BSc (Hons) Cyber Security

What does ARU’s Cyber Security BSc (Hons) course cover?

You’ll start your cyber security education at ARU by learning about the fundamentals of computing, including computer networks, Linux operating systems, client/server architectures and secure high-level software development. You'll come to understand and recognise the cybercrime threats that organisations, and their infrastructures, face.

You’ll go on to study the cryptographic principles underpinning digital security and their application, how organisations' infrastructures can be protected from attack, and how digital forensics can be used to investigate cyber related crime and malware infections. In a Security Management module, we’ll investigate how organisations visualise security operations, undertake threat intelligence and investigate potential threats.

Our cyber security degree course includes access to the CCNA Routing and Switching and EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) curriculums. This gives you the chance to progress your university education to full certification – you’ll just need to pay for your exam fees.

Why study for a Cyber Security degree at ARU?

Our School of Computing and Information Science’s specialist labs are the perfect place to apply your knowledge and skills, carrying out penetration testing and digital forensic investigations, and analysing how malware operates. They’re equipped with tools such as Kali Linux Penetration Testing Distribution, X-Ways Forensic, Autopsy, Cisco PacketTracer, OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite.

The university is active within both the cyber security and digital forensics industries, working closely as Academic Supporters for OWASP Cambridge (Open Web Application Security Project), CIISec (Chartered Institute of Information Security), BCS Cybercrime Forensics Special Internet Group, CREST and ISACA London.

Our school’s Cyber Security and Networking Research Group hosts regular networking events with industry, including guest lectures, capture the flag events and open source project placements through Google Summer of Code (GSoC).

We work actively with both national and international law enforcement through our working relationships and research activities with Home Office, ECTEG (European Cybercrime Training and Education Group) and Cyber Resilience Centre in the East.

You have the option to take a placement year as part of your cyber security degree, and gain valuable work experience.

What is a cyber security degree?

A Cyber Security BSc (Hons) is an opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills across all areas of cyber security, and start to specialise in those that particularly interest you. You’ll complete the course as a well-rounded graduate with a university-level qualification, thoroughly prepared to enter the workplace.

Our cyber security degree covers computer systems and their architecture and automation; software principles and security; cyber crime; database design and implementation; network technologies, routing and switching; digital security and forensics; penetration testing (ethical hacking); malware science; and security management and governance.

You’ll learn in lectures and the lab, work both independently and as part of a team, and be assessed through a combination of multiple choice examinations, case study and research projects, and formal written reports.

Studying cyber security at university means you’ll have access to industry-standard hardware and software in our School of Computing and Information Science, gain up-to-the-minute knowledge and skills from our highly-qualified, research-active lecturers, and benefit from our extensive industry connections.

What can I do with ARU’s BSc (Hons) Cyber Security?

Our Cyber Security BSc (Hons) is designed to prepare you for a variety of high-demand roles in the cyber security industry, across a broad range of government and commercial organisations of all shapes and sizes.

Popular job titles include security engineer, architect, software developer or analyst; ethical hacker/penetration tester; digital forensic analyst; and incident responder. Alternatively, you could pass on the knowledge and skills you gained on your cyber security degree as a teacher or trainer.

A typical starting salary in the cyber security industry is £25-30,000, rising to anything between £40-120,000 for a cyber security consultant.