Studying our Cybersecurity BSc (Hons) course will equip you with an in-depth knowledge and skills in the areas of information security, cyber defence and threat mitigation. In core areas of study, our Principles of Information Security unit will introduce you to the fundamentals of information security, threats, and network security while also allowing you to practice using industry-standard operating systems. You will explore this in more depth in our Information Security Management unit that will provide you with the theory and practical skills around compliance, threat mitigation and cybersecurity operations and apply this to a business standpoint through risk identification or assessment. Furthermore, our unit in Switching and Routing will teach you to perform basic network configuration, troubleshooting, and to protect against cybersecurity threats.

More importantly, you will learn to build and evaluate successful threat intelligence programmes in our Cyber Defence and Information Governance unit. You will be given an overview of the tools and techniques for network security and use this to prevent cyberattacks or to identify and flag them as quickly as possible. As a crucial skill, you will then be taught to respond in the event of a security breach in our Incident Response unit by implementing incident response processes such as evidence gathering and forensic investigation techniques. More interestingly, you will also receive specialised knowledge and hands-on experience in Ethical Hacking, vulnerability assessment and security testing. Similarly, you will be introduced to the basic concepts and applications of computer systems in our Databases and Computer Networks unit. You will then be taught to combine mathematical knowledge with computer science in our Mathematics and Concepts for Computational Thinking unit. You will apply mathematics to practical skills such as algorithms and pattern recognition while also using it to develop software applications using high-level programming language such as Python.

As a student in the field of computer science, it is also essential that you are familiarised with programming and data handling. This is where our Principles of Programming and Data Structures unit will develop your programming skills to explore the process of analysing, designing, testing and implementing computer systems and how to skilfully use this for software development. You will also consider the principles of Wireless Communications and Networking by exploring the techniques for wireless networking and learning to use this to produce realistic solutions to complex networking problems. Finally, you will complete an Undergraduate Project in an area of interest that is relevant to your field of study. You will decide on your proposal topic with your supervisor in our Research Methodologies and Emerging Technologies unit where you can choose from a range of ideas relevant to your career aspirations. Similarly, our Agile Project Management unit will equip you with the project management skills for such academic work and most importantly, your future employment.

Throughout the three years of the course, you will also be provided with hands-on content from various industry professional certifications such as Cisco CCNA, Cisco CyberOps Associate, and CompTIA CySA+ to name a few, delivered through our Cisco Networking Academy and CompTIA Partnership. Additionally, various cybersecurity tools will be used to help develop your skills in the field that employers need. Hak5 penetration testing hardware along with Cisco switches, routers and firewalls; and software tools such as Virtualised Environments, Wireshark, Kali Linux and other Linux distros, Cisco Packet tracer; alongside other penetration testing and network defence tools, will be used throughout the units. Cybersecurity graduates can pursue any of the general or specialist IT positions such as a Security Analyst, Cyber Risk Analyst, SOC Analyst, Incident Response Specialist, Network Security Specialists, Network Technicians or Administrators, Penetration Testers, Governance and Compliance Officers, and many more.

English Language Foundation

This unit focuses on your ability to understand and use the English language accurately when you read, speak, listen and write. We will concentrate on the English you need for undergraduate level study in your chosen subject area, covering grammar, subject area vocabulary and the four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

A key element of the unit is the grammar of the language, and particularly the verb tense system in English, because your ability to use the verb tense system accurately will be extremely important when you come to write essays and reports. This unit will focus in particular on the grammar of the language.

We will also focus on reading, listening and speaking skills in the context of your chosen subject area. Beginning with short texts, we will practise each skill and practise it again, so that gradually you will see, hear and feel that your command of the language is improving. 

A recurring focus of the unit will be your acquisition of 'learner autonomy'. This means your ability to acquire the language yourself, without needing a teacher's help. This is important because from next year you will not have an English teacher to help you. So we will consider and practise strategies to help you gain confidence in your own ability to increase your knowledge of and ability to use the language, including for instance guessing meaning of difficult words, deciding which words are important in a text, recognising differences between formal and informal language, and other strategies, so that as the first semester continues, you begin to feel more confident in your use and experience with the English Language.

Academic Skills Foundation

When you begin your undergraduate level studies, you will be expected to have knowledge of and ability to use a large range of 'study skills'. You will also be expected to have some knowledge of the subject area you will  be studying. This unit deals with both of these aspects of your preparation for undergraduate level study. 

All of the academic skills are practised in English, so you will use your developing acquisition of the language from the partner unit 'English Language Foundation' to practise and gain mastery of these skills. You will also use your language and study skills as you learn the foundation of your subject area, putting the skills into practice as you learn.

Developing English Language Skills

This unit builds on the progress you made during its partner semester 1 unit 'English Language Foundation' and increasing your level from that which you had achieved by the end of semester 1. 

