BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Foundation Year

Course Overview
What will you study
Entry Requirements
Careers
Fees & Funding
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BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Foundation Year

university of west london

Awarding Body:

Subject: Information Technology

Last Updated:8 October 2026
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Course Overview

As digital engagement continues to expand, the volume of data generated by individuals and organisations is increasing significantly. Without robust and secure information systems, this data is vulnerable to unauthorised access, potentially resulting in serious operational, financial, and reputational consequences.

This Cyber Security course is designed to prepare the next generation of security professionals by combining fundamental theoretical principles with exposure to emerging technologies and contemporary security solutions.

Throughout the course, you will develop a practical and analytical understanding of key issues related to the design, evaluation, and implementation of modern IT security systems, equipping you with the skills required to address real-world cyber security challenges.

This is a 4-year programme including a Foundation Year (Level 3).

Foundation Year

The foundation year course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue onto your Honours degree. You will study a range of subjects that will underpin your future study and also gain valuable experience of university life, with full access to campus facilities. Successful completion of the year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.

What you'll study

Cyber Security is essentially about the protection of information and information systems. In this Cyber Security course, you will learn how to perform this protective role, exploring different security technologies and studying management processes and control systems.

As you study for your Cyber Security degree, you will:

  • Develop the skills required to tackle modern secure systems
  • Develop an appreciation of commercial and open-source cyber security equipment, software, and services
  • Gain knowledge of management practices and applications central to cyber security issues
  • Develop interpersonal skills and business acumen

Your course will begin with an introduction to Cyber Security. You will also learn about computing principles, including the essentials of programming and algorithms, software engineering, and mathematics and computer architecture. 

You will go on to hone your knowledge in specialist modules that examine key topics in security. Your computing modules will focus on computer science and artificial intelligence, while a team project will help you develop teamwork skills.

Finally, you will focus on advanced Cyber Security topics. This will help you consider the interactions between security and AI to reflect your interests and career ambitions. At the end of your course, you will design and develop a security-related project.

After completing the course, you will have the necessary knowledge and skills to embark on a career in Cyber Security, law enforcement, and cybercrime investigation roles. 

Foundation year

There are many reasons for joining a foundation year course; you may not have the exact subjects or grades at A level to meet the entry requirements, you may have been living abroad, or you may want to change direction with your career. Whatever your starting point, the foundation year offers a firm grounding in the skills and knowledge that you will need to get the most from your studies and thrive at the school. Successful completion of the foundation year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.

Study Options:

Full time (Duration 4 years)
Without Foundation Year (Duration 3 years)
Entry requirements
  • A-Levels at grades B and C (if you have two A-Levels) or grades D, D and D (if you have three), or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma with Merit, Merit, Pass
  • Access to HE Diploma
  • T-Levels 

You also need GCSE English and Maths (grade 9-4 / A*-C) or Level 2 equivalents. 

Mature applicants (aged 21+): If you do not hold the qualifications listed but have relevant work experience, you are welcome to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

Careers

Please note, we regularly review our course content to offer relevant, impactful and career-shaping learning. Therefore, the following modules are indicative and subject to change.

Compulsory modules
Study Skills for Success

This module will enable you to read critically, present an argument and distinguish between the quality and suitability of materials. It will prepare you to use and evaluate a range of evidence sources throughout your degree. 

Introduction to Computing Mathematics

In this module, you will learn the core mathematical skills and statistical concepts and techniques to be able to effectively analyse and present information. You will develop skills in expressing problems in mathematical language, finding solutions to problems and communicating mathematical ideas clearly and succinctly. You will gain essential mathematical skills that will prepare you for other modules. 

Introduction to Web Design and Development

You will cover the basics of web design and development, learning how to integrate text, graphics and behaviour to create interactive webpages using HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript. Other aspects will be covered, such as historic development of the web, architecture and basic client server architecture, protocols such as HTTP, issues of accessibility and usability, standards and standardisation organisations (W3C, Internet Working Group) and security (HTTPS, firewalls, certificates). 

Personalised Learning

The Personalised Learning module is intended to equip you with the study skills needed to successfully progress onto level 4, the first year of undergraduate study. Tutor group sessions are an integral part of the module, where you will consolidate your learning and frame it in the context of your subject area. The module will focus on various aspects of study skills, such as those skills related to reading and writing, learning approaches, problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, researching, referencing, plagiarism, legal research and time management. 

Introduction to Computer Technologies

Some of the technologies you will cover include: 

Hardware (computer systems) 

  • CPU
  • memory
  • motherboard
  • hard drive disk
  • secondary storage
  • graphic cards
  • sound cards
  • input and output devices
  • peripherals (printers, mobile computing devices, tablets, smartphones, etc) 

Software 

  • system software: operating systems, utility programs
  • application software: general purpose application software, special purpose application software, bespoke application software 

Communication technologies 

  • computer networks and components
  • protocols and communication methods 

Social and economic impact 

  • automation
  • cloud computing
  • Internet of Things 
Introduction to Software Development

This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of software programming using Python. This module forms the basis of other programming modules you will undertake during the course.

Please note, we regularly review our course content to offer relevant, impactful and career-shaping learning. Therefore, the following modules are indicative and subject to change.

Compulsory modules
Computer Architecture

This module will help you to learn the basic concepts behind current computer hardware, software and supporting technologies. As you learn these principles, you will understand how computers work beyond the statements of their high-level language, and this will allow you to write more efficient code.

Mathematics for Computing

This module will teach you the basic mathematical concepts and techniques of discrete structures. You will study mathematical logic, sets, relations and functions. The module will develop your skills in expressing problems in mathematical language, using mathematical techniques to find solutions to problems and communicating mathematical ideas clearly and succinctly.

