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Course starts: 15 September 2025Apply now
Address the needs of cybersecurity and digital forensics professionals. Develop expertise in the preservation and extraction of digital evidence from computer systems and networks. Examine the overlap between cybersecurity and digital forensics and the preventative approach to cybercrime.
This course is excellent preparation for jobs in cybersecurity and digital forensics, which is a rapidly growing area given the rise in computer-related crime. At the same time, the course also covers all the fundamentals of computing, leaving your career options open.
Topics include computer security, development of secure systems and networks, cybersecurity and practical aspects of digital forensics.
As part of the course, we also offer you the chance to achieve the professional certification ‘Certified Ethical Hacker’ (CEH). We do this by embedding the learning material for the certification directly into one of our modules.
Obtaining CEH status brings forth a multitude of advantages. Firstly, it serves as a prominent marker of cybersecurity expertise, validating your ability to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities in digital systems. This certification opens doors to lucrative career opportunities, commanding higher salaries and ensuring job stability, especially in an era marked by escalating cyber threats. CEH training offers hands-on experience, compliance adherence, and professional networking, fostering ethical hacking practices and enhancing cybersecurity awareness. Beyond the technical aspects, CEH certification offers an intellectually stimulating and rewarding path, where you’ll continuously face new challenges while safeguarding digital assets responsibly and ethically.
Teaching methods include lectures, tutorials, seminars and laboratory sessions. You will be encouraged to develop independent study skills as well as work with other students on group projects.
As well as assessments that count towards your degree, there are also ongoing opportunities for feedback and consolidating your learning.
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: |
| Sat score of 1250/1600 from SATs | |
| AP (Grades 3+ in at least 3 subjects) | |
| ACT (score of 30+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual fee is:
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
This course has a strong emphasis on real-world learning that boosts employability and equips you to make a bigger contribution in the workplace.
In your final year of the course you'll undertake a major individual project with research-active staff. This adds to your hands-on experience and, in some cases, leads to a job offer that can be taken up as soon as the course ends.
Our graduates have gone on to become web programmers, IT managers, information analysts and software developers. Employers that have taken on our graduates include Sage, British Airways and the NHS. Other graduates have started their own businesses or become software contractors earning over £50,000 a year.
Employers are increasingly looking not only for strong CVs but also real-life demonstrations of technical know-how and commitment to self-development. All computing students at the University of Sunderland develop e-portfolios that become showcases of personal progress. A typical e-portfolio would include audits of your skills, reflections on your areas of strength, evidence of how you have tackled weaker areas, and tools for joining up your learning in different modules.
The modules I took as part of my studies have helped me in my various cyber security roles.
The hands-on experience I gained on the course was invaluable.
