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 large-scale piece of contextualised work, undertaken by the apprentice under supervision of academic staff, in negotiation with the employer. The project involves the production of a substantial artefact related to the specialised apprenticeship computing field and a reflective report and commented walk-through video of the artefact or in-person presentation (to be agreed with the apprentice, academic supervisor and employer). The project is expected to provide value to the employer (for example, a product to solve a problem, or an efficiency development).

Apprentices are guided to develop an appropriate sense of work-discipline coupled with a professional outlook as identified by the apprenticeship standards.

Working with stakeholders, such as the employer or colleagues, they are expected to take full responsibility for their project and carry out an in-depth exploration of a negotiated subject area, thereby demonstrating the ability to scope the project, plan, research, analyse, synthesise, and creatively apply and execute what has already been studied on the apprenticeship and undertaken in the workplace.

The project will cover the specialism skills, knowledge and behaviours from the standard using the occupational domain to select the project.

As part of their project, the apprentice considers associated risks, security and sustainability as well as legal, social, ethical and equality, diversity and inclusion issues.

They further develop their professional skills such as time management, communication, problem solving and critical thinking.

This is a 60-credit module.