The Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS) is a university sponsorship programme for students who want to join the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

or Engineering and Science branch of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Service as technical officers after they graduate; Army sponsored students are destined for either the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

or the Royal Logistic Corps. Students on the scheme are sponsored by the MOD to study accredited technical degree programmes. The aim of DTUS is ‘to educate and develop selected individuals to prepare them for further training and careers as engineer or technical officers in the Armed Forces or as graduate entrants to the MOD Civil Service’.

Background

The DTUS was created following the 2001 Defence Training Review (DTR). The DTR identified that the

and MOD Civil Service had difficulties in recruiting engineering officers. As a result, DTUS was created whereby sponsored students study at eleven partner universities ( Aston, Birmingham, Cambridge, Imperial College, Loughborough, Newcastle, Northumbria, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Strathclyde).

Support units

DTUS students are able to choose the partner university they wish to study at and select a degree course that has been approved by their sponsoring service. Whilst at their partner university, all students belong to a support unit who are responsible for their leadership development, mentorship and administration. They also closely monitor academic progress, to that end the commanding officer of each support unit has visiting lecturer status at their university to support this. There are four support units throughout the UK: *Taurus Squadron based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

supports students at

Aston University Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston'' for post-nominals) is a public university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first College of a ...

and the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. It also administers students at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. *Thunderer Squadron based in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

supports students at the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

as well as the University of Portsmouth. It also administers students at Imperial College London. *Trojan Squadron based in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

supports students at Newcastle and

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

universities. It administers students at the University of Strathclyde *Typhoon Squadron based in Loughborough supports students at Loughborough University. It also administers students at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Staffing

Each support unit is commanded by the same equivalent rank from each service; Taurus and Trojan Squadrons – lieutenant colonel, Thunderer Squadron –

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

and Typhoon Squadron – wing commander. There are a Royal Navy lieutenant, an Army captain and a Royal Air Force flight lieutenant working as training officers in each squadron. Additionally at each squadron there is an SNCO and a civilian administrator. Assisting at each squadron are in-service degree officers who are commissioned officers reading for a degree at the partner university.

Students

Each military sponsored student is a member of their respective service reserve forces (and holds a Service number) and holds the rank of officer cadet ( midshipman for Royal Navy-sponsored students). All students receive an annual bursary and also receive training pay for the activities that they participate in. In return, students are expected to remain physically fit (pass an annual fitness assessment known as a PFA), advance each academic year and serve for a minimum of three years in the Armed Forces or MOD Civil Service after graduating from Initial Officer Training (IOT). The majority of entrants on the DTUS were graduates of the Defence Sixth Form College (Welbeck) near Woodhouse, Leicestershire until its closure in 2021. However, students studying or scheduled to study an approved degree at any of the partner universities may also apply to join the scheme as a Direct Entrant (DE)

Closure

The scheme is to shut down over a five-year transition period following the announced closure of Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC), closed in 2021. The wider Defence Technical Officer Engineering Entry Scheme (DTOEES) was originally going to be replaced by the STEM Graduate Inflow Scheme (SGIS), which was later renamed as the Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme (DSUS), with a planned start of 2022.

References

External links

Official Site

MOD Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme Factsheet
{{authority control Engineering education in the United Kingdom Military academies of the United Kingdom University organisations of the British Armed Forces Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) Scholarships in the United Kingdom Universities in the United Kingdom