This part-time programme meets the requirements of the Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist Apprenticeship Standard. Eligible organisation’s are able to use £21,000 of their Apprenticeship Levy to cover the MSc tuition fee. We also accept students through the non-apprenticeship route.

Attend an upcoming , on Tuesday 7 January 2025 at 14:00 (UK time), led by Course Director Professor John Erkoyuncu. During this webinar, we will share insights into the programme both in terms of how it's structured but also the content that will be covered. There will also be time for Q&A. 

Our Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship MSc programme is unique and innovative as it focuses on developing knowledge to design and develop digital technologies and solutions in areas such as AI/Machine learning, digital twins, AR/VR, data analytics, data management across sectors that rely on complex products and services. Throughout the course, we offer a blend technical and managerial skills to promote the creation, adoption, and evolution of digital technologies and solutions. We put problem based learning at the heart of this educational experience, which involves group based working to solve real-life challenges. The course is geared towards developing practical solutions throughout the programme.
 
The course will significantly improve the career prospects of students as they will be equipped with skills to not only choose the right digital technologies and solutions for their sector, but also they will be capable to apply their knowledge to create solutions to significant challenges.

The Digital and Technology Solutions MSc is a world-leading programme developed by Cranfield with close engagement with industry sectors such as aerospace, defence, manufacturing, , rail, banking, healthcare, and wider sectors that depend on digital technologies. The Course has been designed for professionals to fit around demanding careers, the course has been designed to develop the skills to lead change in business through digital technologies.

Overview

  • Start dateOctober
  • Duration24 months part-time
  • DeliveryTaught modules 80 credits, group project 40 credits, individual practical project 80 credits.
  • QualificationMSc
  • Study typeExecutive

Who is it for?

This course is novel as it brings together technical and management skills in the digital transformation theme. Our differentiator will be to go through an end to end digitalisation journey. This involves capturing requirements, designing the suitable solution, developing the data and analytics capability, visualising the solutions to alternative stakeholders, and finally the integration and assurance of the solutions. . The unique selling point of the course is to move beyond raising awareness of digital technologies and solutions, in to developing individuals to have the required capability and understanding to develop suitable solutions to key industrial challenges.

Across sectors, for those who recognise the potential for a long and successful career utilising digital technologies and solutions . This course addresses the need for highly trained professionals for sectors that rely on digital technologies and solutions. It focuses on how to enable the transformation into world-class products and processes. The course is is suitable for:

  • Early and mid-career professionals who want a “real-world” education that they can apply directly to their workplace.
  • Second career professional seeking a change into a digitally driven organisation.
  • Those on a trajectory to reach senior leadership roles that would like to gain insights in digital technologies and solutions.

 

Explore our Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship MSc

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Click here to download the slides.

I applied for the MSc to formalise my previous data analysis experience, current and previous roles in the digital space, alongside future leadership aspirations. The course combines the technical, operational, strategic and people centric approach necessary for her my role in transforming digital manufacturing. So far, it has helped bring together my understanding of how everything fits together. This has been critical for me, as someone without an engineering or manufacturing background.
The two specialist routes really allow students to customise their studies to best suit their workplace and career. The landscape of digital technologies is constantly evolving and this course truly prepares you to make an impact in your organisation through its applied approach to tackle the challenges of today and the future. The course is taught by a mixture of academics and industry professionals ensuring that we meet both the academic rigour and provide an understanding of the practical opportunities.

Informed by industry

The course has been heavily informed by industry with over 25 organisations across sectors involved in its design. We have taken on board the need for a practical experience throughout the programme. This has influenced the way in which we deliver our lectures with a blend of knowledgeable practitioners, and highly experienced academics offering real-life relevant use cases, and challenges to work on. All outputs across the programme are focused on developing impactful outputs to implement at the sponsor organisations. A large proportion of the course is delivered online in order to reduce the need to travel.

 

Key information

The Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship MSc is structured to allow maximum benefit from learning with minimum time away from the working environment.

