Program Presentation
Business management as studied in the XXI century, that is, within an overall society dominated by technologies that provide new services and new technologies supported by products, demands a different vision on business.
In this context, software engineering plays a role in the value chain of companies, whether it is a "core" process or a "support" process, but never disorganized, with it being an intrinsic part of business strategies. This is the reason why Software engineering should be addressed with a strategic vision that recognizes it as an agent of change in their own organizations and strategies.
In this regard, software engineering demands a different type of leadership, which overcomes the current formal software engineering studies. Therefore, it requires a professional software engineer with the strategic vision that facilitates locating the software development process with their own strategic perspective that requires a strategic process, which they must do with management tools that allows them to know and understand that software engineering is a management process that consist of people and machines.
The Master's program in Strategic Management in Software Engineering (SMSEw) addresses the challenge of training these professionals by addressing their core competencies and the strategic direction of various infrastructures, modeling and the technological management of software engineering itself within a comprehensive and innovative vision of computing in organizations aligned and consistent with the development of a software company, whether they be for production or software use.
Importance of graduate training in Strategic Management and IT
The importance of software engineering requires a strategic process that is attached to the broad field of strategic management with an emphasis on the role of analysis and software engineering processes on strategic business projects. This requires proper graduate training to:
- Understand the basics of strategic management;
- Understand the principles of leadership as a source of technology management;
- Understand the basics of computer infrastructures used in organizations;
- Understand the basics of information models used by organizations;
- Understand the management technology tools used in the production of information;
- Understand the integration of technology, systems and projects in organizations;
- Understand the intimate relationship between business processes, organizational systems and ways of working with software engineering;
- Acquire skills to overcome the specific and singular problems of all activity related to processes of organizational change resulting from the implementation of new technologies;
- Acquire skills to confront scenarios involving teams operating in technological environments.
Central concepts of the program: Strategic Management and Business Software
While strategic management leads to the understanding about the proper management of a company, and software engineering leads to the appropriate development of software, when joining the first to the second, a space is create where Business Administration with Business Management Software coexist. This new space allows two things:
1. Understand Strategic Management aligned with Software Engineering which now operates as a management portfolio for future organizational resources of software. In this case, it is better understood as the new forms of corporate management supported by software development.
2. Apply Strategic Management in the function of the direction of a Software Engineering unit. In this case, we obtain an entrepreneurial view of Software Engineering as provided when they are considered a strategic resource and subject to business management.
Who is the programme for?
The training methodology proposed summed up to the clarity, amplitude and didactic of the content design, allows the Master’s Degree in Strategic Management in Software Engineering be addressed to people who wish to acquire the foundation and knowledge needed to strategically manage a unit of Software Engineering, or all those people that are in strategic processes related to a company’s software portfolio.
The Master’s Degree in Strategic Management in Software Engineering is aimed at computer professionals, and people in the world of engineering, administration, in the field of sciences, such as mathematics and statistics, software business entrepreneurs, and researchers interested in the relationship between business and ICT.
Because of its executive guidance, the Master’s Degree in Strategic Management in Software Engineering aims to train dynamic, creative and motivated professionals, improve and/or lead business projects of software development.
The candidate will be evaluated on:
- Professional experience of more than 5 years.
- Education in engineering or the area of business (Business Administration, Economy).
- Interest to respond to the competitiveness of new business using the development of software systems as essential organizational strategy elements.
Diploma
By passing all the subjects and satisfying all the academic, administrative and economic demands required by the Ibero-American University Foundation, and the university or entity regulating the program, the respective degree or title will be issued. The name of the degree or title may vary depending on the laws of each country and of the policy of each university that issues the diploma.
Program Structure
The credit structure of the Master in Strategic Management in Software Engineering program is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the duration is merely indicative, as the methodology followed integrates the knowledge and skills to be acquired in each part through integrative exercises of knowledge acquisition and internalization of project practices:
| CREDITSa | |
|---|---|
| 1st Part: Business Strategy | 15 |
| 2nd Part: People Management | 8 |
| 3rd Part: Business and Technology | 47 |
| 4th Part: Final Project | 15 |
| TOTAL | 85 |
a. The equivalence in credits may vary according to the university where he/she has enrolled. One (1) ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit is equivalent to 10 + 15 hours. If the student is enrolled in a university that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the relation between credits - hours may vary.
Duration
The Master in Strategic Management in Software Engineering has 85 credits.
The duration of the Master in Strategic Management in Software Engineering varies between 9 and 24 months, depending on the student's dedication. In this period of time, the student must have successfully passed all the evaluated activities and approved the Final Project.
Objectives
General objective
- Understand and master the basic concepts of quality software design, development, and maintenance as part of the strategic business development.
Specific objectives
- Understand the phenomenon of software system developments as the foundation of new business strategies based on business innovations.
- Learn the principles and methodologies for the development and maintenance of software systems.
- Learn engineering principles and methods that are reliable and work efficiently to obtain software profitably.
