Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Software Engineer) Degree Apprenticeship

Learn about the maths, algorithms and data structures that are essential for computer science and computer games – putting first principles into an applied context.

This module is closely linked to our programming modules and prepares you with essential, transferable problem-solving skills.

This is a 30-credit module.

You consider key aspects of the software development process - designing solutions, writing application code, developing documentation and formal approaches to testing. And you develop the essential skills you need to develop software applications such as following best practices used by industry and the wider programming community.

This is a 30-credit module.

Cover a full range of computer and network security issues. Study systematic approaches to managing security risks, identification and authentication, elementary cryptography, network technology and relevant security issues. Learn about the basic network technology including deploying routers, switches, firewalls, cabling and servers as well as communication protocols and topologies. And understand how they're used and how they function in the real world.

This is a 30-credit module.

You study object-oriented concepts including inheritance, abstraction and polymorphism in the context of a software development project. You explore professional project management methods, tools, techniques and practices with a focus on problem solving, design and documentation.

You also get an understanding of professional practice, project management, codes of conduct, and legal and ethical issues.

This is a 30-credit module.

You develop a solution, proposal, product or service in response to an enterprise challenge set by industry partners or business clients.

Working in small teams, you determine the project aims, objectives, roles, tasks, deliverables, schedules and documentation. You take a professional approach, informed by innovative industry practice, to deliver a successful project that meets the set challenge.

You develop a solution, proposal, product or service, pitching it to academics and industry experts. You reflect on the project process as a whole and review sustainability, diversity, ethical and legal issues, and evaluate team members’ performance.

This is a 30-credit module.

Learn how to design and implement database applications to meet business needs using industry-standard database technologies. Use a case study to follow the system development lifecycle, and develop a server database application for a real-world scenario. Explore rational and NoSQL database technologies to design and build solutions.

This is a 30-credit module.

The cost of software failures is staggering with estimates in the billions of pounds each year. Software quality assurance ensures that all software engineering processes, methods, activities and work items are monitored and comply with defined standards and best practice. It covers all software development processes starting from defining requirements to coding until release. The prime goal is to ensure quality.

You address software project management, managing software, and quality controlling and testing the complete lifecycle.

This is a 30-credit module.

Design and construct web applications and web services, and understand the role they play in the architecture of enterprise-style software systems.

Compared to traditional static sites, web applications serve dynamic content or fully asynchronous single-page applications to bring the web alive. Web services use industry-standard interfaces to make their capabilities reusable by third parties, particularly apps running on mobile devices. These technologies are the cornerstone of the modern web.

Explore the underlying technologies of how the web works and investigate how to use professional tools to construct web apps and web services. Study the principles, patterns, libraries, frameworks and techniques to engineer good-quality software components ready to use in enterprise-style software system architectures. Build on and extend your previous programming experience, and knowledge and understanding of data modelling and persistence.

This is a 30-credit module.

Cloud computing enables companies to avoid the infrastructure and maintenance costs associated with buying and running their own dedicated hardware and software platforms. Moving software and software development to the cloud creates new challenges and opportunities for software developers.

You explore cloud-native software architectures, use cloud-based platforms and infrastructures, and study professional DevOps practices used to develop and deploy complete software systems.

This is a 30-credit module.

High-integrity software is defined as software that can cause significant loss with possible life-threatening consequences or institutional reputational damage if it fails. Every year there are several cases of software failure causing significant harm. The UK Post Office implemented a system where software defects resulted in 736 employees being convicted of stealing money, with some going to prison. The Boeing 737 MAX suffered a recurring software failure which caused two fatal crashes, Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 - 346 people died in total. With the increasing reliance on software systems, the growth of the internet of things and artificial intelligence, this is an ever-present threat that needs to be addressed by developers.

Software integrity is a vital part of software engineering, aiming to ensure the safety, security and reliability of software on which our lives and employment depend. You learn how to adapt software development practice to take account of the critical and specific risks of the software you're developing when you're working within a mission-critical context.

This is a 30-credit module.

This is a substantial piece of contextualised work that you negotiate with your employer and complete with supervision from an academic staff member. You produce a substantial artefact relating to your specialised computing field, and write a reflective report and a commented walk-through video or presentation in person.

Your project must provide value to your employer - for example, a product to solve a problem or an efficiency development. Working with stakeholders, including your employer and colleagues, you must take full responsibility for your project and carry out an in-depth exploration of your subject area. You need to demonstrate that you can scope the project, plan, research, analyse, synthesise, and creatively apply and execute what you've already studied in the workplace.

Your project covers your specialism skills, knowledge and behaviours as defined in the apprenticeship standard using one of these occupational domains:

Software engineer - show your competence in software development processes including the knowledge, skills and professional competences you need to practice as a software engineer in a business environment.

Cyber security analyst - analyse and evaluate security threats and vulnerabilities to planned and installed information systems or services, and identify how they can be mitigated against.

As part of your project, you must consider the associated risks, security, sustainability, legal, social, ethical, equality, diversity and inclusion issues. And you develop your professional skills including time management, communication, problem solving and critical thinking.

This is a 60-credit module.