Course summary

• Learn the skills to provide in-depth cyber defences that are highly sought after by industry
• Develop knowledge of network and application cyber security
• Understand the fundamental principles behind the tools and techniques used to secure data
• Create complex technical solutions to real-world security problems

You will develop a deep understanding of practical cyber security, including key concepts of networks, applications and systems. You will become a cyber security practitioner who understands and can build upon the fundamental principles to provide complex cyber defences to solve real-world problems.

How you learn

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

This course starts by helping you to develop strong practical skills in cyber security though lectures and hands-on tutorial sessions. During these sessions, you will build the knowledge, experience, understanding and critical thinking needed to solve cyber security problems. 

Those fundamental skills are further developed by introducing you to real-world projects. You will collaborate in small teams to produce deliverables introduced and inspired by industry. This helps you prepare for the world of work in a supportive learning environment.

During your final year, you will create a significant cyber security deliverable guided by a dedicated project supervisor. As part of this individual project, you will undertake research and develop new skills while creating a solution to a complex cyber security problem.

The course encourages you to take an active approach to learning and self-development to develop highly sought-after cyber security skills through problem-solving activities, practical implementation and teamwork.

You learn through

• lectures
• hands-on lab sessions and tutorials
• regular feedback
• teamwork and group-based learning
• applied learning discussions
• self-study

Applied learning

Work placements

You will have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement between your second and third years. This gives you real-world experience to prepare you for your future career by immersing yourself in the industry you have been learning about.

Students from this course have been on placement with companies such as IBM, various police forces, Microsoft, NHS, the civil service and BAE Systems. Students have the opportunity to practice cyber security skills while on placement as well as benefiting from the network of practitioners that they work alongside.

Live projects

During each year of your study, you will be applying your learning using industry-based and industry-inspired projects. These projects will challenge you to solve real-world cyber security problems while developing team and project management skills.

We work in partnership with the North East Business Resilience Centre (NEBRC), a non-profit organisation aiming at supporting and helping to protect regional businesses from cybercrime. NEBRC employs our students to deliver specialist services during their studies. The NEBRC was established in 2019, funded by a variety of private and public partners including the Police, to provide specialist services to a range of businesses and members across England.

Networking opportunities

We are a member of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) Academic Partner Programme which accredits our course to industry standard. The CIISec is the only information and cyber security institution to have been granted Royal Charter status. This partnership supports our students to develop contacts within the cyber security community. It also provides access to a world-class speaker track and the opportunity to network with prospective employers.

Future careers

This course prepares you for the following careers

• chief information security officer
• incident response analyst
• information security analyst
• penetration tester
• security architect
• IT security engineer
• security systems administrator
• IT security consultant

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for companies such as

• Cisco
• Citrix
• 3Squared
• F-Secure
• NextGen Security
• Servelec Group
• Hewlett-Packard
• IBM
• Sec-1
• Info-Assure
• Sky
• G-Research
• Exponential-e

Accreditation

This course is accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional and partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

City Campus map | Campus facilities | Keeping safe on Campus

Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

Get directions

Adsetts library

Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

Learn more

Entry requirements

Modules

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

Fees and funding

Additional course costs

This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.