The Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) is the professional information technology society in Canada. As such, it certifies and regulates the Information Systems Professional designation in most provinces. Centennial College’s Bachelor of Applied Information Sciences - Bridging to Software Systems Design program is a fully Canadian Information Processing Society ISTAC-accredited offering. Graduates from the program are eligible to apply for certified membership to CIPS.

This is just one of the many benefits that students who attend software design courses enjoy. This program is actually quite unique in that Centennial College was chosen by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to deliver it in order to meet a critical need for highly specialized software designers. As such, attendees are part of a select group of Ontario students who receive a four-year bachelor’s degree in Applied Information Sciences from the only program of its kind in the province.

However, it doesn’t take students for years to complete the program. That’s because this undertaking is designed to offer computer program/analyst graduates or software engineering graduates from Centennial or from a similar program from another college the opportunity to obtain the four-year Bachelor degree in two years.

As such, students actually enter the program during its fifth semester and complete three bridging courses: two in mathematics and one in computer architecture during regular semesters. Additionally, the offering presents a unique focus on system design, a blend of technology and business subjects as well projects that imitate real life scenarios. Among specific topics covered are: logic and problem-solving strategies, database programming, software design patterns, architecting database solutions, software quality assurance, emerging technologies and more.

Here is a closer look at the projects that prepare students for the various tasks they complete in the field by allowing them to apply their skills:

Software Development Project 1: Students apply their consulting skills through the process of the requirement analysis of a real life design problem. Students develop and/or implement a software systems design project that meets stated business objectives for an organization in a specific vertical market. This initial client needs analysis is followed by a proposed set of project design specifications, followed up with a feasibility analysis. A final report summarizing all the work done so far along with a proposed project plan for further work is submitted for grading.

Software Development Project 2: This course builds on previous software development project. Students work in teams to design and implement a complete application for a small company. The project uses enterprise tools to build enterprise-level data integration and provide a view of all business data. It provides real-world experience by integrating problem-solving techniques, project planning, testing, reporting and a presentation.

Software Development Project 3: In teams, students design and implement a complete application for a real business by applying agile software development techniques, such as TDD (Test Driven Design). The project involves teamwork, oral and written communication skills, problem solving, documentation, and great research skills.

Students who attend this software design program can specialize in mobile application development or service-oriented architecture and cloud computing.