Lancaster University
UCAS Code: I900 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Our BSc Hons Cyber Security programme is designed for the cyber security systems engineers and architects of the future. The programme is grounded in our core computer science programme to provide you with a high-quality understanding of modern computer science, covering both theory and practice.
BSc Hons Cyber Security then adds specialist knowledge and skills with core cyber security concepts, such as security and penetration testing, digital forensics, cryptography, network security and resilient distributed systems. This programme includes advanced, and emergent, cyber security topics, such as security of autonomous systems, secure AI, secure cyber-physical systems and security metrics, which draw on the world-class research expertise in the School of Computing and Communications.
In the first year, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of the discipline, combined with their modern-day application. Throughout your study, you will gain skills and experience from a range of modules, including Software Development, Fundamentals of Computer Science and Digital Systems. Taking a practical approach to education, you are encouraged to build and analyse systems and software, as well as work with end-user feedback to refine and adapt solutions. In addition to progressing your foundational understanding, you will begin to explore the social, ethical and professional issues related to the discipline.
Your second year will include key computer science topics as well as develop a deeper understanding of cyber security concepts and principles, all aligned with the core areas of the UK’s Cyber Body of Knowledge (CyBok). Taking a systems approach, you will explore topics such as cryptography and secure distributed systems and networking. You will also develop your understanding of how attackers target systems through penetration testing and hacking, along with cyber forensics.
Drawing on the expertise of our NCSC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, in the third year you will learn about advanced topics, such as adversarial AI, security issues of large scale cyber physical systems such as critical national infrastructures (utilities), and advances in approaches to cyber investigations and security analysis. You will undertake a substantial cyber security focused individual project. In this project you will work closely with one of our academics, expand your problem-solving abilities, and draw upon the skills and knowledge that you have gained throughout your degree. This will be great experience for you to draw upon in an interview and in your career.
This programme is intended to satisfy the requirements for Cyber Security accreditation as defined by National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) accreditation.
The Uni
Lancaster University
Computing and Communications
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.
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.
Computer science
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Computer science
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.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Computer science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£27k
£36k
£45k
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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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?
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