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Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

to include one from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Computer Science, Computing or Design Technology. Excludes General Studies.

Access to HE Diploma

M:30

The Access to HE Diploma to include 30 Level 3 credits all at merit or above in either Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or Statistics. Plus GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4 / C or above.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

5 GCSEs at grade 4 / C or above to include English and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

31

to include one from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Design Technology or IT at Higher level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

in IT or a technical subject.

Scottish Higher

A,B,C,C,C

AB/CCC to include one from Mathematics, Physics, Design and Technology, Computing Science at Advanced Higher.

UCAS Tariff

128

[1] 4 qualifications for tariff points allowed (excludes general studies) [2] Must include 40 tariff points in one of the following subject areas: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Computer Science, Computing or Design Technology [3] May also include AS level and EPQ

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

5 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subject

Computer and information security

This course aims to provide you with a strong practical and theoretical understanding of cybersecurity, hacking, digital forensics, security operations and the underlying associated computer science.

The course is designed to help you develop skills in the following areas.
• Understanding who ‘hackers’ typically are, the techniques they use to break into systems and the way we defend against them.
• Learning how to examine computers and networks for digital artefacts, and how these can be used in a legal case, or as part of incident response.
• Understanding how the network infrastructure connects systems, and the impact on security.

**Key Course Benefits**

• Join a thriving community of ethical hackers with opportunities to participate in societies and live ‘hackathon’ type events*
• Previous graduates have gone on to become security consultants, security engineers, penetration testers and other sector-specific roles.
• Practical, hands-on approach to teaching, where you have the chance to demonstrate the theoretical aspects of the course through real-world examples
• Dedicated specialised learning environment - the Ethical Hacking Lab**

*UK and international opportunities 
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office. 

** Facilities 
Facilities are subject to availability. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use. 

Modules

Year One

In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related courses allowing you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on, in the second and third years, to specialist modules in your chosen field.  

Modules
Cyber Security Fundamentals
Introduction to Programming
Networking and Computer Architectures
Information Security Management
Ethics and Legal Frameworks of Cyber Security professionals
Foundations of Computer Science

Year Two
In year two, you will continue to develop the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt. We do this by embedding the following four principles into the curriculum and developing your:

Technical skills – digital fluency, backed with the right academic knowledge
Study skills – to be an adaptive, independent and proactive learner
Professional skills – to have the behaviour and abilities to succeed in your career
Global awareness – the beliefs and abilities to be a resilient, confident and motivated global citizen

Placement Year
There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement* can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee* of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time, you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Final Year
Year three aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from year one and two. You could also work on a large final project in an area of your interest, with the support of a mentor and your Academic Personal Tutor.

Modules
Advanced Penetration Testing
Digital Security Risk and Audit Management
Applied Cryptography
Research Project Preparation
Research Project Delivery
Optional Modules (choose one of the following):
* Reverse Engineering and Exploit Development
* Secure Network Design and Management
* Advanced Digital and Network Forensics

Additional Year
The additional fourth year master's option will deepen your knowledge and expertise.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated. Before accepting any offers, please check the website for the most up to date course content. For full module details please check the course page on the Coventry University website.

*For further information please check the course page on the Coventry University website

Assessment methods

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

Formal examinations
Phase tests
Essays
Group work
Presentations
Reports
Projects
Coursework
Exams
Individual Assignments
Laboratories

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Coventry University

Department:

School of Computing, Mathematics and Data Science

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

75%
Computer and information security

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Software engineering

Teaching and learning

77%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
61%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

80%
UK students
20%
International students
87%
Male students
13%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
20%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Software engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

68%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
4%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

A specialist subject, and not surprisingly graduates tend to go into software engineering roles or related. The degree classification students achieved made a particular difference last year — computing graduates with the best grades were much less likely to be out of work after six months and employers can even rate a good grade as important as work experience. Most students do get jobs, though, and starting salaries are good — particularly in London, where average starting salaries for good graduates were getting towards £38k last year. Be aware that at the moment, recruitment agencies are much the most common way for graduates from this degree to get their first job, so it may be worth getting in touch with a few specialist agencies in advance of graduation if you take this degree to get a foot in the door.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Software engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£29k

£29k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here