Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the stakeholder, scholarly, academic and jurisdictional influences on course development for a vocationally oriented bachelor's degree. Design/methodology/approach: This paper takes the form of a case study. Findings: Vocationally oriented bachelor's courses can be developed, especially when the developers focus on scholarly rigour while paying due heed to jurisdictional requirements as well as the needs of key stakeholders. Research limitations/implications: This case study is limited to a specialist vocational college in Australia. Practical implications: The paper provides a framework by which others can develop vocationally oriented bachelor's degrees. Social implications The study can provide impetus to the development of scholarly, and academically rigorous, yet industrially relevant vocational degrees. Originality/value: This is a relatively novel paper from a non-self accrediting higher education provider.