Benefits for businesses

  • Establish new mechanisms to justify new investments in digital technologies and solutions.
  • Seize the potential opportunities that digital technologies and solutions offer by developing the skills required to develop and apply innovative approaches within your organisation.
  • Enhance approaches for data collection, storage and analytics for better decisions.
  • Gain an appreciation of how simulation methods can be applied to enhance business enterprises.
  • Develop a wide understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning based approaches which derives higher confidence in predictions.
  • understanding of how to develop leadership capabilities in themselves, and others, enabling them to meet your business challenges.
  • Candidates are encouraged to think strategically about digital technologies and solutions as enabling capability for delivering a competitive advantage to the business, and ensuring organisational functions and groups are motivated and aligned to meet objectives.

Benefits for individuals

  • Join a programme that provides new insights, knowledge and skills in digital technologies and solutions that can shape your future career and prepare you for future senior leader roles.
  • Develop your understanding of best practice in digital technologies and solutions in order to improve operational effectiveness.
  • Develop digital technology and solutions that enable the delivery of innovation and performance improvement.
  • Develop a strategic mindset for the execution of growth strategies and achievement of business objectives enabled by digital technologies and solutions.
  • Apply your newly acquired knowledge, skills and abilities immediately in your workplace.
  • Study with a cohort of talented professionals drawn from a range of industries and backgrounds, building your network and giving insights into international practice.
  • Become a member of our alumni network and join a network of 67,000+ across 169 countries.

How we teach you

The course is composed of three core parts:

  1. Eight compulsory modules spread between months 1 and 16. The taught content spreads over 5 days for each module. Modules 1 and 8 are delivered in person from Monday to Friday. Modules 2-7 are delivered online, between Wednesday and Tuesday, where we have the weekend as a break. Friday’s we typically finish the modules at around 13.00.
  2. Group project between months 6 and 12. This comprises 4 to 6 people working on a project that is practically relevant and impactful, and typically relates to real industry challenges.
  3. Individual practical project (IPP – for apprentices) / individual research project (IRR – for non-apprentices). The student, in collaboration with the employer and the university will determine an individual project that is aligned to their day-to-day job and offers to make a significant impact on the business. This business-related project will run between months 14 and 24 and will be written up as a report between months 21 and 24. During months 20 and 21 time will be allocated to the gateway assessments (for apprentices) and presentation preparation (for non-apprenticeship students). Apprenticeship students will need to complete the End Point Assessment between months 21 and 24.

Apprenticeship students, throughout the whole course, will need to provide evidence for the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs). KSBs are mapped for each credit-bearing part of the course and students will need to reflect on their learning and demonstrate how they have been able to make an impact in their organisation according to this mapping. The End-Point Assessment (EPA) element will be assessed through the individual practical project report and the professional discussion. In the report, students will need to highlight how each KSB has been addressed. Similarly, in the professional discussion, the KSBs need to be evidenced through a portfolio of evidence.

The apprenticeship students will quarterly have tripartite meetings with their apprenticeship tutor, and their company sponsor to discuss their progress against the KSBs, and will have the opportunity to reflect on their learning and the impact that they are making in the sponsor organisation.

Awards on completion

On successful completion, the student will be awarded:

  • The Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship
  • MSc in Digital and Technology Solutions

Fees for MSc progression route

Our Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship is an MSc-integrated programme spread over 24 months. In England, it is aligned to the L7 apprenticeship standard on Digital and Technology Solutions. This means that organisations that fulfil the conditions for the Apprenticeship Levy will have the tuition fees covered in full on this course. 

It is also possible register on the programme as an MSc student without going through the apprenticeship route.

We also offer the modules as short courses on this MSc course. 

 

Meet the Course Director

If you are unable to attend one of our University Open Days but would like to discuss the Digital Engineering and Solutions programme, please get in touch.

