Level 6 vs Level 7: professional vs specialist
"Digital and Technology Solutions" names two different apprenticeships. This site is mostly about the Level 6 professional degree — the school-leaver route. The Level 7 specialist is a shorter, master's-level programme aimed at people already working in technology. Don't mix them up in applications.
| Digital and technology solutions professional | Digital and technology solutions specialist (integrated degree) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference | ST0119 | ST0482 |
| Level | 6 (bachelor's) | 7 (master's) |
| Typical duration | 48 months (about 4 years) | 18 months (about 1.5 years) |
| Funding band | £27,000 | £21,000 |
| Options | 6 | 11 |
| Typical entrant | School leaver or career changer starting out | Experienced professional deepening a specialism |
| Universities registered | 36 | 14 |
The Level 7 standard fans out into 11 specialist options (Software Engineering Specialist, Data Analytics Specialist, Digital Business and Enterprise Systems Architecture Specialist, System Test and Assurance Specialist and more) and typically takes 18 months (about 1.5 years) — it assumes you already have the foundations the Level 6 spends four years building. Some people do complete the Level 6 and later return for the Level 7 with the same or a new employer; there's no requirement to, and plenty of Level 6 graduates go straight into senior-track roles instead.
Data from the official standards: ST0119 · ST0482 — public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.