Key information
Accreditation:
This course is Accredited
Typical offer:
Relevant HE study leading to a Level 5 qualification
Showing content for section Overview
Overview
If you're working in electronic engineering, and you want to expand your career opportunities by topping up your HND or Foundation degree to a full BEng (Hons) in Electronic Engineering, this degree apprenticeship programme is ideal.
This Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineer programme is a degree apprenticeship course, so you'll spend 1 day of your working week on your studies, with the other 4 in your current job. You'll get to put the skills you learn to work instantly in your job, contributing to the success of your company. And your fees are covered by your employer, or the Government, so you won’t face any tuition costs.
Course highlights
- Get a full honours degree, while earning a salary
- Apply your practical electronic engineering study to problems from your own workplace
- Develop knowledge and skills in advanced electronic systems, digital signal processing and embedded systems
- Use industry-standard experimental and computational hardware and software, including FPGA target hardware, conveyor belts and Matlab, in our labs
- Have access to the University's student support services and community including the Library, study support, sports and recreation facilities, and the Students’ Union
- Build a network of professional peers and fellow students from other electronic and engineering disciplines
- Study alongside your job, with support from a personal University tutor and a workplace mentor
You'll typically go to university 1 day a week to attend lectures, seminars and workshops, but there may be occasional additional days you'll spend at the University. On any weeks you don't go to University, you'll still spend 20% of your time studying or training away from your normal working environment.
Top 30
for student satisfaction
(Times Higher Education, 2024)
Accreditation
This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Contact information
Contact Degree ApprenticeshipsEntry requirements
BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering (Top-Up) (Degree Apprenticeship) degree entry requirements
Qualifications or experience
- Relevant HE study leading to a Level 5 qualification, for example an appropriate HND, foundation degree or Advanced Diploma, or 240 credits from year 1 and year 2 of an undergraduate degree (BA/BSc), in a relevant subject.
Selection process
- All applicants will be required to complete a Skills Gap Analysis before completing an application form.
- All applicants will be invited to attend an academic interview and may be asked to submit a portfolio of work or undertake additional assessment.
- All applicants to the Degree Apprenticeship courses must have an acceptable Level 2 qualification in English and Mathematics. Acceptable qualifications include GCSE with grade C/4 or above and Functional Skills with Pass - please note that we are not able to accept all kinds of Level 2 qualifications, so if you are unsure whether you have a suitable qualification please get in touch. If you do not have an acceptable qualification you will be required to take an additional assessment during the application process.
Find full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.
We look at more than just your grades
While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.
You and your employer
When you begin studying for your degree apprenticeship:
- You need to be 18 or over
- You should be able to satisfy government requirements on residency:
- you must be a citizen or have the right to live in the UK/EEA
- you must have been a resident in the UK/EEA (not the Channel Islands or Isle of Man) for a minimum of 3 years
- you must not need a Student Route visa, and must not have been on a Student Route visa within the past 3 years
- You need to have the right to work in the UK, and to spend at least 50% of your working hours in England
- Your job should meet the requirements of the apprenticeship standard relevant to this degree – we can advise you and your employer on this
- Your employer needs to have registered an apprentice service account – we can help your employer with this if needed
If you aren't currently working in a relevant field, you can apply for a job and degree apprenticeship simultaneously. Read more about applying for this degree apprenticeship.
Careers and opportunities
The specialist skills and knowledge you develop on this apprenticeship will help you advance your career and boost your promotion prospects.
With a degree, you could also study at Master's level after the course.
I previously found it hard to balance college work during the day and part-time retail work in the evenings, so the degree apprenticeship is a perfect way to earn whilst I learn. My responsibilities at work have given me experience that I can apply in the learning environment as well as confidence which helps with assessments such as presentations.
Modules
Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.
In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, four modules worth 20 credits and one module worth 40 credits.
What you'll study
Modules studied
With guidance from an expert supervisor, you'll identify a challenge that excites you and develop an approach to investigating it.
As you apply your analytical and creative skills to the project, you'll build self-confidence and resourcefulness alongside your new engineering capabilities.
You'll also learn to showcase your work professionally through reports and presentations that demonstrate your readiness for an engineering career after university.
In this module, you'll begin by focusing on the maths that underpins digital signal processing (DSP), with particular attention to the Discrete Fourier Transform method for analysing the frequency content of a digital signal. You'll also learn to implement and evaluate digital filtering algorithms, completing your DSP toolkit.
You'll use VHDL, the industry standard hardware description language, to describe and design multilayered systems in this module. Using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in your design, you'll verify expected behaviour, document your design process, and build your skills with appropriate software. On completion, you'll have a toolkit in digital system design to pursue specialised roles in electronics.
In this module, you'll appraise examples of instrumentation and communication circuits, learning about the implementation of advanced systems in electronics. You'll apply your theoretical studies in lab-based work, test your circuits, and demonstrate your grasp of the complex electronics powering sectors like aerospace and telecomms.
Through this module, you'll move from the fundamental architecture of embedded systems to the practical optimisation of microcontroller applications.
