Cybersecurity (including a Foundation Year)
University of Chester
UCAS Code: G407 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Chester
UCAS Code: G407 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
72 UCAS points from GCE A Levels
Access Diploma - Pass overall
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
T Level
T Level with a Pass grade and D or E on the core
UCAS Tariff
GCSE Grade C or 4 in Maths is also required.
About this course
Unlock the future of cybersecurity with our BSc Cybersecurity degree, designed to equip you with in-demand skills for tackling today’s evolving digital threats. In a world where computer and information security are crucial, this course provides comprehensive training to help you understand, assess, and counteract security risks effectively.
The security of computers, systems and information is of paramount importance to all nations. In response to security dangers, this course will give you knowledge of the threats, and provide you with the chance to gain the skills and expertise to investigate, police, and react accordingly, and to protect systems and organisations.
Stay ahead in the fast-paced field of cybersecurity with our up-to-date teaching materials and innovative teaching methods, ensuring you're prepared to meet the demands of this critical industry.
Foundation Year courses have been designed for students who do not have the necessary academic qualifications needed to enter directly into the first year of a degree but who have the ability and commitment to do so. Once the Foundation Year has been completed successfully, you can then go on to complete your degree.
Modules
In year 1 (level 4) You will be introduced to the fundamentals of professional skills for computing: key skills include professionalism, cybersecurity and introduction to computers. You will also learn how complex databases can be managed and how software systems are developed using programming in Python/C++.
Year 2 (level 5) will extend your theoretical knowledge and develop your ability to apply it to real-world problems, continuing the core themes started in Year 1, this is in addition to learning cyber intelligence tools and techniques.
When you reach your final year (level 6), you will be ready to choose which themes are most relevant to your future needs. You will tackle large-scale projects and develop your knowledge, skills and speciality in your chosen area from the wide range of optional modules.
The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.
Assessment methods
This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, students study 40 credits comprised of either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours range between approximately 6 and 12 hours per week depending upon the level of study and the complexity of the material being taught.
This course is delivered primarily through in-person learning supported by online learning materials. Students can expect to take part in labs, workshops, lectures and tutorials. Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.
On this course, you should expect to spend an average of 30 – 34 hours per week on independent study which might include following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, using the University’s library, working with peers, and preparing work for assessment.
There will be a broad range of assessment methods so that students are exposed to the different types of tasks they might encounter in the workplace. These will include coursework in the form of programming projects, software artefacts, portfolios of work, written work (e.g. essays) and presentations. In some modules, students will encounter class tests and practical assessments. We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for graduate-level employment.
Tuition fees
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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.
Software engineering
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.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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
£23k
£29k
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 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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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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