The Student Room Group
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>
Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

Can you do a software development degree apprenticeship with Oxford or Cambridge?

So, I want to do software engineering but I want practical work experience and a degree. I have been offered a place on my school's Oxbridge programme, so I'm wondering do they offer degree apprenticeships in that industry.
(edited 3 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

no
Original post by Gent2324
no

Ah, that's a shame. What would you recommend, doing a degree apprenticeship at a different university, doing a computer science degree at Oxford or Cambridge or is there still some kind of apprenticeship programme in software development at either university. I'm thinking just do a degree apprenticeship at a different uni.
Original post by Horrid Bendy
Ah, that's a shame. What would you recommend, doing a degree apprenticeship at a different university, doing a computer science degree at Oxford or Cambridge or is there still some kind of apprenticeship programme in software development at either university. I'm thinking just do a degree apprenticeship at a different uni.

id recommend doing it at a different uni as the experience will mean a lot more than the degree. there are some that dont have a degree, ie ones at facebook and google are good and dont have a degree. if you wanted to be a software dev at one of those companies you can get into the apprenticeship and youre basically set for a career in faang.
Original post by Gent2324
id recommend doing it at a different uni as the experience will mean a lot more than the degree. there are some that dont have a degree, ie ones at facebook and google are good and dont have a degree. if you wanted to be a software dev at one of those companies you can get into the apprenticeship and youre basically set for a career in faang.

Ok, thank you very much.
Original post by Horrid Bendy
Ok, thank you very much.

I'd avoid Oxbridge as they have no degree programme which includes a year in industry.
Original post by Gent2324
id recommend doing it at a different uni as the experience will mean a lot more than the degree. there are some that dont have a degree, ie ones at facebook and google are good and dont have a degree. if you wanted to be a software dev at one of those companies you can get into the apprenticeship and youre basically set for a career in faang.

One more question. Do you have any recommendations for companies I could do my degree apprenticeship with? I already have CGI, Siemens, BT, Atos and KPMG. Do you have any other suggestions?
Original post by Horrid Bendy
One more question. Do you have any recommendations for companies I could do my degree apprenticeship with? I already have CGI, Siemens, BT, Atos and KPMG. Do you have any other suggestions?

ey capgemini ubs airbus deloitte pwc bae systems accenture
most are closed now though
Original post by Horrid Bendy
What would you recommend, doing a degree apprenticeship at a different university, doing a computer science degree at Oxford or Cambridge or is there still some kind of apprenticeship programme in software development at either university. I'm thinking just do a degree apprenticeship at a different uni.

If you are good enough to get into Oxbridge, you should seriously consider it. It may not be for you, but please make your own mind up, based on evidence, not stereotypes.

I read Engineering and Computing Science at Oxford, ~30 years ago. I have worked in Software Engineering in France, the UK, and, now, in Silicon Valley, California (12 years). Having worked with many Oxbridge graduates, from a range of different degree subjects, my experience is that intelligence is more important than a year in industry degree. If you want a standard job, go for a year in industry degree at a less academically rigorous university. If you want an interesting and challenging job, go to Oxbridge or Imperial. I would recommend trying to get summer placements.

Having hired many other Software Engineers, I always place intelligence above (limited) experience. Computing moves quickly, so problem solving is much more important than specific experience. You will be pushed more at the top universities, and will develop skills that you will not elsewhere.
Original post by Muttley79
I'd avoid Oxbridge as they have no degree programme which includes a year in industry.

I strongly disagree, but you knew that I would. This is my area of professional expertise.
Original post by RogerOxon


I strongly disagree, but you knew that I would. This is my area of professional expertise.

It is my husband's area of expertise too - he'd prefer to hire someone with more than theoretical knowledge so they can actually do the job the company requires.
Original post by Gent2324
id recommend doing it at a different uni as the experience will mean a lot more than the degree.

I disagree, based on my career in Software Engineering.

Original post by Gent2324
there are some that dont have a degree, ie ones at facebook and google are good and dont have a degree. if you wanted to be a software dev at one of those companies you can get into the apprenticeship and youre basically set for a career in faang.

Many US companies require a degree, and a number of years of experience, for promotion to certain grades. The experience requirement is reduced if you have higher degrees. If you ever want to move to the US, a degree makes the visa process a lot easier.
Original post by Muttley79
It is my husband's area of expertise too - he'd prefer to hire someone with more than theoretical knowledge so they can actually do the job the company requires.

Perhaps that works for the level of complexity / process of the work he hires for. It doesn't for the type of work that I've done, e.g. audio and video codecs, image processing, crypto, extreme performance.

Computing is fairly theoretical, although I don't accept your stereotype. Being more academic is useful in real-world work, e.g. selecting or designing algorithms. Companies like Google, Facebook, etc, have such vast workloads that they must select the best algorithms - small tweaks can save them a fortune, so they pay for people that really understand them. Experience doesn't mean that you will understand - academic ability does. There are hard problems in computing that require an academic approach.

Frankly, I had more programming experience when I went to university than many CS graduates have. CS degrees do not make people good programmers - experience is required, but not everyone learns at the same rate, and it is vital to have people around you that you can learn from. I know some very intelligent individuals that have wasted years in the wrong companies, then taken-off, once in the right environment.