We will recycle the tense system in English and other elements of the grammar system, but you will  now learn how to use other aspects of the grammar, including the passive voice, as well as linking words and phrases and devices which enable you to write longer sentences but retain grammatical accuracy. 

You will notice that we gradually introduce more specialist language that you need in preparation for your degree and we will expect you to use and develop the skills that you gained in the previous units so that you are able to work more independently.

Academic Skills Development

This unit builds on the skills learnt and practised in its partner semester 1 unit 'Foundation Academic Skills'. We will add more skills to the list, including summarizing and synthesising, argumentation, critical thinking and referencing and citation skills, as well as several others and practise and test them in the same way as with the semester 1 unit.

We will also investigate the research skill and you will learn how to prepare a research proposal and conduct a literature review, and how to plan a research project, learning about the research tools available and how they can be used to conduct research in your chosen field. 

You will continue to broaden your knowledge of key current issues and theory in your chosen subject area, and apply the critical thinking and argumentation skills you acquire in this unit to argue for and against propositions you have studied in the form of in both essays and presentations and in seminar situations, ensuring that you are ready to step up to your chosen undergraduate course with a base level of subject area knowledge from which to continue your academic development as you progress to level 4 study.

Academic Study Skills 2

This unit is designed to help you develop important academic study skills that you will use throughout your university study, as well as preparing you for when you enter into or return to employment.  This is part two of two linked units, which enable you to plan, build and practice your knowledge and skills acquisition gradually, it introduces and develops presentation skills, and professional development planning.

Mathematics And Concepts For Computational Thinking

Computational thinking is a basis for solving computer related problems.

This unit help you to develop the concepts of the computational thinking through converting theoretical knowledge of mathematics into practical skills of decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithms which considered as the cornerstones of the thinking.

The concepts of the computational thinking will be applied to implement suitable solutions for developing software applications using a high-level programming language (such as Python).

Principles Of Information Security

This unit provides students with the theoretical frameworks, foundations, and practical skills underpinning information security and related areas. It provides students with the fundamentals of information security, layering, threats, threat actors, threats and mitigations, information security management, systems, and network security. The unit will also introduce students to the principles of cryptography, ethics, and business legal and regulatory requirements.

Students will be introduced to operating systems security using industry-standard operating systems.

The unit aims to follow the British Computer Society cybersecurity programme relevant to Computing Students.

Wireless Communications And Networking

This unit provides the students with the principles of the wireless networking. Part of the unit will be concentrating on introducing principles of the wireless communications, focusing on the physical layer and the MAC layer. The unit will also cover the existing technologies and introduce the students to emerging technologies. First, the major techniques used in wireless networking will be investigated and analysed. Then, wireless and wired networking techniques in the context of information systems will be critically analysed and compared. After the review of current wireless systems, conclusions about their application areas will be formed. Furthermore, the unit will allow the students to develop skills in critical analysis of information obtained from a variety of sources, drawing accurate conclusions and expressing the arguments in an appropriate vocabulary. They will produce creative and realistic solutions to complex networking problems. They will also become familiar with different wireless network applications. They will be able to assess and choose security systems in a wireless environment. Finally, the students can understand some emerging wireless technologies.

Cyber Defence And Information Governance

The unit guides the students through the fundamentals of building and evaluate a successful threat intelligence programme with focus on all strategic, tactical and operational aspects of it. An overview of network security mechanisms, tools and techniques is also included to better articulate approaches in informed cyber defence.

Cyber threat intelligence (CTI) is a systematic approach to help organisation to better articulate, manage and change risk outcomes and improve the effectiveness of cyber defence. This unit seeks to address the core principles, methods, tools and products available used in information gathering and analytics so as to aid decision making with the aim of preventing cyber-attacks or decreasing the time taken to discover them.

Undergraduate Project

Whether you go on to further study or into employment one of the most important skills expected in an Honours Graduate is the ability to work autonomously.  This unit is an ideal vehicle for the development of that skill.

You will typically implement the project proposal developed during the unit CIS013-3 Research Methods and Emerging Technologies (an alternative approach will be agreed with the unit coordinator and your project supervisor if you haven’t successfully completed CIS013-3 yet). 

Although you will be working independently, you are expected to arrange regular meetings with your supervisor to guide and support you.  You will apply coherently your technical, analytical, practical and managerial skills during your project development.

The project is an important opportunity to expand your experience in an area which is of close relevance to the course that you are studying (e.g. Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, and Computer Games Development).  Your project may be of relevance to a future employer, and will demonstrate your interest and ability in the chosen area.  As such your project topic should be aligned with your career aspirations.

The following aims are addressed in particular:

• To provide you with an opportunity to work autonomously on a sustained piece of work.
• To develop your ability to manage a project from start to finish.
• To develop your ability to identify problems, analyse the requirements and produce and evaluate solutions.
• To develop your ability to work to the relevant academic and professional standards.