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BEng (Hons) / MEng (Hons) Cyber Security will teach you how to protect and secure modern data infrastructure. The course will allow you to develop many industry relevant skills based around the ethical hacking framework, underpinned by a thorough understanding of both networking (CCNA) and programming theory.
As the country’s security and prosperity rests on digital foundations it has never been more important to be protected from those who seek to exploit weaknesses and launch attacks.
The course has been created to meet a growing need, as identified by the Scottish and UK Governments, for individuals who possess a skillset to meet the challenges posed by the constantly evolving computer systems.
Graduates of the degree will be looking to progress towards roles such as Chief Security Engineer (CSE) or Chief Security Officer (CSO), in sectors such as healthcare, banking and finance and various security related public sector organisations.
Work placement opportunities available through the School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences allow students to put theory into practice in real-world business environments.
Computing courses at UWS are designed in collaboration with leading companies to produce work-ready graduates with the skills that industry needs.
We work with major industry leaders to give our students work-based learning opportunities to put their knowledge into practice.
Our students graduate ready for career success in this fast-changing, dynamic industry.
HESA performance indicator 2016/17
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience.
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
Advanced entry is only possible to BEng (Hons) Years 2 and 3 of this course for suitably qualified applicants (see below). There are no advanced entry opportunities on the MEng (Hons) course.
If you are initially registered and enrolled on the BEng (Hons) course, and meet the performance requirements in years 1, 2 and 3 you may be eligible to transfer onto the MEng (Hons) in Year 4.
* for more information on standard and minimum entry requirements, see the drop-down section below
* may also be considered for Year 2 entry
* may also be considered for Year 3 entry
Other technical HNDs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and upon content
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.
West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
On our course pages, you will find details of our entry criteria listed as Standard Entry Requirements and Minimum Entry Requirements. These are the academic qualifications that, depending on your personal circumstances, you will be required to meet to allow your application to be considered for a place at UWS.
Competition for places on many of our courses can be very high and even if you meet the standard or minimum qualifications stated, there is no guarantee that your application will progress to the next stage of the admissions process. We review individual applications very closely and place great importance on your personal statement and academic reference as well as your academic qualifications before making selection decisions.
Our Standard Entry Requirements are the grades that you will need to achieve to allow you to be considered for entry to a specific programme of study.
Our Minimum Entry Requirements are applicable to those applicants who have not had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic ability at school or college and are known as ‘widening access’ applicants. We also sometimes refer to this type of applicant as receiving a ‘contextual’ offer. We may be able to provide you with a contextual offer if you fall into one of the categories below:
If you fall into any of the first four categories above, please mention this on your UCAS application. We will automatically apply category 5 if it applies to you.
If you have already achieved the required grades for either our standard or minimum entry criteria, we may be able to offer you an unconditional offer for some course areas. If you have not yet achieved these grades, we may be able to make you a conditional offer, which will rely on you achieving further qualifications before you can be accepted on to a programme of study.
Further details of our Admissions processes can be found as follows:
This course will provide you with the necessary skills to protect and secure modern data infrastructure. This is all underpinned by a thorough knowledge of both networking (CCNA) and programming theory.
Throughout your studies, you will study a wide range of topics including operating and computer systems security; wireless networks and their security; intrusion detection and prevention; and network security auditing and monitoring.
Broaden your horizons, learn a new language and prepare for the best international opportunities available with study abroad at UWS.
Find out more about the structure, learning outcomes, compulsory and optional modules in this course.
Remote surgery, driverless cars and smooth mobile HD streaming could all become a reality thanks to pioneering research taking place at UWS.
UWS computing researchers Jose Alcaraz-Calero and Qi Wang are the technical leads on the SELFNET project, which is developing a ‘self-healing’ mobile network. The new network is 1,000 times faster than 4G, delivering dramatic improvements to quality of user experience, reliability and security – and unlocking a wealth of new online opportunities.
”SELFNET will allow 5G networks to make possible things that would have been considered science fiction just a few years ago.”
As part of this course, you will hear from PhD students who are working on the 5G mobile project, and the course content will be updated to reflect the findings of this work.
£1,820 Cost of study per year (paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
£9,250 Cost of study per year (for four years but you will not pay more than £27,750)
£9,250 Cost of study per year (for four years but you will not pay more than £27,750)
£17,250 Cost per year of study
£1,820 Cost of study per year (paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
£9,250 Cost of study per year (for five years but you will not pay more than £37,000)
£9,250 Cost of study per year (for five years but you will not pay more than £37,000)
£18,000 Cost per year of study
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.
Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:
The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.
You can also find additional information in our Undergraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.
Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials and textbooks, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.
For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.
Note: The library will hold some copies of the textbooks but not enough for every student. Students can purchase second hand copies when possible or use older versions if advised by the module coordinator. Students can also sell their copies after the course. This helps manage the cost.
Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library and online resources for all reading materials (some will be available digitally also). However, you may choose to purchase some or all of the recommended textbooks yourself. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variable but are not expected to exceed £150.
Photocopying (Optional)
All modules are available on our VLE (Moodle) and therefore notes are available digitally. Some assessments require hardcopy submission and may incur small printing costs. It is estimated that over the course of the year, you may spend c.£20 on photocopying. This is not essential and you may choose to spend more, or less according to your needs.
Stationary costs (Optional)
Small costs associated with stationary requirements may be incurred throughout the year but these depend on personal needs and preferences. As a guide, it is estimated that you may spend c.£20 per session on stationary.
Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library and online resources for all reading materials (some will be available digitally also). However, you may choose to purchase some or all of the recommended textbooks yourself. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variable but are not expected to exceed £150.
Photocopying (Optional)
All modules are available on our VLE (Moodle) and therefore notes are available digitally. Some assessments require hardcopy submission and may incur small printing costs. It is estimated that over the course of the year, you may spend c.£20 on photocopying. This is not essential and you may choose to spend more, or less according to your needs.
Stationary costs (Optional)
Small costs associated with stationary requirements may be incurred throughout the year but these depend on personal needs and preferences. As a guide, it is estimated that you may spend c.£20 per session on stationary.
Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library and online resources for all reading materials (some will be available digitally also). However, you may choose to purchase some or all of the recommended textbooks yourself. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variable but are not expected to exceed £150.
Laboratory equipment (Optional)
As part of your studies it is recommended that you purchase the ELEGOO UNO R3 Super Starter Kit Compatible with Arduino IDE. This costs around £45.
Photocopying (Optional)
All modules are available on our VLE (Moodle) and therefore notes are available digitally. Some assessments require hardcopy submission and may incur small printing costs. It is estimated that over the course of the year, you may spend c.£20 on photocopying. This is not essential and you may choose to spend more, or less according to your needs.
Stationary costs (Optional)
Small costs associated with stationary requirements may be incurred throughout the year but these depend on personal needs and preferences. As a guide, it is estimated that you may spend c.£20 per session on stationary.
Graduation fees (Optional for those exiting with BEng award)
These fees are set annually by the University and are subject to review. For session 19/20 these were set at £10 Registration Fee. Academic dress and official photography (optional) for graduation ceremonies is hired and arranged respectively from external suppliers.
Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library and online resources for all reading materials (some will be available digitally also). However, you may choose to purchase some or all of the recommended textbooks yourself. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variable but are not expected to exceed £150.
Photocopying (Optional)
All modules are available on our VLE (Moodle) and therefore notes are available digitally. Some assessments require hardcopy submission and may incur small printing costs. It is estimated that over the course of the year, you may spend c.£20 on photocopying. This is not essential and you may choose to spend more, or less according to your needs.
Stationary costs (Optional)
Small costs associated with stationary requirements may be incurred throughout the year but these depend on personal needs and preferences. As a guide, it is estimated that you may spend c.£20 per session on stationary.
Dissertation (Mandatory)
Your final year dissertation is a core and mandatory piece of research undertaken in your final year of studies. Printing your dissertation (bound copies) will incur a cost. Depending upon the size of the dissertation and the content it can cost anything between £15-40.
Graduation fees (Mandatory for those exiting with BEng (Hons) award)
These fees are set annually by the University and are subject to review. For session 19/20 these were set at £10 Registration Fee. Academic dress and official photography (optional) for graduation ceremonies is hired and arranged respectively from external suppliers.
Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library and online resources for all reading materials (some will be available digitally also). However, you may choose to purchase some or all of the recommended textbooks yourself. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variable but are not expected to exceed £150.
Photocopying (Optional)
All modules are available on our VLE (Moodle) and therefore notes are available digitally. Some assessments require hardcopy submission and may incur small printing costs. It is estimated that over the course of the year, you may spend c.£20 on photocopying. This is not essential and you may choose to spend more, or less according to your needs.
Stationary costs (Optional)
Small costs associated with stationary requirements may be incurred throughout the year but these depend on personal needs and preferences. As a guide, it is estimated that you may spend c.£20 per session on stationary.
Dissertation (Mandatory)
Your final year dissertation is a core and mandatory piece of research undertaken in your final year of studies. Printing your dissertation (bound copies) will incur a cost. Depending upon the size of the dissertation and the content it can cost anything between £15-40.
Graduation fees (Mandatory)
These fees are set annually by the University and are subject to review. For session 19/20 these were set at £10 Registration Fee. Academic dress and official photography (optional) for graduation ceremonies is hired and arranged respectively from external suppliers.
Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.
Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as an undergraduate student.
Scottish students studying at undergraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at undergraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
EU students studying at undergraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at undergraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.
Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.
If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.
At UWS, we believe financial restrictions should never be a barrier to your education.
The WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship Programme aims to remove the financial barriers that stop talented students from progressing throughout their degree to graduation.
Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.
All UK and EU applicants for undergraduate study, not applying through an agent or partner, should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)
The on-time application deadline for 2022/23 entry is 25 January 2023, 18:00 (UK time). For some courses it may still be possible to apply beyond this period, subject to suitable vacancies remaining. The final deadline for late applications via UCAS is 30 June 2022, 18:00 (UK time). Beyond this deadline, you may be able to apply via ‘UCAS Clearing’ if the course you are interested in has remaining places.
Please refer to our Undergraduate Application Guide to find more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS.
Students from non-EU/non-EEA countries can apply directly to UWS via our dedicated online application system. The latest we can process your application is 6 weeks before the course start date to allow for visa processing times. For more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS please refer to our International Undergraduate Application Guide.
For part-time & online study, you should apply directly to the University through our online application system, not through UCAS. Please select the part-time mode of study when submitting your application. Before you begin your application, it is important to read the part-time application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.
To come to UWS as a visiting student on a study abroad or exchange programme, you must apply entirely through our online system.
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
Going to university is about much more than getting a qualification, it’s also the chance to enjoy an exciting social life, gain some independence and make the most of the new opportunities available.
Discover More About UWSWe will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.