SE 696 Masters Project
A Masters Project is a moderately-sized system design and demonstration project that demonstrates a new or innovative approach to solving an existing problem. The project must a) identify a research question or problem, b) present a solution to the problem, c) implement and demonstrate a substantial portion of the solution, and d) validate the solution.
Some examples of suitable projects would be:
- System design and demonstration projects.
Example: Design a framework for delivering web applications to mobile devices. Implement a substantial part of the framework and provide comprehensive demonstrations on different devices. Compare with other similar frameworks and show the advantages and uniqueness of your framework.
- Prototypes of software engineering tools for use by a software developer.
Example: Design and implement a new tool for automatic code generation (or testing, verification, requirements elicitation, etc.). Compare with other similar tools and show the advantages and uniqueness of your tool.
- Addressing a traditional problem using an innovative approach or original solution.
Example: Design and implement an efficient index scheme for object oriented databases. Show how your solution is an improvement over other approaches.
SE 698 Masters Thesis
An SE 698 Masters Thesis requires the student to carry out a theoretical or statistical solution to a significant research question. For example:
Example: Propose a design pattern language for a new application domain. Show that the patterns in your language are new and different from known patterns.Example: Design and carry out an empirical study on the effectiveness of pair-programming practices.
Students with a suitable SE 690 project who find that they wish to expand upon their work, may revise their research proposal, register for SE 698, and expand their work into a full-scale Masters thesis.