Cyber Security BSc (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): I120 (full-time); I121 (sandwich)
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Three years full-time / four years with placement
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Sandwich
- Campus: Clifton Campus
Introduction:
Protecting organisations from cyber-attacks is a valuable skill and graduates are highly sought after and it’s one we’ll prepare you for.
You’ll explore how to detect and identify security risks before building on this with developing your own preventative measures – all with plenty of opportunities to test your solutions in our industry-standard facilities.
Building on a solid foundation covering network and system technologies, this course covers the core knowledge and skills needed to protect businesses against security threats. You will develop a detailed understanding of computer security issues, the detection of computer-based crime and the preservation and interpretation of digital evidence of crime.
This course is accredited by the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT to Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status. There's an opportunity for a year-long paid work placement and the School has strong links with local industry.
What you’ll study
This course aims to enable you to identify security risks and preventative measures in technological solutions. You will learn the basic principles and practice of collecting computer data as evidence of computer crime and how systems operate in terms of their software and hardware infrastructure. Based on this you will learn how to manage such systems as a system administrator specialising in ensuring security. Your knowledge will be further developed to give you a good appreciation of security issues and the steps organisations need to take to protect themselves from security breaches and crime.
About the Computer Science Team
We have a rich mix of knowledge ranging from software development for different types of system through to hardware aspects such as networking. This involves many uses of computing and considers all aspects including security and management. Our knowledge is built up and maintained through our wealth of industrial experience, our industrial links and our research activity. These are the ingredients for ensuring the relevance and vitality of your course.
Much of our research is internationally recognised, particularly in the areas of Games for Learning and in Security. For example, Prof David Brown leads several projects, funded by the European Union, in games and assistive technology, while Prof Paul Evans’ innovative developments in security are supported by USA Dept of Homeland Security.
We engage fully in our subject area and this engagement feeds directly and indirectly into our teaching. Other examples of our activity are:
- developing patents e.g. in voice signal processing
- organising conferences on Interactive Technology and Games and on Intelligent Environments
- working with local companies on funded projects e.g. enhancing the capability of the press association to search their image database
- publishing novel findings in research publications on for example financial prediction, mobile communications, detection of human behaviour patterns.
Learn a new language
Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Find out more about the ULP.
Foundations of Computing Technology and Programming
This module has four strands, including programming and technical aspects that introduce you to the fundamentals of writing computer programs, as well as numeracy and website development.
Essential Skills
Develop the skills required to succeed on your computing degree. You’ll learn how to confidently deal with numerical aspects of your course and practice your web publishing skills by creating and formatting basic web documentation.
Systems Programming
This foundation module in programming explores high-level languages and how to apply them to produce scripts or programs for networking and forensics-related applications.
Systems Technology
Learn the key principles, underlying technologies and practical application of computer networks. You’ll be introduced to embedded systems, fundamentals, operation and hardware components.
Systems Analysis and Design (SAD)
Introducing you to the fundamental principles of SAD, this module will give you a working knowledge of the key systems, development methodologies, techniques and tools.
Professional Development for Industry
This module will enable you to learn about the professional bodies and standards relating to the computing profession and enhance your employability potential by increasing your awareness of the technological, social and economic factors driving the IT industry.
Network Design and Administration
Network infrastructure has become key to the effective operation of most organisations. This module will enable you to plan, configure and manage networking solutions to support business needs.
Cyber Security
Learn to manage the security of computer based information and systems within organisations and develop the ability to make informed choices based on business drivers.
Distributed Network Architectures and Operating Systems
Introduction to operating systems running on single machines and how they can be put together to form a large scale system comprising many networked machines.
Information Security
Apply skills learnt in this module to conduct appropriate risk analysis and generate information assurance plans for a given context.
Practical Project Management & Professional Development
Continued professional development and lifelong learning are important to your future career. Through this module, you’ll improve your time and project management skills, presentations and report writing.
Optional year-long work placement. If you are not taking a placement you will progress directly to your final year in year three.
Project
Investigate problems in computing, implement solutions, critically evaluate and reflect on your work, and develop your abilities to communicate, self-organise and manage.
Security in Practice
Provides you with an understanding of various security vulnerabilities and cyber threats to computer systems and networks and how to assess and evaluate a variety of proactive and reactive security tools to protect computer systems.
Digital Investigations
Learn to plan for computer crime in the corporate environment, the legal issues associated with the events and their investigation, and techniques for acquiring and handling potential evidence.
Advanced Topics in Cyber Security
Study emerging and future developments in computer security reflecting current topics such as IoT security, applications of cryptography, anonymity and privacy enhancing technologies, and big data analysis for security.
Choose one of the following modules:
Service-centric and Cloud Computing
Become accomplished in the design and implementation of object-based distributed solutions for building interoperable large-scale applications and analysing the quality of service.
Internet of Things
Study a range of current and emerging wireless and mobile devices and their application to build an IoT system.
Business Analysis
Discover two challenging aspects of implementing distributed computing systems in Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA).
