No longer accepting entries for September 2021

Due to high levels of demand for our Cybersecurity programme, we are no longer able to accept new applications for entry this September 2021. If you applied to Aston for Cybersecurity by the 2021 UCAS deadline (29th January), please be assured that all applications received on time will receive equal consideration for a place to study with us in line with our published entry requirements.

If you wish to apply for a place for 2022 entry, you will be able to apply once UCAS applications open for 2022 entry (expected to be September 2021); please ensure you apply by the relevant UCAS deadline (expected to be January 2022) to be considered for a place for 2022 entry.

If you have any questions you can contact our admissions team at [email protected].

Course outline

Get prepared for a career in an area that needs skilled graduates to prevent security threats. Cybersecurity experts need to think like the hacker in order to effectively protect against cyber attacks, and this is what Aston will teach you.

On this new course, you’ll work in a specialist computer lab, testing systems by attempting to hack in. This is a critical part of your learning to identify and protect against security threats.

What you’ll learn

You will learn how to help organisations to keep their businesses and customers safe with this practical course that will develop your professional and technical skills.

The practical orientation of our programme, and industry input, will enable you to gain the full range of professional skills you need to start a career in cybersecurity.

Throughout the course, you will develop expertise in cybersecurity and the key applications of computing science with a particular emphasis on applications in industry and commerce.

You’ll be given a grounding in computer science early in your course before focusing on a range of topics including security management, designing secure systems and human factors in security.

If you choose our four year programme, you’ll spend your third year in a paid professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and further enhance your career prospects. Our staff will help you find a suitable placement and support you during your year.

Our current and recent placement employers include companies in the UK and abroad such as: IBM, 3M, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Intel, BT, Corus and TNT.

In your final year, you’ll undertake a project to enable you to further explore a particular subject. Your project could be based on a topic from an extensive list or you can suggest your own, perhaps based on your professional placement.

The Computer Science group provide opportunities to get involved in the student-run software development organisation, Beautiful Canoe, through the provision of a number of summer internships every year. There is also an Industry Club, open to everyone, which gives you opportunities to meet with employers and showcase your work, increasing your chance of securing that all-important graduate job or placement.

Modules

Your learning experience will be a combination of lectures and seminars and more practical teaching, including lab exercises, practical classes and computer-aided learning.

This variety enables you to develop the skills and experience you’ll need to create, analyse and test cybersecurity systems. Assessment will be through a combination of written and oral examinations, class tests, individual and group coursework, projects, presentations and practical assessments.

The government has identified a shortage in qualified graduates in the area of cybersecurity, calling it a 'national vulnerability that must be resolved' in its National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Our graduates will be in high demand and will find stimulating and rewarding positions with high-profile organisations, either in cybersecurity roles or across a range of computer science careers.