Clear, Tony2009-05-272009-05-27200420042004https://hdl.handle.net/10292/560With software engineering (S. E.) now beginning to emerge as a distinct discipline, through initiatives such as the SWEBOK [1], the growth of undergraduate programmes in the U.S. [2] and collaborative efforts to offer programmes with breadth and depth [3], the challenges for the academy in balancing rigour and relevance can only become more intense. For some reason the contrast between the academic and the professional perspectives within the software engineering community is quite marked.© ACM, 2004. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution.Journal ArticleOpenAccess10.1145/1024338.1024348