BSc (Hons)

Applied Cyber Security including Foundation Year

Kickstart your career with expert cyber security education working on real-world cyber security projects while gaining hugely valuable skills and experience, with the added opportunity to undertake specialist certification.

How to apply Apply through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us

Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    7B8F

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,790*

  • International students

    £17,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
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With increasing disruption to our critical systems and personal data, we need highly skilled cyber security graduates now more than ever.

Designed For

This course is designed for those with a keen interest in cyber security, penetration testing, digital crime investigation, cyber governance, risk and compliance, and incident response.

Accredited by

  • BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

Career Paths

  • Law Enforcement
  • Military
  • Intelligence Services
  • Security Operations and Incident Response Analyst 
  • Cyber Security Consultancy 

Skills taught

  • All aspects of Cyber Security, including governance, risk and compliance
  • Legislation and Digital Forensics 
  • Presentation and Communication Skills
  • Analytical Skills
  • Problem Solving Skills

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

Three students gather around a desktop computer to discuss a group project in a USW cyber security workshop
A cyber security student with ginger hair is talking while sat at a desktop computer in a USW computer workshop
A cyber security academic wearing a grey coat and a green lanyard talks to a student off camera while working at a desktop computer with a student in a red puffer jacket and large windows behind themin a cyber security workshop

Course Highlights

Cyber University of the Year Winners

Winners of Cyber University of the Year at the National Cyber Awards in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, and finalists in 2025.

Organisational Links

Real-world experience through our close connections with police, law enforcement, & private sector and have strong links with National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), South Wales Police Digital Forensics Unit, Gwent Police Hi Tech Crime Unit, Thales, Airbus, Cyber Wales, The Royal Mint, Bridewell, to name just a few.

Industry Leading Tools

Industry leading penetration testing and digital forensic tools feature throughout the course enhancing student experience. These include (2023) Kali Linux, Magnet Axiom, VMWare and many others.

Additional Certifications

Students will have the opportunity to undertake various additional certificates such as CISCO’s Cyber Ops*, Bond Solon Expert Witness Skills, EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker* (may incur additional costs for certificate examination) examinations.

Professional Accreditations and Standards of Excellence

The course is accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT. The department has been awarded by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as a Gold Standard Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education.

Module Overview

In your Foundation Year, you’ll explore real-world challenges, build practical, academic, and teamwork skills, and develop curiosity, confidence, and problem-solving abilities to prepare for future study and impact.

Starting your University Journey
This module helps you develop academic, personal and professional skills for university study. You’ll reflect on your progress, build confidence, and create an evidence-based portfolio to support your future learning. 

Programming Fundamentals: First Steps into Software Development 
This module introduces core programming concepts and software development practices, helping you plan, write, test, and refine code while building problem-solving skills and confidence using modern development environments and methodologies. 

Data Solutions That Drive Change  
This module introduces information systems and databases, showing you how to collect, organise, and protect data. Through real-world examples, you will discover how data powers smart, secure, and responsible decisions that drive real change. 

The Impact Challenge 
You’ll work in teams with other Foundation Year students to tackle real-world challenges, developing solutions through research, curiosity, collaboration, and responsible problem-solving while building skills that will support your future studies. 

Course Highlights

How you will learn

You’ll learn by doing, through real-world activities that help you understand how learning works at university. You’ll be encouraged to ask questions, explore new ideas and work with others, as well as independently. Teaching builds confidence, critical thinking and reflection, supported by digital tools. Regular feedback helps you track progress, plan next steps and build resilience and a strong sense of belonging as you prepare for higher-level study. 

How you’ll be assessed

You’ll be assessed in different ways, including short tasks, coursework, presentations, and group work. Early assessments are designed to support your learning and help you understand what is expected at university. Most assessments are coursework-based and help you develop key skills such as research, academic writing, teamwork, and communication. You’ll also reflect on your progress and use university systems and digital tools. Clear, timely feedback will help you understand how to improve and support your next steps. 

Placements

The University has excellent relationships with industry, with students undertaking placements with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Home Office Scientific Development Research Branch (London), GCHQ, Qinetiq, Cy4or, financial services, international banks, the Office for National Statistics, digital forensics companies and various government departments. We also have strong links with security agencies, incident response organisations handling cyber-attacks and local police forces.

