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Specialist School

School of Software & Data

Design, build, test and improve digital products and data solutions. The School of Software & Data teaches development as a complete delivery discipline rather than an isolated coding exercise. Learners work with requirements, version control, interfaces, services, databases, tests, deployment practices and project documentation while building a portfolio of demonstrable work.

School 048 programsCertificates and diplomasCorporate delivery available

The school proposition

Design, build, test and improve digital products and data solutions.

The School of Software & Data teaches development as a complete delivery discipline rather than an isolated coding exercise. Learners work with requirements, version control, interfaces, services, databases, tests, deployment practices and project documentation while building a portfolio of demonstrable work.

The school curriculum is organized around role performance. Each program specifies what learners should be able to interpret, produce, decide and communicate. Entry programs establish language and process awareness; applied certificates build a defined capability; diplomas integrate multiple responsibilities; advanced programs concentrate on leadership, risk or specialist judgment.

Learners may complete a single course, progress through a school pathway or combine electives from other schools. Cross-school choices are planned around a career outcome rather than treated as unrelated additional subjects.

8programs in the school portfolio

Foundationentry route available

Advancedhighest pathway level

Who this school serves

Career starters who need a structured entry into the discipline
Working professionals improving performance in a current role
Role changers who need both foundation and applied evidence
Supervisors and specialists preparing for broader accountability
Organizations building consistent role standards across teams

Curriculum architecture

Six connected learning domains.

The domains below organize curriculum review, elective planning and corporate customization. They also help learners see how an individual program fits into the wider discipline.

Front-end and user-interface development

Back-end services and application architecture

Databases, SQL and data modeling

Software quality assurance and testing

Data analytics and business intelligence

Automation, APIs and product delivery

Professional context

Capability is more than technical accuracy.

Learners are expected to communicate, document, consider risk, understand stakeholders and explain the reasoning behind important work. These expectations appear throughout the curriculum rather than in one isolated professionalism module.

Complete school portfolio

Programs from foundation to advanced practice.

Open each program to review its curriculum, intended audience and assessment evidence. Delivery hours describe guided learning and do not include all independent study or capstone preparation.

FoundationSD-110

Programming & Computational Thinking

Introduces problem decomposition, variables, control flow, functions, data structures, debugging and basic software design. Learners complete frequent exercises and a small command-line or browser-based application.

Professional Certificate12 weeks / 72 guided hoursCoding lab or blended

Curriculum and assessment

Problem solving and algorithmic thinking
Variables, types and expressions
Conditions, loops and functions
Collections and data handling
Debugging, testing and code organization
Applied programming project

Assessment: Coding exercises, review checkpoints, debugging challenge and final application.

Designed for: Beginners, career changers and technical professionals who need a programming foundation.

IntermediateSD-205

Professional Diploma in Full-Stack Development

A complete product-building pathway from interface and application logic through databases, APIs, testing, version control and deployment. Learners work through iterative releases and finish with a documented portfolio application.

Professional Diploma28 weeks / 210 guided hoursBlended development studio

Curriculum and assessment

Web foundations and accessible interfaces
Modern front-end application development
Back-end services and API design
Relational databases and data access
Testing, security and collaborative delivery
Deployment, documentation and capstone product

Assessment: Sprint deliverables, code reviews, test evidence, technical documentation and capstone demo.

Designed for: Aspiring developers, technical graduates and junior developers seeking an integrated portfolio.

View full program specification →

IntermediateSD-220

Front-End Web Development

Builds responsive, accessible and maintainable interfaces using semantic markup, modern styling and client-side programming. Learners translate designs into components and validate usability across devices.

Applied Certificate14 weeks / 84 guided hoursDevelopment lab

Curriculum and assessment

Semantic HTML and content structure
Responsive CSS and design systems
JavaScript fundamentals and the DOM
Components, state and interface behavior
Accessibility, performance and testing
Portfolio website and interface presentation

Assessment: Weekly builds, accessibility review, responsive project and portfolio presentation.

Designed for: Aspiring front-end developers, designers and content professionals moving into web production.

IntermediateSD-235

Back-End Development & API Design

Covers server-side logic, application structure, authentication concepts, database interaction, validation, APIs, logging and deployment. Participants build a service that can support a real client application.

Applied Certificate14 weeks / 84 guided hoursDevelopment lab or live online

Curriculum and assessment

Server-side architecture and routing
Data models and persistence
API contracts and validation
Authentication and authorization concepts
Errors, logging, testing and security
Deployed service and developer documentation

Assessment: API exercises, data model, test suite, security review and deployed final service.

Designed for: Developers with basic programming knowledge who want server-side capability.

