A Systematic Analysis of Higher Education on Software Engineering in the Netherlands

Abstract

Objectives. Software engineering educators strive to continuously improve and refine their courses and programs. Understanding the current state of practice of software engineering higher education can empower educators to critically assess their courses, fine-tune them, and ultimately enhance their educational curricula. In this study, we provide an encompassing analysis of higher education on software engineering by considering the educational offering of the Netherlands. Study methods. We adopt a crowdsourced analysis considering 10 Dutch universities and 207 courses. Courses are analysed via a set of key knowledge areas adapted from the SWEBOK, which are mapped to courses by educators of their universities. The mapping process is refined via homogenisation and internal consistency improvement phases, followed by a data analysis phase. Findings. Given its fundamental nature, Construction and Programming is the most covered knowledge area at Bachelor level. Other knowledge areas are equally covered at Bachelor and Master level (e.g., software engineering models), while more advanced ones are almost exclusively provided at Master level (e.g., Maintenance). Three clusters of tightly coupled knowledge areas emerge: (i) requirements, architecture, and design, (ii) testing, verification, and security, and (iii) process-oriented and DevOps topics. Dutch universities cover all knowledge areas uniformly, with minor deviations reflecting institutional research strengths. Conclusions. Our results highlight correlations among key software engineering knowledge areas. We also identify underrepresented areas, such as software economics, which educators may consider including in curricula. We invite researchers to make use of our research method in their own geographical region to globally compare software engineering education programs.