Graduate ApprenticeshipIT: Software Development BSc (Hons)
Key facts
Funding: fully funded by Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for those that meet the eligibility criteria.
Award: BSc (Hons)
Duration: 4 years
Accreditation: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Graduate Apprenticeships at Strathclyde
- Dedicated delivery team who listen, understand and work with employers to offer a fully integrated, contextualised degree
- Delivered through an online and blended work-based learning mode including our one day a month on-campus model ensuring minimum time out of the business
- Dedicated support from a Learning Advisor who has come from the IT industry
- Apprentices apply knowledge within their work context via a series of bespoke work-based projects
Why this course
Designed in partnership with industry, our BSc in IT: Software Development Graduate Apprenticeship gives employers the opportunity for their IT professionals to gain an undergraduate degree over 48 months.
Our flexible programme suits a wide variety of technology roles and experience levels. Apprentices can tailor course content by choosing from a selection of module options during the programme, ensuring their study is relevant to your organisation.
Our IT: Software Development programme is delivered by our dedicated Graduate Apprenticeship team, including colleagues with significant industrial experience. Apprentices are guided by members of academic staff as well as an assigned Learning Adviser.
You’ll receive regular updates on the programme, helping you support your apprentices through their journey. There are ongoing opportunities to contribute to programme development to ensure your needs continue to be met.
Accreditation
Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT:
- for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional
- on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer
Employer Benefits of Graduate Apprenticeships
- Employers can nominate existing employees or recruit new employees for the Graduate Apprenticeship programmes
- Offers fully funded 4-year degree places with the opportunity to progress to Masters and Doctoral level studies
- Designed for a diverse and geographically remote learner population whilst offering an individualised learning experience and dedicated support from work-based learning advisors and academics
- Dedicated delivery team who listen, understand and work with industrial partners to offer a fully integrated, contextualised honours degree delivered via an online and blended work based learning mode including one day per month on campus attendance
Course structure
Apprentices will be required to attend classes on campus for 10 days annually, once a month during term-time. The dates for all classes across the academic year will be supplied in advance to support planning work and learning commitments.
In addition, graduate apprentices will undertake around 12 hours of flexible learning per week, through our award-winning Virtual Learning Environment, complemented by three hours of learning directly in the workplace supported by our team of dedicated Learning Advisers.
Apprentices choose from a wide, and ever-expanding range of modules in areas such as:
- advanced software development
- cybersecurity
- data science
- dev ops
- machine learning
- artificial intelligence
- business/project management
Our programmes are flexible, with a blend of online and on-campus learning to give apprentices the best of both worlds. Optional sessions allow apprentices to focus on topics where they need it most.
Entry requirements
Apprentices must:
- be employed in a role with an aspect of IT, for a minimum of 21 hours a week
- live and work in Scotland for the duration of the programme
- have the agreement of their employer to undertake the BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprenticeship
Each applicant is assessed for admission on a case-by-case basis. They will typically have at least four Highers at grade B, including either Mathematics, Computing Science, or Physics, and preferably National 5 English at grade C or above. We also welcome enquiries from applicants with non-traditional qualifications and/or relevant work experience.
Employer requirements
First and foremost, BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprentices are employees, who’ll continue to spend 80% of their time working for their employer.
There is no restriction on the size of organisation that can employ a graduate apprentice. We currently work with companies ranging from three employees to large multi-national financial institutions.
Employers must:
- ensure graduate apprentices have a role that involves IT
- allocate a work-based mentor who can offer the graduate apprentice support for the duration of the programme. This should not be their line manager
- agree study arrangements with the graduate apprentice
- ensure that graduate apprentices have sufficient time and opportunity to work on their studies and related assessment within their working hours. This must equate to one day per week, although this could be spread over a working week
We strongly advise that employers agree protected time for graduate apprentices to support their study.
As an employer, you are not required to pay tuition fees for employees to undertake the BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprenticeship. You may however incur costs for additional employee expenses, such as travel to on-campus learning days or textbooks to support learning. These should be agreed directly with the employee.
As employees progress through the graduate apprenticeship, employers can choose to receive updates on their progress, such as module grades and progress in developing their work-based learning portfolio. This is subject to signing a data sharing agreement.
Why Strathclyde
Praised for our close links with business and industry as well as our commitment to making an impact on the global economy, the University of Strathclyde was been named Scottish University of the Year 2026 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
The place of useful learning
Strathclyde has also been recognised as UK University of the Year 2026 by the Daily Mail University Guide and Research University of the Year 2027. In addition, the University has received the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize on four occasions: 1996, 2019, 2021, and 2023.
Apply
Employers can nominate existing employees or newly recruited candidates for consideration for admission to the programme. There is no limit to the number of places per employer – just contact us indicating the number of places being sought on the programme.
We are also happy to work directly with employers to streamline the recruitment process for new graduate apprentices and we are able to connect employers with prospective candidates.
Please contact IT Programme Director Alex Coddington cis-itsd-admin