Programming

This module will introduce you to problem-solving skills and key programming principles in order to translate a problem description into a sequence of steps to be executed by a computer. 

The module will cover basic programming concepts and fundamentals including: 

  • an overview of programming paradigms and techniques
  • analysis of problems and design using pseudo-code and flowcharts
  • basic program elements and structure
  • development supported by version-controlled code repositories. 
Cyber Security in Society

This module introduces the basic components and concepts of cyber security in modern society, emphasising not only the technical aspects of cyber security, but also its multi-disciplinary natures including legal and crime, business and management, social and human factors, etc. 

The topics of the module will include: 

  • cyber security threat landscape
  • malware and attacks
  • actors in cyber security and their roles in cyber security affairs
  • authentication and password security
  • networking and network security
  • cryptography and securing digital information
  • web security and cyber ethics
  • cyber crime and warfare
  • cyber law and legislation
  • analysis and management of cyber risks
  • cyber security in business and social media. 
Algorithms and Data Types

This module will help you to gain the knowledge and competence to deal with basic data structures and algorithms. You will learn how to specify collections using abstract data types (ADTs) and to implement them using a variety of techniques such as linked lists and trees. You’ll also use a range of algorithms, including searching and sorting. 

Information Systems and Databases

You will gain the knowledge and skills to design and implement a relational database. This module will cover information security and database management issues and an awareness of the central role of relational and other types of databases.

Please note, we regularly review our course content to offer relevant, impactful and career-shaping learning. Therefore, the following modules are indicative and subject to change.

Compulsory modules
Applied Cryptography

This module is an introduction to modern ideas in cryptology and its applications. Increase of storage, manipulation and transfer of data on computer networks requires effective encryption techniques. This module will provide insight into some of these techniques, algorithms and their development through history. Part of the course is dedicated to the number theory relevant to cryptography.

Theory of Computation

The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts of computational theory and computational complexity. You will learn how to examine whether a given problem can be solved computationally. The module aims to introduce computation science, modelling complex dynamic systems and diagramming models.

Artificial Intelligence

In this module, you will gain insights into key techniques within the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Aspects of AI you will cover include agents, environments and learning as well as techniques such as regression, classification, clustering, reinforcement learning, learning recommendation and decision support systems.

Networks and Security

On this module, you will identify fundamental issues in computer networks and their security, and study approaches for addressing these issues. By learning these principles, you will be able to understand emerging network technology more quickly.

Cyber Threat Analysis

This module is focused on analysing potential cyber security vulnerabilities/threats within diverse platforms such as web and mobile applications. It will emphasise specific security issues for such application domains, with special consideration given to experimentation to identify and assess potential security vulnerabilities within different application domains, followed by an understanding of strategies to mitigate against them.

Computing Group Project

The overall aim of this module is to take a practitioner’s approach to the problems of developing software applications for a case study using agile methods and to provide you with the experience of working collaboratively as part of a project team. The module aims to raise an awareness of the appropriate methodology required for given contexts and to explore business process analysis, business rules, business cases and other techniques as a means of establishing system requirements.

Please note, we regularly review our course content to offer relevant, impactful and career-shaping learning. Therefore, the following modules are indicative and subject to change.

Compulsory modules
Enterprise Security Management

The module aims to introduce managerial approaches to information security in modern enterprises. It considers how to manage the use of information assets securely and support the goals and objectives of enterprises through effective information security governance, risk management, and contingency planning.

Advanced Topics in Cyber Security

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Cyber Crime

This module aims to introduce you to the twenty-first-century offence of cybercrime and the theoretical suppositions underpinning it. It explores the definition, regulation, typologies, methods, categories and patterns of victimisation. It also critically examines law enforcement, regulation and legal issues in digital forensic acquisition.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems with the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience. This module familiarises you with some basic machine learning algorithms and techniques and their applications, as well as general questions related to analysing and handling large data sets. The emphasis will be on machine learning algorithms and applications, with some broad explanation of the underlying principles.

Project

You will investigate a topic of interest and prepare a project proposal. You will then present your ideas to the School for approval and, once this has been approved, you will begin a detailed literature review of your chosen field. You will choose and follow a suitable development methodology leading to an implementation which you will evaluate.

Cyber Security graduates generally have a good record of finding employment and progressing in their profession. Popular roles and jobs for BSc Cyber Security graduates include network or computer security technicians, computer or network security officers and data privacy officers.

Once you graduate, you will be able to look for roles within law enforcement, government agencies, security consultancies and commercial IT departments. 

Job roles
  • Network Security Technician
  • Computer or Network Security Officer
  • Identity and Access Management Officer
  • Threat and Incident Response Analyst
  • Data Privacy Officer
  • Data Protection Adviser
  • Security Operations Analyst
  • Cloud Security Architect
  • Security Consultant
  • Business Continuity Manager
  • Information Risk Manager
  • Information Governance Manager
  • Cryptographer / Cryptologist
  • Security Software Developer
  • Source Code Auditor
  • Malware Analyst
Graduate employers
  • BMW
  • Microsoft Corporation 
  • Capital Letters 
  • BT Group
  • Focus Group – Essential Business Technology 
  • UK Government
  • Honeywell International, Inc 
  • ProCheckUp Ltd 
  • Redscan 
  • SecurityHQ 
  • FMD Consultants.
Fees & Funding

Course Fee: *£9,525

Please note:

  • Fees for the 2026/27 academic year and onwards may be subject to Government regulation and change.
  • Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course. If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year.
  • If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.
  • If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.
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BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Foundation Year

Key Course Information
Price: £9,525 per year.
Intake: January 2027
Duration: 4 Years
Campus: Rainham
Awarded by: University of West London
How You Will Study: Classroom/Flexible/Blended