missouri Tech	MO	Associate, Bachelor
Morrison University	NV	Associate
New England Institute of Technology	RI	Associate, Bachelor
NewSchool of Architecture & Design	CA	Associate
Rasmussen College	IL, FL, ND, WI, MN	Bachelor
Stevens-Henager College	ID, UT	Bachelor, Certificate
Strayer University	DE, VA, AL, MD, UT, GA, NC, KY, PA, WV, OH, NJ, TN, FL, SC, DC	Graduate Certificate, Master
Strayer University Online	Online	Executive Graduate Certificate, Master
TUI University	Online	Bachelor
TechSkills	AZ, NC, UT, IN, TX, OH, CA, MN, MO, KS, OK, NV, CO, TN, WI, FL	Certificate
The Career Institute of American International College	MA	Certificate
The University of Liverpool	Online	Master
University of Phoenix	AZ, IL, MD, IN, TX, MI, OH, MN, KS, SC, MO, OK, DC, DE, WA, KY, OR, FL, WI, HI, LA, NC, UT, NE, PA, NJ, CA, WY, NM, VA, AL, GA, IA, NV, PR, AR, CO, ID, TN, CT, MA	Bachelor
University of Phoenix Online	Online	Bachelor
Vatterott College	IL, OH, TN, KS, MO, NE, OK, IA	Diploma
Walden University	Online	Master
Westwood College	CO, IL, CA, Online	Bachelor
Wood Tobé-Coburn School	NY	Diploma

Career And School Info For Software Engineers For Applications

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Related Careers