IntermediateSD-250

Database Design & SQL Analytics

Develops the ability to model reliable data, write useful queries, protect integrity and communicate findings. Learners build a relational database and answer operational questions through documented SQL analysis.

Professional Certificate12 weeks / 72 guided hoursDatabase lab

Curriculum and assessment

Entities, relationships and normalization
SQL querying and joins
Data definition, constraints and transactions
Views, functions and query performance
Data quality, access and backup concepts
Database build and analytical report

Assessment: Data model, SQL challenge sets, database build and findings presentation.

Designed for: Developers, analysts, reporting staff and technology professionals working with structured data.

IntermediateSD-270

Software Quality Assurance & Testing

Treats testing as a risk-based delivery discipline. Participants interpret requirements, design cases, manage defects, perform exploratory and API testing, and create an evidence-based release recommendation.

Professional Certificate10 weeks / 60 guided hoursTesting lab

Curriculum and assessment

Quality principles and software risk
Requirements analysis and test conditions
Test design techniques and coverage
Exploratory, interface and API testing
Defect reporting and lifecycle
Test summary and release recommendation

Assessment: Test plan, case portfolio, defect reports, exploratory charter and release report.

Designed for: Aspiring QA analysts, developers, product teams and operational testers.

IntermediateSD-285

Data Analytics & Business Intelligence

Connects business questions with data preparation, analysis, visualization and decision communication. Learners build a reproducible analytical workflow and a dashboard supported by a concise management narrative.

Professional Diploma18 weeks / 126 guided hoursAnalytics lab and project studio

Curriculum and assessment

Business questions and analytical framing
Data cleaning and transformation
Descriptive analysis and statistical reasoning
Data visualization and dashboard design
Insight communication and decision support
End-to-end analytics capstone

Assessment: Data preparation notebook, analysis exercises, dashboard and stakeholder presentation.

Designed for: Analysts, reporting staff, operations professionals and graduates entering data roles.

AdvancedSD-320

Automation, APIs & Workflow Integration

Shows how to automate repetitive information work by combining scripts, APIs, files, schedules and validation. Learners evaluate failure modes and build an auditable automation with documentation and operational controls.

Advanced Applied Certificate12 weeks / 72 guided hoursAutomation lab

Curriculum and assessment

Automation opportunities and process selection
Scripting for files and data
API consumption and authentication concepts
Scheduling, retries and exception handling
Logging, validation and operational handover
Workflow automation capstone

Assessment: Automation proposal, working integration, control evidence and handover guide.

Designed for: Developers, analysts, operations specialists and technical power users.

Progression routes

Build depth in stages.

Learners do not always enter at the same point. Prior education, work exposure and assessment evidence may support entry above foundation level, while career changers may benefit from a staged route.

Stage 1 · Orientation

Programming & Computational Thinking

Stage 2 · Integrated practice

Professional Diploma in Full-Stack Development

Stage 3 · Specialization

Select one or two applied certificates

Choose programs that deepen the responsibilities most relevant to the intended role. Admissions can help avoid duplication and identify prerequisite gaps.

Stage 4 · Advanced contribution

Automation, APIs & Workflow Integration

Assessment approach

Evidence should resemble the discipline.

The school uses assessment formats that reflect the kind of work learners are preparing to perform. Knowledge remains important, but final judgment is not based on memory alone.

Formative practice: short exercises, demonstrations, draft reviews and feedback before high-stakes submission.
Applied assignments: reports, plans, models, configurations, analyses, role plays, simulations or portfolios.
Integrated assessment: substantial tasks that require learners to combine concepts across modules.
Professional defense: selected diploma learners present work, explain assumptions and respond to questions.
Authenticity controls: version history, observation, oral questioning or staged submissions may be used to verify authorship.

Assessment principle

Explain the decision, not only the answer.

Professional work contains uncertainty and trade-offs. Learners should be able to describe the information used, alternatives considered, controls applied and limits of the recommendation.

Career relevance

Roles and responsibilities connected to this school.

Programs support development toward the roles below, but completion alone does not guarantee employment, promotion, licensing or employer eligibility. Career outcomes also depend on experience, local requirements and recruitment decisions.

Illustrative role directions

Junior software developer
Front-end or full-stack developer
Software quality analyst
Database or reporting analyst
Business intelligence analyst
Automation or application support specialist

Career development within the curriculum

Learners identify target-role evidence, translate assignments into portfolio items, practice concise explanations of their work and develop a realistic next-step plan. Diploma capstones can provide a substantial discussion piece for interviews when confidentiality and accuracy are protected.

Explore career services

Plan a school pathway

Compare the foundation, diploma and specialist routes.

Share your current experience, intended role and available study time. Admissions can recommend a sequence and identify whether a bridging module or direct entry is more appropriate.

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