Overview

Every organisation that stores data or runs on digital systems is a potential target, and the people who can anticipate attacks and investigate them afterwards are in constant demand. The BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Digital Forensics course at Bournemouth University trains students to manage, implement and assess security across business activities, and to use technology to prevent or respond to security incidents. Its distinctive pairing of ethical hacking with forensic investigation lets students see an attack from both the offensive and the investigative side. Practical, industry-focused tasks and research projects involving university staff and outside experts from the UK and abroad support this work in specialist cyber security laboratories. Teaching comes from senior academics, practitioners, demonstrators and technicians, with regular guest lectures from industry. The course is provisionally certified by the National Cyber Security Centre and has initial accreditation from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, pending full accreditation. An EC-Council academic partnership and Cisco Network Academy membership give students routes to industry certification preparation, and an optional work placement is available. It suits analytical, technical and practical students who want to work in security or forensic computing, and they will gain the versatility to take on a wide range of specialist roles.

What You'll Learn

• Computer fundamentals, networking and virtualisation

• Programming and software engineering

• Introduction to cyber security

• Ethical hacking and associated security techniques

• Security operations and real-time breach detection

• Network and cyber management

• Technological innovations in cyber security

• Digital forensics and investigation techniques

• Human factors in complex systems

• Software business and digital futures

• Individual project on a topic of your choice

• Optional study in digital transformation, systems development, data visualisation and software quality assurance

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will understand computing and security at several levels, from hardware, networks and virtualisation to the design and management of secure infrastructure and the wider social and legal impact of digital technology. They will be able to apply ethical hacking techniques to test defences, monitor real-time security data to detect breaches and respond effectively, and conduct a structured digital forensic investigation using appropriate skills, techniques and technologies. Hands-on laboratory work and team-based units build practical competence and the ability to develop security solutions using emerging technologies, while programming and mathematical grounding supports sound technical judgement. Students learn to evaluate risk and technology critically and to consider how people interact with complex systems. The individual project asks them to identify a problem, then select and implement a solution, and option units let them specialise in areas such as digital transformation or data visualisation.