Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Degrees and Courses

With the growing use of IT in our daily lives, digital devices like PCs and mobile phones are becoming an increasingly valuable source of forensic evidence. As such, the UK needs people who are trained in forensic recovery and investigation. Not only that, but it’s crucial for organisations of all sizes (and therefore the economy as a whole) to be well protected from cyber attack.

If you would like to get involved in this exciting, ever-changing career area, then our Digital Forensics and Cyber Security courses could be for you. You’ll learn essential disciplines, from detecting criminal activity to tracking down evidence, building firewalls and more. Digital Forensics deals more with examining crime and tracing criminals, whereas Cyber Security is more focused on building safe, secure networks and systems.

• BSc(Hons)/MEng/BEng(Hons) Cyber Security (PDF, file size: 301.29KB)

• BSc(Hons) Digital Forensics (PDF, file size: 329.91KB)

• HND Digital Forensics (PDF, file size: 532.06KB)

• BSc(Hons) Digital Forensics (Top-up) (PDF, file size: 329.91KB)

Our Digital Forensics and Cyber Security degrees give you the chance to gain certification in Encase (a primary investigation tool that’s recognised by UK courts), XRY Mobile Device Forensics and Ethical Hacking.

Our courses are Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) and Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) accredited. And, because we’re an approved Cisco Training Academy, you can be sure that our Network Security training is excellent, using specialised Networking Labs. Some Cyber Security modules can lead to Cisco accreditation, giving you additional sought-after qualifications.

Whichever course you choose, you’re safe in the knowledge that our Computing Faculty has been highly praised in its five-year review, particularly for employer engagement, work-based learning initiatives and student learning support. But this is just a part of our long history of excellence in Computing education and research — we were one of the first universities to offer a Computing degree back in the 1960s.

Our Digital Forensics and Cyber Security courses can be studied over three years full-time without a placement or four years full-time with a placement. With Digital Forensics, there’s the option of starting with a HND before doing a Top-up degree to get a full BSc(Hons).

If you want to carry on working while you study, there’s always the option of taking a course part-time for up to seven years.

Our lecturing staff are well-known experts in their fields.

The Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Scheme Leader has worked for the MOD, NHS and top private companies, and is currently studying for a PhD. One of our lecturers is also researching Digital Forensics.

Both are experts in the use of Encase, Mobile Device Forensic Investigation (certified to use XRY kit) and Ethical Hacking.

We always recommend taking advantage of our placement scheme, which could see you enjoying a year’s full-time paid work in a Computing job between your second and final years of study.

Our strong industrial links mean that we can place about 200 students a year. Digital Forensics and Cyber Security students get placed in a variety of organisations, which have previously included Staffordshire Police and GCHQ.

The placement is a great way to get a really useful real-world education and, better still, improve your future employment opportunities — a significant number of students are offered jobs by their placement employers.

Our Placements Unit has strong links with other European universities and even provides UK representatives to the EUENET (European Working Party for Industry/Academic Co-operation).

We’re not the only ones who recommend our placement scheme either — 96 per cent of our placement students surveyed in 2006 said they found the placement experience enjoyable and over 90% per cent said they would recommend it to other students.

Previous students have enjoyed placements at destinations including: Deutsche Post and Hewlett Packard in Germany, Accenture, BASF, BBC, IBM, JCB, Eurocopter, Cisco, GCHQ, local government in London, IBM, AstraZeneca, Syngenta, Virgin Radio and many others.

If you prefer, you may even be able to use the placement year to develop and run your own company.

Each year we typically place one or two of our very best students with CERN (the European Nuclear and Particle Physics Research Laboratories).

We’re big believers in real workplace skills. By training you in a hands-on way, you’ll be much better prepared for the world of work and more employable.

If you’re studying Digital Forensics, for example, you’ll learn to use standard tools like the Encase software. The XRY Mobile Device Forensics kit, meanwhile, trains you to forensically analyse a wide range of mobile devices (not just mobile phones). You’ll also deepen your understanding of investigation, evidence-gathering and forensic analysis, and you’ll learn more about how you might be called upon as an expert witness in a legal case.

In Cyber Security, you’ll gain vital knowledge of computer networks as well as hardware and software so that you can understand the mechanisms used in an attack. You will also follow the certified Ethical Hacking syllabus, one of the most sought-after industry certifications. From a practical point of view, you’ll develop your own security software in specialist modules and your final-year project.

Whether you’re studying Digital Forensics or Cyber Security, we believe in transferrable skills so you’ll be trained in plenty of fundamental principles that are applicable across all Computing sectors.

We’ve recently invested £90,000 in a complete upgrade of our Digital Forensics Laboratory so we now have an almost unequalled ability to train you in mobile device investigation.

Our Computing Faculty is based at the Octagon, a cutting-edge facility to rival anything in Europe.  Here you’ll find everything from desktop PCs to state-of-the-art lecture theatres, specialist facilities and our research community base. The Octagon has about 1,000 networked computers that are upgraded on a regular basis. If you study Cyber Security, you’ll be part of the Cisco Networking Academy programme.

We have two Networking laboratories housing 48 PCs as well as some seriously expensive networking equipment. In fact, we have arguably the best Networking laboratories in UK Higher Education.

You can also use study areas with PCs for solo and collaborative work and wireless study areas with laptop ports.

Digital Forensics and Cyber Security is a growing part of the Computing sector so there are lots of career opportunities. From advertising agencies to defence contractors, any organisation with a computer network or the internet needs Cyber Security staff to protect their systems and data. There’s also the possibility of work for specialist consultancy firms.

Study Digital Forensics and you’ll find that the world of investigation and analysis is growing all the time as crime becomes increasingly sophisticated. A degree in this area could lead to work for private companies specialising in forensics or the police force.

Regardless of which course you choose, you could always follow up your BEng or BSc with a postgraduate PgC/PgD/MSc in Digital Forensics and Cybercrime Analysis or Computer Networking and Security.

• Computer Games Programming

• Computer Networks

• Computer Science, Computing Science and Software Engineering 

• Electrical, Electronics and Robotics

"Staffordshire University provided the platform for me to succeed in the Forensic Computing profession. Being in this profession, an accomplished investigator needs to be knowledgeable in all areas of computing. The University provided modules, from programming to database design and from networking to specialist forensic skills, which in turn provided me with the necessary skills to succeed."

Ritchie How, Staffordshire Forensics graduate, now Senior Consultant, Deloitte Corporate Solutions

"With an industry-spec lab, using industry standard tools and techniques, Staffordshire University can provide students with a thorough understanding of Digital Forensics.

Our links with public, private and government organisations ensure that our course content is relevant and up-to-date. We are one of only a handful of universities offering certification in Mobile Phone Forensics, Ethical Hacking and Encase."

Bob Shaw, Senior Lecturer in Digital Forensics

• To see a range of videos and interviews visit the StaffsUni YouTube channel
• Order a Prospectus
• Downloadable version of this subject guide (PDF, file size: 559.88KB)