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Course Syllabus

SE 3820 Back-end Web Development

  • Division: Natural Science and Math
  • Department: Computer Science & Engineering
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: CS 1430
    CS 1810
    CS 2450
    CS 2860
  • Corequisites: SE 3250 SE 3520
  • Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
  • Semester Approved: Fall 2025
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2030
  • End Semester: Summer 2031
  • Optimum Class Size: 18
  • Maximum Class Size: 24

Course Description

This course focuses on the concepts and technologies needed to develop dynamic web-based applications. Students build data-driven websites and APIs using modern languages and tools.

Justification

Skills developing back-end web applications and APIs are involved in nearly every part of the software engineering industry. Back-end (server-side) development is critical to support web sites, mobile applications, business-to-business systems, and internal business systems. The back-end of a web application is the enabler for a front-end experience. Back-end developers need to understand programming languages and databases, and they must have an understanding of server architecture.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Understand the HTTP request/response lifecycle.
  2. Become familiar with common web architectures like MVC.
  3. Securely handle sensitive information on a web server.
  4. Produce and consume web services (e.g. REST, gRPC, graphQL, SOAP, etc.).
  5. Develop a web-based interface to store and retrieve data from a database.
  6. Implement common data models such as those used in blogs, forums, and content management systems.
  7. Students will demonstrate an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. (ABET-SLO2)

Course Content

Topics for this course may include: APIs, programming languages, data design, and server architecture.