You'll design and develop your own solutions for given problems in the field, evaluating current practice as you go.
On completion, you'll have demonstrable experience of making real-time systems work reliably, securely and intelligently.
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Facilities
Analogue and Digital Electronics Laboratory
Explore our Digital and Electronics Laboratory, where you'll find oscilloscopes, circuit building breadboards and the heart of our electronic engineering courses.
Future Technology Centre
The Future Technology Centre offers students, researchers and partners a collaborative, hands-on learning environment with open spaces to run experiments, debate and explore ideas.
Teaching
Teaching methods on this course include:
- lectures
- tutorials
- laboratory sessions
How you're assessed
You’ll be assessed through:
- end-of-year exams
- computer-based tests
- coursework
- presentations
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
How you'll spend your time
How you study for your degree will depend on your employer. You'll likely attend the University on day release for one day per week during term time, and one extra day per month. During attendance days, you'll mainly attend learning sessions including lectures, labs and tutorials. You'll also do follow-up work by yourself when away from the University with support from our Virtual Learning Environment: Moodle.
Occasionally, we run customised versions of the course with specific employers, which aren't available to all applicants. This could involve study via distance learning with the support of Moodle or a combination of online study with block release (4-day periods of intense study on campus).
Term dates
The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.
Supporting you
The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:
Types of support
Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.
You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.
In addition to the support you get from your personal tutor, you’ll also have access to a Faculty student support advisor. They can give you confidential, impartial advice on anything to do with your studies and personal wellbeing and refer you to specialist support services.
You'll have help from a team of faculty academic skills tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.
They can help with:
- improving your academic writing (for example, essays, reports, dissertations)
- delivering presentations (including observing and filming presentations)
- understanding and using assignment feedback
- managing your time and workload
- revision and exam techniques
If you need support with software and equipment or you want to learn additional skills (including skills not covered on your course), our creative skills tutors provide free workshops, activities and one-on-one tutorials. Skills you can learn include life drawing, film camera operation and video production.
Computing support staff are always available to give technical support in the Faculty's computer suites during normal working hours. There's also some support available from 5.00pm to midnight at busy times of the year.
During term time, Faculty Academic Skills Tutors (AST) are available for bookable 1-to-1 sessions, small group sessions and online sessions. These sessions are tailored to your needs.
Support is available for skills including:
- University study
- Getting into the right study mindset
- Note-taking and note-making skills
- Referencing
- Presentation skills
- Time management, planning, and goal setting
- Critical thinking
- Avoiding plagiarism
If you have a disability or need extra support, the Additional Support and Disability Centre (ASDAC) will give you help, support and advice.
Our online Learning Well mini-course will help you plan for managing the challenges of learning and student life, so you can fulfil your potential and have a great student experience.
You can get personal, emotional and mental health support from our Student Wellbeing Service, in person and online. This includes 1–2–1 support as well as courses and workshops that help you better manage stress, anxiety or depression.
If you require extra support because of a disability or additional learning need our specialist team can help you.
They'll help you to
- discuss and agree on reasonable adjustments
- liaise with other University services and facilities, such as the library
- access specialist study skills and strategies tutors, and assistive technology tutors, on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups
- liaise with external services
Library staff are available in person or by email, phone, or online chat to help you make the most of the University’s library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.
The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.
If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.
Costs and funding
Tuition fees
The course fee is shared between the Government and some employers, meaning no cost to you as the degree apprentice. The total tuition fee is £9,000 paid over 1 year. Please see our degree apprenticeships page for further information.
The cost of End-Point Assessment (EPA) is included in the tuition fees. Please contact us for more information.
Additional course costs
These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.
Additional costs
Our accommodation section show your accommodation options and highlight how much it costs to live in Portsmouth.
You’ll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.
You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.
We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.
If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.
You’ll need to pay additional costs of £50–£1,000 to cover travel, accommodation or subsistence if you take a placement abroad. The amount you’ll pay will vary, depending on the location and length of your stay.
You may need to pay a registration fee at the start of your course to The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). This is around £50.
Your employer will cover the cost of the End-Point Assessment (EPA), which is separate from your course fees.
How to apply
Application deadline
- The application deadline to start in September 2025 is to be confirmed.
Applications received after this date may not be considered.
I'm applying with my current employer
If you're already in full-time work, and your employer is interested in you studying this course, get them to contact us and we'll work out how to work together.
If your employer isn't interested yet, you might find it useful to share our information for employers page with them.
Employer contact form Information for employers
I'm looking for a job with a Degree Apprenticeship role
If you're not in full-time employment, or your current employer is not interested in degree apprenticeships, you'll need to find a role that does offer a degree apprenticeship. You can search the gov.uk list of open degree apprenticeship vacancies, or contact us with your details and we'll let you know when degree apprenticeship vacancies come up.
When you apply for a role that includes one of our degree apprenticeships, you'll follow the company's standard recruitment process for the job, while we assess your academic suitability for the course.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.