During your discussion you will have the opportunity to:

  • meet the Course Director
  • discover more about the course content
  • find out how you can use your company's Apprenticeship Levy towards this Cranfield MSc
  • learn about our manufacturing faculty

We would be happy to arrange a virtual discussion via MS Teams or Zoom.

I look forward to discussing Digital Engineering and Solutions and how it can benefit you and your business with you soon.

Professor John Erkoyuncu

Course details

The course aligns with the Master's Level Apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions with the following targeted occupational streams: ‘Data Analytics Specialist’ and ‘Digital Business & Enterprise Systems Architecture Specialist’. The course is delivered over 24 months. The course composes of three core parts:

  • Eight modules (80 credits – 10 for each module).
  • Group project at 40 credits.
  • Individual practical project (80 credits).

The modules will typically be spread over 16 months. The group project will run between months 6 and 12, and the individual practical project will be undertaken between months 14 and 24. Developing practical solutions is at the heart of each of these elements, where we will work closely with the sponsor organisations to make the course as impactful as possible for both the student and the organisation. Across the course we will co-design the assessments with the Sponsors in order to develop impactful solutions. Furthermore, the assignments across the modules will be designed to complement each other and lead to the creation of a comprehensive integrated demonstrator.

Course delivery

Taught modules 80 credits, group project 40 credits, individual practical project 80 credits.

Modules

Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.

To give you a taster, we have listed the compulsory and elective (where applicable) modules which are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only, and may be subject to change for your year of entry.


Course modules

Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.

Adaptive Visualisation

Aim
    This module aims to provide the ability to design and develop digital visualisation platforms that enable agile decision-making capability.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to visualisation methods.
    • Awareness of human machine interfaces and the associated challenges and solutions.
    • Communication skills for effective illustration and collaboration on complex results.
    • Design and develop dashboards, virtual and augmented reality demonstrators.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Appraise different methods of visualisation for detailed data analysis.
  2. 2. Evaluate human-computer interaction methods and their relevance to visualisation.
  3. 3. Assess technical narrative and consolidated information for knowledge exchange and effective decision making.
  4. 4. Justify the use of dashboards, virtual and augmented reality for adaptive visualisation through case studies.

Digital Integration and System Testing

Aim
    This module will provide the skills to be able to integrate a set of digital technologies and solutions for a wider application and offer the means to test the integrated solution for assurance purposes.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to system integration methods.
    • Awareness of technical standards and the associated requirement and implementations.
    • The processes for test case development and developing a test management plan.
    • Understanding of safety and mission assurance and associated QA processes.
    • Critical evaluation criteria and risk assessment strategies for digital engineering.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Justify with sufficient evidence the efficient integration of a set of digital engineering technologies and solutions.
  2. 2. Appraise testing standards and qualify their relevance to quality assurance (QA) processes.
  3. 3. Compare, contrast and develop test management strategies for new digital technologies and solutions.
  4. 4. Critically evaluate safety and mission assurance for a digital engineering technology and solution.

Introduction to Digital Engineering

Aim
    This module provides the skills to choose and justify new digital technologies and solutions by implementing appropriate requirements analysis, technology road-mapping and strategy development considering alternative targets such as return on investment and customer value.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to digital engineering including digitalisation vs digitisation vs digital transformation.
    • Introduction to requirements capture and systems engineering.
    • Justifying Prevent, Safeguarding and British Values in the context of the digital technologies and solutions that will be considered for adoption.
    • Building awareness and justification of digital technologies and solutions.
    • Technology road-mapping to evaluate future potential technological developments.
    • Return on Investment analysis in the context of digital technology and solutions.
    • Developing a strategic plan for digital transformation and the future work environment considering the role of technology leadership, change management and continuous improvement.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Justify appropriate methods for requirements capture for digital technology and solutions within the system of system context.
  2. 2. Appraise the opportunities that digital engineering offers by developing roadmaps for alternative digital technologies and solutions.
  3. 3. Critique and design methodologies to evaluate and prioritise digital technologies for alternative requirements including return on investment.
  4. 4. Critically evaluate human-machine collaboration in the face of automation and manual tasks in industrial settings.
  5. 5. Develop a strategic plan to seize the potential benefits of digital engineering via workplace transformations whilst considering a variety of factors such as ethics, human factors, IP, culture, sustainability, and value.

