Program Overview

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Key Information

Accreditation

This course is Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Typical Offer

Relevant HE study leading to a Level 5 qualification

Study Mode and Duration

• 13 months (part-time)

Start Date

• September 2025

Course Information

Overview

If you're working in electronic engineering and 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

Entry Requirements

BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering (Top-Up) (Degree Apprenticeship) Degree Entry Requirements

Typical Offer (September 2025 Start)

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.
• Applicants aged 16-18 must have acceptable Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths, such as GCSE with grade C/4 or above or Functional Skills. If you do not have acceptable qualifications, you will be required to obtain this. Those aged 19 and over are only subject to these requirements if you or your employer choose for you to study towards English and Maths qualifications, which will be funded.

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.

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

Year 1

Modules Studied

• Individual Project - 40 credits
• Digital Signal Processing - 20 credits
• VHDL and FPGA Systems - 20 credits
• Advanced Electronic Systems - 20 credits
• Real-Time Embedded Systems - 20 credits

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

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.

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

• Personal tutor
• Student support advisor
• Academic skills tutors
• Creative skills tutors
• IT and computing support
• Academic Skills Tutors (AST)
• Wellbeing and mental health support
• Disability advice and additional support
• Library support
• Support with English

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.

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

• Accommodation and living costs
• Recommended reading
• General costs
• Final year project
• Placements abroad
• IET registration fee
• End-Point Assessment

How to Apply

Application Deadline

The application deadline to start in September 2025 is to be confirmed.

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.

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.

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.