BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Information Technology

Key Information

720 Guided Learning Hours

Equivalent in size to two A Levels.

Content: 8 units of which 6 are mandatory and 3 are externally assessed.

  • Mandatory content (83%).
  • External assessment (46%).

The qualification is designed to be studied over two years and carries UCAS tariff points. It meets entry requirements in its own right for some courses in IT or related study such as an Higher National Certificate or Diploma (HNC or HND) in Computing, Engineering or Business Management.

As this is a two A level-sized qualification, all students will be required to study an additional A Level subject in a complimentary area in order make their compliment of qualifications being studied up to an equivalency of that of three A Levels.

What will I study?

The objective of this qualification is to give learners the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in IT. Learners study the relationship between hardware and software, managing and communicating information and data, and the principles of designing and developing digital technologies and processes to support organisations.

The additional mandatory units that this qualification includes are:

Unit 9: IT Project Management

Unit 11: IT Cyber Security and Incident Management (synoptic).

This qualification also includes a choice of optional units, covering areas such as data modelling and analytics, mobile internet technologies, creative technologies and enterprise for IT.

What could this qualification lead to?

In addition to the IT sector-specific content outlined above, the requirements of the qualification enable learners to develop the transferable and higher-order skills that are highly regarded by higher education providers and employers. For example, the study of IT particularly encourages development of research and analysis skills, project management and prioritising, effective communications, the synthesis skills of adapting and integrating, and the evaluation skills of assessing, interpreting and validating.

This qualification is equivalent in size to two A Levels and meets the requirements for progression to some degree programmes in IT or related study such as an HNC or HND in Computing, IT, Engineering and Business Management. For progression to a degree course, learners should study this qualification alongside another A Level in a complementary subject area, which will give access to a range of courses such as:

  • BSc (Hons) in Computer Animation
  • BSc (Hons) in Digital Media
  • BSc (Hons) in Web Technologies
  • BSc (Hons) in Information Systems

Destinations of our students within this subject?

The Academy has a long history of students going on to higher educational study and employment in the computing sector and as such, some of our most recent students have progressed on to a wide range of universities (including Russell Group universities) to further their expertise within the area. These include:

  • Computer Science at Newcastle and Aston Universities
  • Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security at Coventry University
  • Computer Games Technology at Birmingham City University
  • Computer Forensics at Birmingham City University
  • Computer Games Design at Wolverhampton and Gloucestershire Universities
  • Cyber Security at Birmingham City University
  • Apprenticeship with BMW
  • Employment with Jaguar Land Rover
  • Computing at Coventry University
  • Business and IT at Nottingham Trent University