Syllabus
Syllabus — CSE 120: Software Engineering (Spring 2026) 📋
Course Info
| Course | CSE 120 — Software Engineering (Section 01) |
| Catalog | Building large software systems is hard, but building large systems that actually work is even harder. This course covers techniques for dealing with the complexity of software systems, focusing on software engineering for individuals and small teams. |
| Prerequisites | CSE 031, CSE 100, MATH 024; Senior standing |
| Schedule | Lectures: W 4:30–7:20pm (COB2 110). Lab sections: multiple sections (see Schedule page) |
| Units | 4 credits |
Instructors & Staff
| Role | Name | Office Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Santosh Chandrasekhar | schandrasekhar@ucmerced.edu | TR 9:45–11:45am, SE2 273 |
| Co-Instructor | Giovanni Gonzalez Araujo | ggonzalezaraujo@ucmerced.edu | By appointment (Book) |
| Director of Innovation | Stefano Foresti | sforesti@ucmerced.edu | |
| Instructional Support | Brian Tsan | btsan@ucmerced.edu | |
| TA | Sravan Jayati (02L, 03L, 06L) | sjayati@ucmerced.edu | W 10:00am–1:00pm, SE2 Lobby |
| TA | Haolin Liang (08L) | hliang27@ucmerced.edu | F 3:30–4:30pm, SE2 Lobby |
| TA | Michael Pisman (04L, 05L, 07L) | mpisman@ucmerced.edu | W 1:00–4:00pm, SE2 223 |
💡 Office hours begin Week 2 for instructors, Week 3 for TAs. Response time on emails is within 48 hours (excluding weekends/holidays).
Textbook & Readings
Required: - Code Complete by Steve McConnell, ISBN 978-0735619678
Recommended: - Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach (6th ed.) — Roger Pressman - UML Distilled (2nd ed.) — Martin Fowler - Extreme Software Engineering — Daniel H. Steinberg, Daniel W. Palmer - Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software — Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Gather information about a contemporary problem, consolidate into requirements, and produce a technical specification.
- Design a computing solution within realistic constraints using appropriate standards.
- Use project management and teamwork skills to deliver a solution on time.
- Deliver a professional presentation appropriate to a broad audience.
- Demonstrate effective written technical communication through design exams.
Topics Covered
Software Development Process · Requirements & Specification · Unified Modeling Language · Design Patterns · Code Process · Version Control · Testing · Debugging · Concurrency · Code Tuning · Security · User Interface · Quality Management
Grading Breakdown
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Participation | 5% |
| Reading Assignments | 8% |
| Weekly Meeting Minutes | 10% |
| Midterm | 12% |
| Labs 1 – 4.0 | 15% |
| Labs 4.1 – 4.5 | 20% |
| Class Project (Final Deliverables 25% + Individual Report 5%) | 30% |
Key Policies
Attendance
- Lab and lecture attendance is mandatory.
- Report absences using this form before the session.
- Up to 2 unexcused absences for lectures and 2 for labs — exceeding this results in an F in the course.
Deadlines & Late Work
- Lab assignments: 7-day grace period after due date with 10% late penalty.
- Final project: Initial draft by due date, final draft by available-until date (no penalty).
- No work accepted past grace period. No exceptions for final project initial drafts.
- Extension requests must follow the email etiquette guidelines.
LLM & External Code Policy
You may use LLMs (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) and public code with these conditions:
1. Revise and refine generated code — no unaltered AI output.
2. Verify license compatibility for public code.
3. Cite the source in code comments (e.g., // Borrowed from [URL], modified under [License]).
4. Explain how you adapted the code.
5. Over-reliance without demonstrated understanding may affect your assessment.
Individual Accountability
- Team assignments receive an initial group grade, then are adjusted based on individual contributions and peer evaluation.
- Failure to attend meetings, fulfill tasks, or participate in presentations → F in the course.
Midterm & Final Exam
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Midterm | Take-home, assigned Week 11 (Sun 03/29), due Week 12 (Sun 04/05) |
| Final Presentations | Thursday 05/14 — Innovate To Grow (I2G) Event |
Academic Integrity & Disability Services
- Disability Services: Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at (209) 228-6996 or access@ucmerced.edu.
- All accommodations require prior SAS approval.
- The Reasonable Person Principle applies throughout the course.