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Cyber Security (with a foundation year)

Entry requirements


A level

A,E

AS

A,E

Pass Access to HE Diploma with 48 UCAS points

Extended Project

A*-E

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

H5,H6,H6,H6,H6

OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D*-PP

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

PPP

OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma

D*D*,PP

OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Subsidiary Diploma

D*D*,PP

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

D*-P

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

D*D*-PP

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

D*-P

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

PPP

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

D*-P

UCAS Tariff

48

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer and information security

Complete our BSc (Hons) Cyber Security degree and your specialist skills will be in huge demand as employers grapple with these challenges. You’ll also gain practical experience through our amazing industry links and placement opportunities.
Through a partnership with Staffordshire Police’s High Tech Crime Unit, you can even get involved in a forensic internship in your final year.
The course has a strong focus on hands-on practice. We have a Cyber Lab with its own private, isolated network so you can test out scenarios and complete challenges. You’ll get to ‘break into’ this network to learn all about ethical hacking – the expert role that helps companies identify vulnerabilities within their infrastructure.
The course also covers the essentials of networking, programming, software development, data analytics and machine learning. You’ll look at regulations and ethics, as well as the theoretical and practical aspects of cyber security.
Alongside your degree, there’s the chance to gain certification with EnCase, Microsystemation XRY and Cellebrite UFED. You can also become a certified ethical hacker through EC-Council.
The version of EnCase we use in the lab is identical to the one used by real law enforcement agencies. It means you can perform investigations on both PCs and mobile technology such as smartphones and sat navs.
Other industry connections include guest lectures and Q&A sessions with our network of experts in the field. And as we are accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, you’ll get a qualification that meets rigorous national standards for quality.

Modules

Foundation year compulsory modules: Communications and Cyber; Computer Systems and Data; Individual Project; Programming and Artificial Intelligence; Study Skills and Data Analytics 1; Study Skills and Data Analytics 2

Year 1 Compulsory modules: Algorithms and Programming Concepts; Cloud and Cyber; Computer Architecture and Operating Systems Design; Data and Distributed Systems; Networks and Communications; Software Development

Year 2 Compulsory modules: Cloud Infrastructure and Design; Cyber Security; Data Analytics; Digital Forensics Fundamentals; Ethical Hacking; Professional Practice and Project Management

Year 3 Compulsory modules: Cryptography and AI; Dissertation; Low-level, Hardware and Lot Security; Negotiated Studies; Network and Infrastructure Security

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,750
per year
International
£16,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Staffordshire University (Stoke Campus)

Department:

Digital, Technologies and Arts

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.

77%
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
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
70%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
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

87%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
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?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
91%
Male students
9%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
24%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
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
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

84%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
6%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
3%
Teaching and educational 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.

£22k

£22k

£28k

£28k

£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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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