What does the average salary data say?
Original post by RogerOxon

experience is required, but not everyone learns at the same rate, and it is vital to have people around you that you can learn from. I know some very intelligent individuals that have wasted years in the wrong companies, then taken-off, once in the right environment.

That is a very patronising response - you have no idea what my husband does.

However, I'm please to see you say 'experience is required' - Oxbridge students often do not have that - give them an interview task and they seem to struggle to apply their knowledge [yes that's a generalisation but no more so than what you say]

'Average' salary data tells you very little and certainly doesn't tell you whether a graduate will get a job in the first place which is what I'm talking about here. Things have changed in the last 5 to 10 years ...
Original post by Muttley79
That is a very patronising response - you have no idea what my husband does.

I'm sorry if it sounded patronising. I don't think that it should be a surprise that more complicated work is, on average, performed better by more intelligent employees.

I don't know what your husband does, or where he works, because you haven't said. You are also passing on secondhand experience / views.

Original post by Muttley79
However, I'm please to see you say 'experience is required' - Oxbridge students often do not have that - give them an interview task and they seem to struggle to apply their knowledge [yes that's a generalisation but no more so than what you say]

Oxbridge students do have experience. I specifically did not say "industry experience", because that covers a vast range of possible experience, some of which could be detrimental.

Original post by Muttley79
'Average' salary data tells you very little and certainly doesn't tell you whether a graduate will get a job in the first place which is what I'm talking about here. Things have changed in the last 5 to 10 years ...

Somehow, I doubt that Oxbridge CS students are going to be too concerned about your opinion.

Look at the number of high-paid software engineers around Cambridge. Guess where many studied?
Original post by RogerOxon
I'm sorry if it sounded patronising. I don't think that it should be a surprise that more complicated work is, on average, performed better by more intelligent employees.

I don't know what your husband does, or where he works, because you haven't said. You are also passing on secondhand experience / views.

So other experts can't have different opinions? He actually read my post so it was not 'second-hand'.

Many very intelligent students chose NOT to go to Oxbridge these days - as I said things have changed in the last 5 to 10 years. I hope you are not suggesting that anyone who makes this choice is not up to more complicated work -

I think posters are wise enough to know that Oxbridge is no longer the be all and end all.
Original post by Muttley79
So other experts can't have different opinions?

Yes, of course they can. As I said, I don't know what he does, or where he works, so have no idea of the complexity of work that he hires for.
Original post by Muttley79
He actually read my post so it was not 'second-hand'.

Fair enough.
Original post by Muttley79
Many very intelligent students chose NOT to go to Oxbridge

I wouldn't say "many" choose not to, although many do not get places.
Original post by Muttley79
I hope you are not suggesting that anyone who makes this choice is not up to more complicated work

IMO, they will be less well prepared for it.
Original post by Muttley79
I think posters are wise enough to know that Oxbridge is no longer the be all and end all.

Agreed - people can do well elsewhere, but (outside of a select few other places), won't be stretched as much.
Original post by Horrid Bendy
So, I want to do software engineering but I want practical work experience and a degree. I have been offered a place on my school's Oxbridge programme, so I'm wondering do they offer degree apprenticeships in that industry.


The universities of Oxford and Cambridge don't offer degree apprenticeships, no. However, plenty of other universities do, so do a UCAS search if this is what you want to do.
Original post by RogerOxon
I wouldn't say "many" choose not to, although many do not get places.

IMO, they will be less well prepared for it.

Agreed - people can do well elsewhere, but (outside of a select few other places), won't be stretched as much.


I teach Maths in a high performing selective school and have friends who teach in similar schools and the private sector. I say again, many who would have applied to Oxbridge don't now. These are exceptional students who would get a place

IMO - Oxbridge grads will be less well-prepared to work in industry - further discussion wont change either of our minds.

What does 'being stretched' actually mean - nothing really. The depth and breadth of study is not evident if you did not study the course - in the application of knowledge those with industry experience have skills those who have only learnt in academia do not have.

If you are only recruiting Oxbridge people you are missing out ...
Original post by Horrid Bendy
So, I want to do software engineering but I want practical work experience and a degree. I have been offered a place on my school's Oxbridge programme, so I'm wondering do they offer degree apprenticeships in that industry.

Just to give you a little more information about the course in general, please click on the link below:

www.cs.ox.ac.uk/teaching/bacompsci/

And just to give you a bit of info about what it takes to get in, here is a chapter written by a computer science Oxford offer holder

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6455188&p=88246090#post88246090

Having read this, you can decide whether Oxford is for you or not. It's not for everyone, but many do decide to apply.
Original post by Muttley79
I teach Maths in a high performing selective school and have friends who teach in similar schools and the private sector. I say again, many who would have applied to Oxbridge don't now.

Top selective school says that top selective university isn't to aspire too .. :smile:

Original post by Muttley79
What does 'being stretched' actually mean - nothing really.

It means struggling to understand and apply concepts. It means having questions thrown at you that you have never seen before, and being able to tackle them only through your understanding of the subject.

IMO, it isn't a good idea to do a course that you find easy, whatever your level.

Original post by Muttley79
If you are only recruiting Oxbridge people you are missing out ...

I recruit people that do well in my selection process, regardless of where they studied. There are very good candidates from a wide range of universities. Those from more selective universities do, on average, much better.

If they have experience, I look to see the complexity of work that they have been entrusted with doing.
(edited 3 years ago)

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you