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Software designer, programmer and engineer

Between 2006 and 2009, 2% of employed doctoral graduates, or 250 employed doctoral graduates, are known to have been working in software design, programming and engineering six months after graduation.

Job description

Doctoral level software engineers are classified in the ‘other common doctoral occupations' job category, although some are employed as HE researchers.

A software engineer is responsible for the design and implementation of a variety of software solutions. They might be involved in the design and testing of anything from computers games and business applications, to operating systems and advanced software for the control of highly technical hardware and equipment. Once the system had been fully designed software engineers then test, debug, and maintain the systems.

The work undertaken by software engineers is generally of a highly complex and technical nature, and involves the application of computer science and mathematics in an environment which is constantly evolving as a result of technological advances.

Typical work activities

Typical work activities for a software engineer will usually include some or all of the following:

  • Researching, designing and writing new software programs, testing new programs and fault finding
  • Integrating existing software products and getting incompatible platforms to work together
  • Investigating new technologies
  • Creating technical specifications and test plans
  • Working with computer coding languages
  • Writing operational documentation with technical authors
  • Maintaining systems by monitoring and correcting software defects
  • Working closely with other staff, such as project managers, graphic artists, designers, developers, systems analysts, and sales and marketing professionals
  • Consulting clients/colleagues concerning the maintenance and performance of software systems and asking questions to obtain information, clarify details and implement information

Entry requirements

First degree and doctoral qualifications in the following subjects will increase your chances:

  • Computer science/software engineering
  • Electrical/electronic engineering
  • Information systems
  • Mathematics
  • Other science/engineering disciplines

Candidates need to show evidence of the following:

  • Technical competency
  • Knowledge of various applications
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Teamwork skills
  • Attention to detail
  • A logical approach to problem solving/analytical skills
  • The ability to learn quickly
  • Confident decision making
  • Presentation skills
  • Excellent customer service skills
  • Good organisational skills to prioritise heavy workloads
  • The ability to communicate technical information to non-IT clients and colleagues
  • Ability to learn new skills and technologies fast
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Time management skills

Competition for vacancies in both industries is fierce. Work experience gained in a relevant environment certainly helps to demonstrate awareness.

Salary

  • The range of typical starting salaries for a Software Engineer is £35,500 - £38,500 for software engineers after around three to four years (salary data collected November 2009)
  • The range of typical salaries for a senior software engineer (e.g. after 10-15 years in the role) is £47,000 - £49,500 (salary data collected November 2009). Salaries can increase further with bonus schemes and incentives.
  • Salaries are dependent on location, size and type of employer and is usually performance-related.

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates from 2006-9 working in this occupation were known to be employed in the following profiled sectors six months after graduation:

Disciplinary background

The most common disciplinary backgrounds for doctoral graduates (2006-2009) entering software design, programming and engineering were:

Career stories

Tony Hey

Corporate vice president of the external research division of Microsoft Research in Redmond, US.

"I am responsible for building partnerships with the academic community. Essentially I match up Microsoft researchers with a major scientific problem that computer-science technology can help to solve. At the moment I'm funding one of our leading machine-learning researchers to work with HIV researchers. He's developing data-mining tools that can be used to find genetic correlations between HIV and AIDS patients in the hope that this will help scientists to develop an effective vaccine."

Other relevant career profiles include:

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