An overview of the hierarchy of paradigms commonly used to develop large software applications, emphasizing how they are related and build upon each other. The text, intended for undergraduates and graduate students as well as serving as a reference for software engineers, assesses the benefits and disadvantages of each paradigm in terms of its contribution to the design process. Where applicable, it provides a taxonomy for the paradigm of substructures. The text covers paradigms in the areas of design patterns, software components, software architectures, and frameworks. The author is a senior associate with SET Associates supporting the DARPA