Common course

Information Technology
Information technology degrees are very versatile qualifications. All information technology degrees will give you a grounding in the basics of computing – some architecture stuff, maybe a core unit or two on a language like Java or C++, a project management class – but it’s after the first year that you’re able to specialise in any number of fields. You won’t get all the cutting edge, highly specialist stuff like you do a in a computer science course, but depending on the university, you will be able to major in areas such as networking, programming, games development, web technology, security and even multimedia. Whereas a few years ago universities used to have a crap-tonne of different courses on offer – many of which overlapped something awful – now everyone’s offering what’s known as an information technology degree, which you can tailor to your needs and desires.

Entry requirements vary from university to university, but once again you’ll need to pass English. Maths wouldn’t hurt, but it probably isn’t necessary. The actual entry score – the UAI, ENTER or whatever it is your state calls it – for these courses is nowhere near as high as it is for computer science or software engineering.

Multimedia
At Monash University and other institutes, the multimedia degrees of yesteryear have sort of been gobbled up into the aforementioned information technology course for reasons of efficiency. Nonetheless, standalone multimedia courses are on offer at enough institutes to justify us writing on it by itself.

A multimedia course will open all sorts of doors, including graphic design, education, marketing, publishing, web development and, of course, games development. It all depends on how you choose your electives. As a student of multimedia you’ll cover as many units which are essentially arts and communications classes as you will traditional information technology classes on topics such as programming.

The multimedia courses at a few universities, including Monash University, also offer the opportunity to study games development. And they don’t just look at the animation and design aspect. At Monash, students of what’s now known as the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems (Multimedia Games Development) study narrative, artificial intelligence and programming in C++ and Java. Take note that as there is high demand for games development positions and the work itself is a bit more difficult given you’re doing a lot more programming, you might find the entry requirements for a multimedia course majoring in games development a little higher than those for a regular multimedia course. Also take note that the entry requirements for multimedia courses often place as much emphasis on your artistic ability as your academic performance. Some universities will ask to see a portfolio of both digital and traditional (ie. something pretty drawn on a sliver of dead tree with one of those bizarre, old-fashioned devices known as a pencil) artworks.

Software Engineering
Put simply, software engineering is a serious programming degree. It’s about designing and creating very large, very complex programs, as well as leading teams of other programmers – meaning beyond obvious large amount of programming classes you’ll be made to do, you’ll be spending a lot of time learning how to write technical documents and manage projects. Towards the end of the four year course you’ll spend twelve weeks – a semester, essentially – working in the industry, so expect to walk away from a software engineering degree not only with a piece of paper, but actual experience and possibly even a job offer too.

Although they vary from institute to institute, expect the entry requirements for a software engineering degree to be similar to those for computer science – a decent ENTER/UAI/etc score, a pass in English and either an intermediate or advanced maths unit. Having studied information technology in school is rarely, if ever, a requirement.

Speaking of computer science, there is a lot of crossover between the two fields. As a student of software engineering you will frequently find yourself sharing a lecture theatre with computer science students and vice versa. Too, a good many software engineering jobs can be obtained with a computer science degree.