- Learn and master the elements that sustain the organizational change management that involve the software systems development and implementation, their effects and aptitude in a business and technological project.
- Learn and master the tools and strategic business techniques that allow you to design, generate and display a business strategy based on software systems.
- Learn and master techniques and tools on people management for the strategic business based on software.
- Enable limitation evaluation, the justification of new applications and strategic decision making when there are software system development resources involved.
Career Opportunities
Some of the career opportunities of the Master in Strategic Management in Software Engineering are:
- Advising or consulting in software processes and technologies.
- Advising or consulting in software business creation.
- Manager of a systems department or area.
- Director of technological business projects.
- Director of Business projects based on software.
- External advisor or business consultant in strategies for organizational change through the integration of software systems.
- Director of software business creation projects based on Technology.
Study Plan
The Master in Strategic Management in Software Engineering is made up of 4 parts:
- 1st PART: BUSINESS STARTEGY
The first part allows us to understand how an organization prepares a strategy for change and how it plans its organizational deployment.
The corresponding subjects and hours that make up this part are shown in the following table:
| 1st Part: BUSINESS STARTEGY | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Strategic Planning and Management | 4 |
| 2 | Reengineering, Strategy and Management of Systems and ICT | 4 |
| 3 | Strategic Management of Human Resources | 3 |
| 4 | Information and Change Society | 4 |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
- 2nd PART: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
The second part allows us to understand and generate strategies of organizational change by means of people and work groups.
The corresponding subjects and hours that make up this part are shown in the following table:
| 2nd Part: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Techniques | 3 |
| 2 | Work Group Management Techniques | 3 |
| 3 | Virtual Collaborative Working Environments | 2 |
| TOTAL | 8 | |
- 3rd PART: SOFTWARE, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS
The third part introduces the tools that turn a traditional organization into an organization on a supported network based on software systems. This achieves an overall view of business when involved in design, development and maintenance of software systems and are considered strategic topics.
The corresponding subjects and hours that make up this part are shown in the following table:
| 3rd Part: SOFTWARE, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Programming Languages and Paradigms | 3 |
| 2 | Architectures, Networks and Distribution Systems | 4 |
| 3 | Web Technology and Web Engineering | 4 |
| 4 | Analysis and Integral Design of Systems and Requirements | 4 |
| 5 | Data Modeling and Database Design | 4 |
| 6 | Network Management and Security | 3 |
| 7 | Databases and Information Resources Management | 4 |
| 8 | Software Business Process | 4 |
| 9 | Business Intelligence and Document Management | 6 |
| 10 | Integration of Business Management Systems | 5 |
| 11 | ICT Project Management | 6 |
| TOTAL | 47 | |
- 4th PART: SCIENTIFIC REASEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINAL PROJECT
The fourth part allows the training of a postgraduate researcher in theoretical fields solving academic and/or professional problems.
| 4th Part: FINAL PROJECT | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Final Project | 15 |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
Note: The contents of the academic program may be subject to slight modifications, depending on the updates or the improvements made.
Management
Academic Administration
- Dr. Arturo Ortega-Mansilla. Doctor of Electrical Engineering, by the University of Barcelona. Telecommunications Engineer by the Ramon Llull University, Spain. Coordinator of the IDi Area - Area Projects, FUNIBER.
- Dr. Jon Arambarri Basañez. Doctor in Engineering and Technology from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia UPC - University of Cordoba. MBA from the Institute of Applied Economics of UPV-EHU. Senior Telecommunications Engineer from the School of Engineering of Bilbao. Professor accredited by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA). Is currently a project manager at https://www.estia.fr/ aimed at creating new products to meet the strategic needs of Aquitaine (France) - Euskadi in eHealth, Industry4.0 and Energy Technologies. Combines his professional work with tasks as an independent consultant and teacher. Has more than 20 years of experience in technology business development and innovation management in the international public-private sector. His research interests combine telecommunication infrastructures (Telecommunication Networks, Multimedia and Internet of Things - IoT) together with the digital transformation (Artificial Intelligence and predictive systems, Cyber-Security) of the business fabric, mainly in the areas of eHealth, Industry4.0 and Energy. Author of numerous scientific publications and an active lecturer on innovative business management.
- Ms. Angélica Agudelo Reina. Master and Postgraduate degrees in SAP SD and MM (Materials Management - Sales and Distribution). Extensive experience in ERP functional consulting in different sectors of the industry, and analysis of industrial operations. Academic Coordinator of the Master Program in the Strategic Management of Software Engineering and their specializations.
FUNIBER Training Scholarships
The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) allocates periodically an extraordinary economic item for FUNIBER Training Scholarships.
To apply, please fill out the information request form that appears in the web of FUNIBER or contact directly the Foundation’s headquarters in your country that will inform you if you need to provide some additional information.
Once the documentation is received, the Evaluation Committee will determine your application's eligibility for the FUNIBER Training Scholarship.