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Cyber Security and Forensics

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

GCSE Grade C/4 in Maths and English.

Access to HE Diploma

D:15,M:30

Pass Access to HE Diploma in a related subject with 45 credits overall with minimum 30 Credits at Merit & 15 Distinction to include a Science at Level 3 (Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Engineering Science, Psychology, Maths or Physics). Maths and English required at Level 2 or equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

Award of Diploma with 29 points overall with three HL subjects at grades 6, 5, 5. 4 points in SL Maths and English.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H3

Grades H2, H2, H2, H3 at Higher Level. Grade O4 at Ordinary Level in Maths and English.

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

DM

Minimum grades D*D* (Distinction* Distinction*) or DM (Distinction, Merit) and A Level grade C. GCSE grade C/4 in English and Maths.

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

DMM

Minimum grades DMM (Distinction, Merit, Merit) in a related subject. GCSE English & Maths at Grade C/4

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNC with C in the graded unit in one of the following; Cyber Security, Computer Networking, Computer Networking & Internet Technology, Computing. Unrelated HNCs may be considered and in addition have National 5 C Maths and English.

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

National 5 C in Maths and English. If you are eligible for an adjusted offer under our Contextual Admissions Policy, please see the ‘Minimum Qualification Requirements’ below.

T Level

M

T Level must be in: Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Engineering Science, Information Technology, Information & Communication Technology, Software Systems Development, Digital Technology, Psychology, Maths, Physics or any qualification with Science in the title OR additional A-Level in one of these subjects at grade B. GCSE Grade C/4 in Maths and English is also required.

UCAS Tariff

104-114

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer and information security

Learn the importance of network security and in future you could be protecting organizations from cyberattacks.

BEng (Hons) Cybersecurity and Forensics has been awarded full undergraduate certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – the first undergraduate course in the UK to achieve full accreditation.

Combining three of the most sought-after streams of computing, this course capitalises on the rising awareness of the importance of network security and is a valuable foundation to a successful and well-paid career.

Two years of general computing studies will lead you to the specialty areas of security and forensics, software development and computer networks. After four years, you’ll have the expertise needed to create and analyse effective and secure computer systems.

In the computing career market, the demand for security engineers is increasing. As a graduate, you’ll have the wide range of skills plus the specialised expertise in data security needed to move into a variety of roles.

Please visit our website for full course and module details.

Tuition fees

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

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,160
per year
International
£15,160
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Merchiston Campus

Department:

School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment

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.

76%
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

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
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
78%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
85%
Male students
15%
Female students
53%
2:1 or above
13%
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.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
85%
low
Employed or in further education
81%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

77%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
4%
Engineering professionals
4%
Information technology technicians

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

£30k

£30k

£30k

£30k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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