Computer Science Degree or Degree Apprenticeship ?

Hello,

Could you guys offer me some advice on what I should choose?
Attend university and study a Computer Science Degree or do a Digital and Technology Solutions degree apprenticeship specialised in Software Development. My problem with the apprenticeship is that the degree doesn't seem to be accredited by any professional bodies.

I'm trying to think on the long term. Would I limit my opportunities by doing the apprenticeship degree? I am interested in the AI, Machine learning and Data Science field so I was hoping to study a Master's degree after doing my bachelor's.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1

winterscoming

Accreditation for computing/computer science degrees is usually from the BCS, but that's generally considered to be worthless - all it really means is that the degree includes content which covers all the general topics set out by the BCS. Some universities (including a number of 'top' universities like Oxford and St Andrews) have moved away from BCS accreditation for various reasons, so there are quite a few excellent universities whose Computer Science degrees also aren't accredited. But aside from that, I have never seen nor heard of any employer ever asking for a BCS Accredited qualification either. Employability in most IT jobs really boils down to your analytical, technical and problem solving skills.

The standard for Digital And Technology Solutions is set out by the institute for apprenticeships (which is a UK Govt. body) - it's been written in collaboration with a number of large companies including HP, BT and IBM, and is quite new so I would expect the content is likely to be fairly well crafted and relevant to each career path. (Although any standard is really only a set of guidelines/framework, the content probably still varies quite a lot between universities, just as it does for Computer Science) - https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/digital-and-technology-solutions-professional-integrated-degree/

Fields like AI, Machine Learning and Data science are quite mathematical - a lot of statistical and probability modelling, usually involving analysis of huge amounts of numerical data. The Digital & Technology Solutions degree isn't really mathematical at all; Software Engineering jobs don't really involve working with numbers either - it's more about logic, problem solving and technology instead (which of course are also important for AI/Machine Learning). But that is quite a significant downside if you're interested in those fields.

You can expect most of the things you learn to be the technical skills that will be relevant to the projects you're doing for your employer (programming, databases, web/UI design, automated testing, tools, scripting, etc). although the intensity of learning in a full-time job for 3-4 years means you should learn programming and software engineering to a much greater extent than you'd learn at university - after 3-4 years you'll probably have spent many thousands of hours writing code. Still, I imagine there would be quite a disconnect on the mathematical skills needed for AI/Machine Learning/Data Science. However, the same would probably be true if you studied a vocational Computing/Computer Science degree at any lower-or-mid-ranked university, since those usually don't go much further than A-Level maths either.

With that said, you could move into an Advanced Masters in AI after completing the apprenticeship since you'll have a full degree qualification; I wouldn't view the apprenticeship as necessarily limiting you if you choose to do that later, just as having a non-mathematical computing/compsci degree from a lower-ranked university would provide you with the same option. The work experience you'd get from the apprenticeship will be extremely valuable whatever you do, and the fact you won't be using any student finance means that the option to study something else later on in life will remain open to you.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 2

Worthit?

What worries me is that certain master's degree providers will say that I am ineligible for the course due to my degree being achieved through an apprenticeship or because it is from a lower tier university.

The company that offered me the apprenticeship is quite big in size, I could talk to them to see if they would let me work in a Data Science/AI/Machine learning team whilst doing the apprenticeship.

I have achieved good grades in A-Levels but I did not study Mathematics so I couldn't apply to top tier Universities. The University I would be attending If I decide to do the traditional degree would be Essex. The course has a maths module in the first year, as well as an AI module in the second year.

Also the degree apprenticeship is 4 years compared to the normal degree which is 3.

What do you think I should do ?

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 3

winterscoming

Original post by Worthit?

Having a degree from Suffolk wouldn't be so much of a problem in itself, but an AI Masters at many of the top-tier universities requires a degree with a significant Maths element which you won't get from the apprenticeship, so that's the thing limiting your options for the MSc. There are still some decent options though - for example, Manchester or Leeds are both a lot more flexible, and would take your 4 years of work experience into acccount as well.

I would take the decision based on how important it is to you to be able to get into one of the top-tier universities for the Masters, and whether you're interested in taking your studies further than that. If you're considering going into a research-based career or a PhD later on, then the traditional university degree is really the only option because you'd need a much stronger academic background in computer science than you can really get from an apprenticeship. Essex also has a 12-month sandwich placement option as well, which will be a good way to get work experience.

You should absolutely talk to the employer who has offered you the placement - let them know that you're interested in the job but worried about whether there'll be any opportunities to move into areas like AI or Data Science (it probably won't happen in the first couple of years though). A lot of large companies are usually good at supporting employees who want to upskill in other areas outside of their normal job, especially anyone who has been at the company for more than a couple of years.

Otherwise I think degree-apprenticeships are really good ways of getting into non-academic IT careers - the hardest step is usually just getting onto the first 'rung' of the ladder and building up a few years of experience to reach a point where your skills really become a lot more valuable.
Leeds/Manchester are both really good options for studying the AI Masters later on too, the combination of the apprenticeship degree as well as 4 years work experience should get you into those (probably other decent universities with AI masters as well, but these are two I found which don't insist on a Maths-based degree):
- https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/list/08342/msc-acs-artificial-intelligence/entry-requirements/#course-profile
- https://engineering.leeds.ac.uk/courses/PG/i537/advanced-computer-science-artificial-intelligence-msc#section4

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 4

Worthit?

I am not interested in doing a PhD. My initial plan was this: Comp Science degree, Data science master (Both at Essex) and then work as a data scientist.
I was then offered this apprenticeship place which is tempting due to the experience gained throughout getting my degree and the security of having a job at the end. I have a couple friends who have CS degrees and are decent at programming but work unqualified jobs because no one would hire them. I am just afraid of how the apprenticeship will interfere with my initial plan.

A lot of the Data Science master's I looked at had modules on statistics & maths. Could I not catch up to date with my maths skills while doing my master's?

Reply 5

winterscoming

Original post by Worthit?

In that case yes you can definitely catch up with the maths skills - that seems like a managable amount of work. Essex aren't going to be anywhere near as selective for that MSc compared with some of the higher ranked universities I mentioned above anyway. You've got several years before you have to worry about that, and the apprenticeships are indeed the best route into programming/software engineering jobs. If your goal is to get into the Masters at Essex and you're not bothered about a PhD or research then I'd say go for the apprenticeship.

Reply 6

TP Degrees

Original post by Worthit?

Hello, the University of Suffolk’s BSc Digital & Technology Solutions programme is accredited by industry as Tech Industry Gold, ensuring it meets industry standards for content, delivery and assessment. BSc Digital & Technology Solutions graduates have four years work experience and in many companies are earning more than recent graduate hires. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Computer Science Degree or Degree Apprenticeship ?

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