Digital Twins

Aim
    This module focuses on providing the skills to design and develop federated digital twin systems that are integrated in terms of their data, models and visualisation.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to digital twins and demonstration of use cases.
    • Introduce the key enabling technologies for digital twins -such as ontologies, AI, and IoT.
    • Design detailed digital twin architectures including solutions for interoperability.
    • Standards available to design and develop digital twins.
    • Develop digital twin demonstrations considering the spectrum of data, model and visualisation interfaces.
    • Demonstrate the added value that digital twins can offer.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Appraise the contextual need for digital twins and design the digital twin architecture justified by suitable requirements and organisational benefits.
  2. 2. Compare and contrast alternative digital twin architectures, which meet the functional and strategic requirements.
  3. 3. Justify efficient use of digital twins considering human needs in the context of seamless data, model and visualisation interaction.
  4. 4. Construct suitable resilience methods that enable continuous use of digital twins.
  5. 5. Evaluate the added value generated from digital twins with a view to offer workplace transformations.

Integrated Data Management

Aim
    This module provides the skills to design and develop integrated data management approaches and systems to address data related challenges, including managing large volumes of data from disparate sources, identifying and resolving data quality issues, handling disparate data lacking integration and generating insights for agile decision making.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to software programming with a view to developing data management systems.
    • Evaluate existing standards related to data management.
    • Apply methods for data needs analysis.
    • Establish mechanisms for enabling connectivity of data acquired from alternative sources – e.g. people, sensors, 5G, IoT.
    • Develop data structures and approaches to data modelling using ontologies and reference architectures.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Assess the system requirements for the integration and accessibility of data to deliver value in complex systems.
  2. 2. Critically evaluate existing approaches to acquire data from fixed and mobile sources.
  3. 3. Appraise strategies and techniques to measure and optimise the quality of data.
  4. 4. Construct efficient data structures enabled by ontologies and reference architectures to allow continuous and standardised data flow.
  5. 5. Justify mechanisms for allowing connectivity of data to enable links to models and visualisation platforms.

Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence

Aim
    This module will provide the processes to design and develop artificial intelligence (AI) based approaches to be trained for data analytics on a spectrum of data types (e.g. messy data, data gaps or big data), whilst also considering the ethical implications.
Syllabus
    • Theory of data analytics, AI, ML, data mining, statistics and supervised learning, e.g., probability, decision trees, regression and classification.
    • Experience of real-world AI/ML applications, in areas such as engineering, business, social media, medical data and financial data.
    • Evaluate alternative ethical considerations including human-machine collaboration that are related to the use of AI/ML.
    • The opportunity to work on industry problems that can benefit from AI/ML approaches.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Compare and contrast data analytics methods including machine learning (ML) in terms of its current and future concepts, principles and theories.
  2. 2. Construct ML concepts and methods to impart innovative problem-solving skills in a variety of data maturity scenarios.
  3. 3. Evaluate value creation opportunities from ML, develop value propositions and revenue models for businesses and organisations.
  4. 4. Construct data analytics based methods for real world problems with the changing nature of digital technology infrastructure and varying volume and quality of data.
  5. 5. Appraise ethical responsibility considering human-machine collaboration in data analytics by reflecting on intelligent systems that benefit society.

Digitally Enabled Servitisation

Aim
    This module will enable you to compare and contrast alternative approaches to servitisation. It will also offer approaches involving digital technologies and processes to design and deliver servitisation approaches.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to servitisation and the alternative models of delivery.
    • Compare and contrast alternative types of servitisation for different scenarios.
    • Evaluate alternative digital technologies and processes that can be used for the design and delivery of servitisation.
    • Provide case studies to reflect on good/bad practices and how to learn lessons from these within the context of servitisation.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Compare and contrast alternative contractual options for servitisation in different scenarios.
  2. 2. Appraise organisational transformation processes (including human factors) to evaluate the likely success of servitisation.
  3. 3. Justify appropriate digital technologies and solutions to enable robust servitisation.
  4. 4. Critically evaluate the pros and cons of digitalisation in the context of servitisation through case study analysis.

