Computer Security BSc (Hons)

About the course

Computer security is about appropriate access to digital assets and this course covers a mix of technical computing and professional practice in a modern and varied curriculum.

Abuses of digital technology are studied, along with the skills needed to investigate them. Computational theory is exercised in a range of experimental playgrounds and you will learn to interpret complex scenarios and explain them to nonspecialists. The course has been designed for students who want to pursue a career in either forensic computing or computer security.

Reasons to study Computer Security at DMU:

• Benefit from a fortnightly series of guest lectures, given by a wide range of experts in the forensics and security domain
• The course is part of DMU’s Cyber Security Centre, which has a renowned reputation in computer forensics and computer security. This shapes the curriculum so that you learn what is important
• Be taught by a twelve strong team of experienced, specialist forensics and security staff who teach, manage and continually develop the Forensic Computing and Computer Security degrees.

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Key facts

UCAS course code: G550

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Institution code: D26

Entry and admission criteria

Entry requirements for 2014

• Normally 260 UCAS Points from at least two A Levels or equivalent
• Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including Maths and English
• BTEC requirements: Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) at National Diploma Level.
• Additional qualifications can contribute towards the points score such as a third A Level or AS Levels
• International Baccalaureate: 28+ points.

If you are unsure about the amount of UCAS points your qualifications may attract you can use our UCAS Tariff Chart|.

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications.

If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent when you start the course is essential. English language tuition| is available at DMU both before and during the course if required.

Teaching and assessment

In the first year, you will normally attend around 18 hours per week of timetabled taught sessions: 67 per cent lectures and 33 per cent in smaller group laboratory and tutorial sessions.

In the second year, timetabled sessions will be around 14 hours per week: 70 per cent in lectures and 30 per cent in smaller group laboratory and tutorial sessions.

In the final year, timetabled session will be around 10 hours: 80 per cent lectures and 20 per cent smaller group laboratory sessions and project supervision.

Assessment is made up of roughly 50 per cent end of year examination and 50 per cent coursework in each year. The coursework takes a variety of forms, with frequent laboratory based phase tests providing early feedback on progress.

Assessed essays will be set for some topics and you will put together a portfolio to showcase your abilities. In the second year, more substantial assignments are set, including a research study.

In the final year, assessment is typically by examination, with core material being assessed by coursework. A prominent part of the course is the fortnightly series of guest lectures, given by a wide range of experts in the forensics and security domain.

Course modules

First year

• Computer Ethics
• Computer Law
• Portfolio (Forensics and Security)
• Operating Systems
• Network Security
• Computer Architecture
• Programming in C
• Algorithms
• Scientific Testing
• Mathematics
• Functional Programming

Second year

• Internet Protocols
• Databases
• Secure Scripting
• Linux Security
• Windows Forensics
• Organisations
• Project Management
• Research
• Data Structures
• Concurrent and Parallel Systems

Third year core modules

• Topics in Security
• Professionalism
• Individual Project

Work experience and placements

You can improve your CV, become highly employable and put the skills you learn on your course into practice by taking a work placement as part of your studies.

Technology's dedicated Placement Unit| provides support to all of our students looking to integrate a placement within their university career on both undergraduate degrees and postgraduate masters programmes. The placement unit will help you search for placement opportunities, create and refine your CV and interview approach, and offer any advice you need to find a great placement. Our placement students have worked for a range of organisations from small business through to multinational companies across the world including Microsoft Ltd, IBM, GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) and PepsiCo International.

Placements can enhance your career prospects and give you the chance to use theory from the classroom in a real-world scenario before you have graduated.

Students of this course have recently taken part in work experience placements at Syngenta, Jadu, ECSC and Go MAD Thinking.

Graduate careers

Graduates will be able to pursue careers as computer security specialists within a wide range of industries, including law enforcement, government agencies and security consultancies, or within commercial IT departments and other computing positions where computer security is an issue.

Fees and funding

UK/EU Full-time £9,000 Placement year £650 Part-time (Where available) 4 year course £5,925 per year 6 year course £3,950 per year Per module £988 per 15 credits International
Full-time £11,250 Placement year £750

For more information please take a look at our Fees and Funding| section.

Scholarships

Scholarships and bursaries are available to home undergraduate students studying on a full time basis. To see if you are eligible, take a look at the Fees and Funding| section of the website.

Facilities

The Cyber Security Labs are amongst the best equipped facilities of this type in the UK. Developed in consultation with leaders in the industry, they are designed to meet the highest forensics and security standards.

The labs contain 65 high-spec, specially customised PCs configured with multiple operating systems, virtualisation and removable hard drives, as well as specialised servers, wired and wireless networking equipment and a wide variety of other hardware and software components.

Industry standard investigative software is used to support the forensic analysis of both computer and mobile phone data. Students on the computer forensics and security programmes spend almost all of their practical time in these labs; configuring typical e-commerce systems through to military grade systems, defending, attacking and analysing them and practising with the latest forensics tools and techniques.

The lab facilities are also used to show students how to penetrate systems and how to spot a successful attack.

Security

Security in the labs is tight. Once past the outer electronic locks, there is an 'airlock' room in which all bags and electronic devices are locked away before access to the lab is granted.

The labs are heavily defended and its network is easily isolated from the outside world. It is important, however, that the more lawless parts of the Internet can be reached from the lab – modern malware research demands easy access to hacking websites – and the lab machines are able to access sites that are deemed too dangerous for computers in the rest of the university.

It is essential that no computer viruses or other malware can get into the labs undetected, and even more vital that the highly dangerous software within the labs cannot escape.

Cyber Security Centre

The labs are also the base for the University's Cyber Security Centre| (CSC), a multidisciplinary group of academics and industry experts who focuson a wide variety of cyber security and digital forensics issues. Their mission is to provide the full benefits to all of a safe, secure and resilient cyberspace.

The labs play a vital role in the group's research and development work. Whether you are a first year undergraduate or a PhD student, within the labs you will be working with the latest tools and techniques at the forefront of computer forensics and security research.

Facility tour

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