Facilities

Our facilities are at the cutting edge of cyber education, meaning you’ll use the latest technologies and software in our high-spec labs. There’s a Secure Operations Centre (SOC), modelled on industry SOCs, designed to provide managed support for organisations. Our Digital Investigation Lab is typical of those used by law enforcement agencies and corporate organisations to analyse digital files and media for use in supporting corporate and criminal investigations. 

You can join the fight against cyber-crime in our National Cyber Security Academy and become part of that next generation of Cyber Security Experts. We use leading digital forensic software and include industry engagement within modules while also helping you to network to support your learning while emulating a working environment. 

Accreditations and Partnerships

CISCO Academy Partner
Accredited by BCS

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS Points: 48 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A-Level: DD
  • Welsh BACC: N/A
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Pass Pass Pass or BTEC Diploma Pass Pass.
  • Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points.
  • T Level: Pass (D or E)

 

Additional Requirements:

The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics and English at Grade C or above, or their equivalent but consideration is given to individual circumstances. 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,790

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£17,200

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of stationery, printing, or equipment during your foundation year.  For costs after you progress to year 1 of your degree programme, please see the list below.

A number of events, such as careers talks, guest lectures etc will be available to students and may take place at locations other than the Newport campus. Students will be expected to pay the cost of transport to these events, which will of course depend on where students live.

Cost: Variable

Throughout the course students will have the opportunity to undertake learning, working towards professional and industry led certificates such as CISCO’s Cyber Ops, Bond Solon Expert Witness Skills, EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker.  Some of these certificates are available at an additional cost to students, however they are all offered at a reduced educational discount that may not be available outside of Higher Education.

Cost: Variable

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

FOR OUR DIGITAL FORENSICS MODULE, WE WENT AND DID A SEARCH WARRANT FOR A HOUSE, WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING. THE CURRICULUM IS TAILORED WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES THAT BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND REAL-WORLD APPLICATION.

Sam Whatley

Applied Cyber Security student

AS SOMEONE WHO PREFERS LEARNING THROUGH PRACTICAL APPLICATION, THE COURSE STRUCTURE WAS A PERFECT FIT.

Gareth George

Applied Cyber Security student

THE GUIDANCE WE RECEIVED, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY PHASES, FELT LIKE A SUPPORTIVE HAND GUIDING US THROUGH THE WORKINGS OF THE INDUSTRY.

Savva Pistolas

Applied Cyber Security student

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

A student sat smiling and talking to friends off camera in Treforest Student's Union
Student Life
University of South Wales Newport Campus.
Newport Campus
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

Cyber University of the Year for four years running at the National Cyber Awards.

  • Awarded by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as Gold Standard Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education.

  • CISCO Academy Partner

92%

Of BSc (Hons) Applied Cyber Security students at USW were satisfied with their course

National Student Survey 2024

  • Awarded by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as Gold Standard Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education.

  • CISCO Academy Partner

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Graduates of this course benefit from excellent employment prospects across a wide range of security-focused industries. You can progress into roles such as penetration tester, information security analyst, digital forensic investigator, or security operations centre analyst, working with corporate organisations, law enforcement, government agencies, and private consultancies. Many graduates also pursue careers in incident response, malware analysis, cyber governance, and military cyber security. With demand for skilled cyber professionals continuing to grow, this course equips you with the technical expertise, practical experience, and professional awareness needed to build a secure and rewarding career in this rapidly evolving field. 

Industry partners

We have strong links with key people and organisations in cyber security, who develop live briefs with us and offer placement opportunities. These include government departments such as the Financial Conduct Authority, Home Office Scientific Development Research Branch, GCHQ, Office for National Statistics and The Royal Mint. Also, law enforcement agencies such as South Wales Police Digital Forensics Unit, Gwent Police Hi-Tech Crime Unit, Met Police and various digital forensics companies. We also work with private firms such as Airbus, Thales, Bridewell, Cyber Wales and various international banks and financial service providers. 

Careers support

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate. 

This includes one-to-one appointments from faculty-based Career Advisors, in person, over the phone, or even Teams and through email via the “Ask the Question” service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. 

Our careers service has dedicated teams. A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.

How to apply

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).

Advanced entry

If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.

Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.

International admissions

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
 

Related Courses

Applied Cyber Security - BSc (Hons) Learn more
Digital Forensics - BSc (Hons) Learn more
Digital Forensics including Foundation Year - BSc (Hons) Learn more