Digitalisation of Cost Engineering

Aim
    This module will provide the skills to apply emerging digital technologies and solutions in the context of cost engineering with a focus on optimising the lifecycle cost and value.
Syllabus
    • Cost engineering principles, estimation techniques, processes, commercial tools and software.
    • Creating value and enhanced sustainability, through advanced modelling and simulation for cost engineering.
    • Real-time and stochastic cost modelling, risk analysis and uncertainty management using digital platforms.
    • Big data, cost ontologies, knowledge-based systems, machine learning and AI for cost engineering.
    • Cost visualisation, validation and reporting.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Appraise the benefits that can be gathered through cost engineering (e.g. cost reduction, sustainability growth, optimised performance).
  2. 2. Assess the role of data in cost engineering using appropriate data science methods and techniques such as ontologies and natural language processing.
  3. 3. Justify the next generation of modelling, and simulation (e.g. machine learning) in the context of developing robust cost estimates.
  4. 4. Evaluate risk and uncertainty in cost estimates using emerging dynamic modelling and simulation approaches such as agent-based modelling and machine learning.
  5. 5. Assess the potential of continuous improvement in value creation and in achieving targets in projects/programmes through cost engineering.

Digital Business Analysis

Aim
    This module will provide the skills to be able to build a system simulation architecture and associated model for agile decision making within an enterprise context.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to modelling including overview of simulation methods and techniques.
    • Simulation design and development.
    • Root cause analysis and risk management for digital engineering.
    • Business process analysis and outcomes prediction.
    • Environmental sustainability analysis.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. 1. Appraise different methods for business systems simulation design.
  2. 2. Justify the use of simulation models to address significant decisional needs in business management.
  3. 3. Compare and contrast the performance of alternative digital business processes through case studies.
  4. 4. Construct alternative decision-making models for business process optimisation through case studies.

Teaching team

You will be taught by a wide range of subject specialists here and from outside the University who draw on their research and industrial experience to provide stimulating and relevant input to your learning experience. Many of the lecturers have worked in industry themselves, some at Managing Director level, and have experience of leading the design, development and implementation of digital engineering and solutions. Guest lecturers include speakers with experience from a range of sectors such as aerospace, defence, management consultancy, automotive, rail, and software. Excellent staff to student ratios lead to focused discussion about real-world issues in implementing operations excellence. The Course Director and Admissions Tutor for this programme is John Erkoyuncu.



Your career

The Digital and Technology Solutions Apprenticeship MSc will enable you to develop your knowledge, skills and abilities while applying what you learn directly in your workplace. The programme will support your career progression, preparing you to successfully carry out senior leadership roles in the future.

Apart from developing your technical skills, the course will support you to:

  • Develop digital engineering skills to make operational and strategic improvements in enterprises and projects.
  • Apply digital technologies and solutions to address challenges and introduce innovation.
  • Discover and develop your leadership and team-working style.
  • Develop and lead change and prepare the business to face future digital transformation.

How to apply

Next steps

If you would like to find out more general information about the course and your eligibility to attend the programme, please arrange a one-to-one discussion with the course director before you make a formal application.

Course director: John Erkoyuncu: j.a.erkoyuncu@cranfield.ac.uk

For employer related enquiries, fees and funding, and the expression of interest/application process, please contact our Apprenticeships Team: apprenticeships@cranfield.ac.uk

Employers: please complete our .

Prospective students: please ask your employer to submit an to indicate their willingness to sponsor you.

Applications for apprenticeship routes have to come via the Expression of Interest form. Apprenticeship applications received via the application button on the non-apprenticeship pages will not be processed.