Cyber Security (with Placement Year)

Join a degree in cyber security degree in Cambridge and gain the essential knowledge and skills needed to become a cyber security professional, protecting vital IT services as part of a rapidly-growing industry.

• Study in the Silicon Fen, home to Apple, Microsoft, Samsung AI and many more – the perfect opportunity to connect with top employers.

• Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed and developed with regional employers, such as PA Consulting and Kear Technology Solutions to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.

• Gain access to the Cisco CCNA, CompTIA Security+ and EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) curricula.

• Explore our on-site specialist labs and our online virtual lab (NETLAB), which are equipped with cyber security and forensics tools and operating systems.

• We're a Cisco Networking Academy, a CompTIA Academic Partner, an EC-Council Academic Partner, VMWare Academy, and AWS Academy.

Cyber attacks make headlines across the globe, and demand for talented computing graduates is outstripping supply. With governments and organisations increasing their cyber protection budgets, there’s never been a better time to invest in your future career by studying cyber security at ARU.

We'll enable you to fine-tune your network and data skills, take an optional placement year, and make your mark in the global cyber security industry.

You’ll start your cyber security education at ARU by learning about the fundamentals of computing, including computer networks, Linux operating systems, client/server architectures and secure high-level software development. You'll come to understand and recognise the cybercrime threats that organisations, and their infrastructures, face.

You’ll go on to study the cryptographic principles underpinning digital security and their application, how organisations' infrastructures can be protected from attack, and how digital forensics can be used to investigate cyber related crime and malware infections. In a Security Management module, we’ll investigate how organisations visualise security operations, undertake threat intelligence and investigate potential threats.

Our cyber security degree course includes access to the CCNA Routing and Switching and EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) curriculums. This gives you the chance to progress your university education to full certification – you’ll just need to pay for your exam fees.

Our specialist labs are the perfect place to apply your knowledge and skills, carrying out penetration testing and digital forensic investigations, and analysing how malware operates. They’re equipped with tools such as Kali Linux Penetration Testing Distribution, X-Ways Forensic, Autopsy, Cisco PacketTracer, OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite.

The university is active within both the cyber security and digital forensics industries, working closely as Academic Supporters for OWASP Cambridge (Open Web Application Security Project), CIISec (Chartered Institute of Information Security), BCS Cybercrime Forensics Special Internet Group, CREST and ISACA London.

Our school’s Cyber Security and Networking Research Group hosts regular networking events with industry, including guest lectures, capture the flag events and open source project placements through Google Summer of Code (GSoC).

We work actively with both national and international law enforcement through our working relationships and research activities with Home Office, ECTEG (European Cybercrime Training and Education Group) and Cyber Resilience Centre in the East.

During your time at ARU, you’ll also get the opportunity for a placement year in industry which will see you linked with a high-tech hub company in Cambridge, the region and beyond. You’ll build up valuable work experience and make industry contacts to benefit your studies and enhance your long-term career prospects.

Year 1:
Introduction to Networks (30 credits)
Introduction to System Architecture and Automation (30 credits)
Software Principles (30 credits)
Core Mathematics for Computing (15 credits)
Cyber Crime Fundamentals (15 credits)

Year 2:
Cloud and IoT (15 credits)
Network Routing and Switching Essentials (30 credits)
Digital Security (15 credits)
Networking Technologies (30 credits)
Principles of Digital Forensics (15 credits)
Ruskin Module (15 credits)

Year3:
Work Placement (120 credits)

Year 4:
Final Project (30 credits)
Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures (15 credits)
Digital Forensics and Malware Science (15 credits)
Professional Issues: Computing and Society (15 credits)
Security Management, Operations and Analytics (30 credits)
Software Security (15 credits)

We’ll use a range of assessment methods to help measure your progress. Besides exams, you’ll undertake coursework, lab tests, group work, presentations, case studies and log books.