Our History

The programme has its origins in the industrial courses delivered by the Computing Laboratory (now the Department of Computer Science) during the 1980s. These short intensive courses were given by leading researchers on topics of interest to partner organisations. In the 1990s, with support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the courses were revised and extended to provide a full academic programme at master's level.

The discipline of software engineering has changed considerably since the programme was first launched. While the principles may remain the same, the context in which they are applied is constantly evolving. As a result, we are continuously developing the programme, reflecting the latest research activity of the programme academics, placing greater emphasis on the most relevant principles, and looking at new ways to relate them to industry practices.

Since the programme was established in January 1993, 1576 courses have been delivered, by 297 lecturers and assistants, and 1247 students have obtained a postgraduate qualification in software engineering from the University of Oxford..