Software Engineering Major (SEM) was an important branch of Computer Science, which separated from Computer Science and becomes an independent discipline as the constant extension of software application and emphasis of software engineering. SEM was not a major within the Common Universities Undergraduate Majors Catalog in China until the new catalog released by the Ministry of Education of People's Republic of China in 2012.

 Since September 2001, 37 universities have received the national Education Ministry's approval to set up pilot national demonstrative software colleges, and later, Education Ministry of each province (autonomous region and municipality) approves colleges and universities equipped with better conditions to set up pilot provincial level demonstrative software colleges.

 SEM of South China Agricultural University (SCAU) became a specialty outside of the catalog in 2003 with the approval of Guangdong Education Ministry. On April 5, 2004, Guangdong issued "the Notice of the Approval on the Relating Colleges and Universities Pilot Provincial Level Demonstrative Software Colleges" (Yuejiao Gao [2004] No. 30) and approved SCAU to be the first universities to set up provincial level demonstrative software college. College of Software Engineering of SCAU was officially founded in June 18, 2004 and started to enroll in the same year.

 SEM enrolls science students scored above the local minimum mark for applying to key universities within the National Enrollment Plan and grants Bachelor of Engineering Degree to qualified undergraduates.

 The personnel training objects of SEM are to cultivate talents for software engineering with professional ethics of software industry, systematic knowledge of software engineering, software design and development ability, and certain management knowledge, who are able to work on software design and development, management, or service in software and relating companies, institutions or government departments.

 SEM implements college-enterprise joint mechanism and our students can have practical training in companies for half a year.

 With years of efforts, SEM has achieved great success in teaching. It is Guangdong Feature Specialty, Comprehensive Reform Pilot Specialty of Guangdong Colleges and Universities, and Guangdong Information Technology (IT) Training Mode Innovative Experimental Area, owning National Off-campus Practice Education Base for College Students, Guangdong Application-oriented Personnel Training Demonstration Base. Its exploration and practice in software personnel training have won a first price and a second price in Guangdong Teaching Achievement Awards.

 SEM attaches great importance to personnel training. According to the "South China Agricultural University Social Demand and Training Quality Annual Report" released by MyCOS Corporation, SEM keeps ranking the first on the SCAU Employment Competitiveness Index List.