Information Systems Management
The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of how to manage the build and deployment of enterprise and Internet information systems in small to medium organisations.
Communicating Science and Technology
An opportunity for you to gain valuable transferable skills working as a ‘student-tutor’ with teachers in local schools or to work on a community-based project.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Video Gallery
How you’re taught
Contact time
You'll attend lectures and seminars across various buildings on the Clifton Campus, including:
- ISTeC Building
- Teaching and Learning Building
- Erasmus Darwin Building
How you’re assessed
You will be assessed on a variety of components including:
- Coursework and practical (assignments, dissertation, group projects, oral presentations, reports)
- Written (exams, written tests)
- Year 1 - coursework (83%), written (17%) and practical (0%)
- Year 2 - coursework (62%), written (30%) and practical (8%)
- Year 3 - coursework (92%), written (8%) and practical (0%)
A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study
Careers and employability
Your career development
Nottingham Trent University has an exemplary graduate employment record. As one of our graduates, you will possess a wide range of academic and transferable skills, including investigative and analytical techniques, problem-solving, planning, organisation and communication skills, all of which are invaluable for a number of careers including security analyst, forensic consultant and network administrators
Our recent graduates have secured roles at companies including:
- American Express
- UK Government
- Experian
- Boots UK
- Innovations in Transport
They have gone into a wide variety of job roles including:
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Business Analyst
- Product Consultant
- Cyber security network designer
Many graduates also choose to undertake further study on one of our Masters-level courses or MPhil and PhD research degrees.
Excellent placement opportunities
Placements
NTU is one of the most employment-focused universities. Increasingly, employers want to recruit graduates who have real-world work experience. That’s why all of our courses, across every subject area, offer you a work experience opportunity. Our experts help build and support your future with a range of career programmes and events.
On this course, after your second year, you will have the opportunity to take a year's work placement (sandwich placement). This will give you the chance to gain vital experience and put your knowledge into practice. You're also twice as likely to secure a graduate job within six months if you take a work placement.
Our recent students have taken placements across a wide range of companies including Lexis Nexis, Rolls Royce and The Press Association. They secured varied roles such as Fraud Analyst, Technical Support Specialist and Information Systems Assistant.
You'll be supported and assessed throughout your placement year and will write a reflective report and diary at the end of your placement. When you successfully complete your placement, you will be eligible to receive an additional award of a Diploma in Professional Practice.
Find out more about work placements.
NTU Enterprise
You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, a support centre to help students create, develop and grow their own businesses.
Campus and facilities
The School of Science and Technology is a stimulating and creative environment which equips students with the knowledge and transferable skills to put them ahead of the graduate crowd.
We provide facilities that enhance the quality of our education and push the boundaries of our research. Students have access to specialist centres including:
- games console laboratories
- networking and security laboratories
- human-interactive technology and stereo-projection.
Students also enjoy working with the latest software; examples include EnCase, 3D StudioMax, XNA Xbox development suite, The Adobe Creative Suite (Flash, After Effects, Photoshop) and the Unreal and Half-life Games Engines.
Entry requirements
- Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
- Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
- 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications including A-level equivalent in an IT, Maths or Science subject grade C
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4.
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs approximately £20 - £50.
What's included in the course fees?
Your course fees cover all the facilities and support you need to succeed. This includes the following:
- You will have access to extensive computing facilities, some available 24 hours a day and including technician support.
- You will have dedicated online storage to support backup of work.
- You will have access to Microsoft Academic Alliance membership, which gives you free copies of all Microsoft developer software including operating systems, Visio and Project.
- As one of our students, you will be able to join the Oracle Academic Initiative as an individual member and get free database software.
- Students are able to register for a free personal copy of 3D Studio Max.
- Extensive equipment is available to loan for coursework and project work. For example, you can borrow cameras and phones.
- We offer extensive free training software including tutorials on 3D Studio Max, Flash, Photoshop, TCP/IP Packet analysis, Java, Javascript, HTML5, and Oracle.
- Most major software is available across the campus machines, including Adobe Master Collection Suite.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2494.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government. See our fees.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
What's included in the course fees?
Your course fees cover all the facilities and support you need to succeed. This includes the following:
- You will have access to extensive computing facilities, some available 24 hours a day and including technician support.
- You will have dedicated online storage to support backup of work.
- You will have access to Microsoft Academic Alliance membership, which gives you free copies of all Microsoft developer software including operating systems, Visio and Project.
- As one of our students, you will be able to join the Oracle Academic Initiative as an individual member and get free database software.
- Students are able to register for a free personal copy of 3D Studio Max.
- Extensive equipment is available to loan for coursework and project work. For example, you can borrow cameras and phones.
- We offer extensive free training software including tutorials on 3D Studio Max, Flash, Photoshop, TCP/IP Packet analysis, Java, Javascript, HTML5, and Oracle.
- Most major software is available across the campus machines, including Adobe Master Collection Suite.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs approximately £20 - £50.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Keeping up-to-date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
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