Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway

Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway

This Course at a Glance 

• Internationally recognised online alternative to Year 1 and Year 2 of university 
• Get on the pathway to obtaining a degree in cyber security 
• In partnership with Qualifi, making degree learning accessible to all 
• Complete Year 3 with the prestigious University of Central Lancashire
• Flexible online study in Years 1 and 2 rather than on-campus lectures 
• Save on expensive living costs associated with on-campus study 
• Get on the fast track to your university qualification 
• Avoid rising loan repayment fees 

Achieving a degree in cyber security can lead you towards a range of senior IT and digital, data, and security roles in the workplace. With our online degree pathway, which consists of the first and second years of an Honours degree, removing in-person lectures and restrictive timetables, you have the option to complete Year 1 and Year 2 within 12 months. 

About Your Online Degree Pathway

This undergraduate online degree pathway in cyber security is made up of 240 credits and is designed as an online alternative to completing Year 1 and Year 2 at university. Studying with us will fast-track you to the final year of an associated Honours degree, which can be completed at our partnered university. 

This has been made possible through our partnership with Qualifi, a leading 21st-century Awarding Organisation, which is recognised by Ofqual. Qualifi is driven by providing a more flexible and cost-effective route for learners to achieve degree-level qualifications by offering progression routes with universities. 

The course is delivered online, through an engaging array of online learning materials. So, you will find your education both interesting and rewarding. As a self-paced online course, you can also work towards your qualification without pressure, around your existing commitments. 

What Will You Learn? 

This online degree pathway has been designed to provide a career path for learners who wish to develop their core capabilities within the cyber security and risk management sector. For this reason, the course focuses on ‘cyber security’ as a workplace management discipline and is therefore a semi-technical qualification that examines technical cyber security measures as well as the management, project management, and leadership skills required to organise internal and external business responses to major incidents or the threat of them.  

Due to the huge economic risks to businesses, sectors, as well as global regions, from specific and dynamic forms of threat vectors, this online degree pathway will provide solid business management and leadership education (including disaster management, project management and business continuity management) within the context of the digital tech and cyber security threat environment.

By studying this course, you’ll develop the cyber security skills required by organisations globally and be able to support a range of senior IT and digital, data and security roles in the workplace. 

University Progression 

Upon successful completion of Year 1 and Year 2 with us, you will be guaranteed an admissions letter to complete Year 3 of your undergraduate degree online with the University of Central Lancashire. This will cost you just £4,250*, which is paid separately to the university.

Study for a Degree Without Expensive Fees 

If you want to get a head-start on your degree without having to commit to loan fees, then our Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway is for you, as it covers Year 1 and Year 2. This programme is ideal for those of you who can’t commit to full-time study on a university campus, and you’d rather not pay nearly £30,000 in tuition fees! This programme offers a convenient home-based alternative to the initial two years of university study. 

With the flexibility of online learning, you can bypass the constraints of fixed classes and timetables, enabling you to progress rapidly through the course materials. This newfound freedom empowers learners to reach their final year of university faster compared to traditional campus-based study. 

A More Affordable Alternative 

The latest change in student finance rules will see university graduates doubling their student loan repayments. This is in addition to repaying their student loans when they earn an annual salary of £25,000, instead of the £27,660 it was before. 

With inflation and interest rates rising in the UK due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, university graduates are affected. For the 2022/23 academic year, there was a risk of student loan interest rates reaching 12%, further hitting the pockets of students. 

Due to the current economic uncertainty, a university graduate could end up with an average of £42,900 of student loan debt, with tuition fees costing an average of £9,250 per year. 

According to YouGov, 37% of people feel that current tuition fees are unfair, so it’s no surprise that many are looking for alternative options. Here at learndirect, we can offer you an affordable alternative that covers the first and second year of a degree for a fraction of the cost of the traditional route. 

Please note, once you complete our online degree pathway, you will need to pay your select university to study the third year of your course. 

Your Living Costs Won’t Be Affected

By studying our Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway, you can complete the first and second years of your degree comfortably from home, without the additional expenses associated with full-term university study. This eliminates the need for student housing costs and travel expenses, allowing you to study at your own pace and integrate it seamlessly into your lifestyle. So, if you’re currently working, you won’t have to give that up for university life.

Securing Final-Year University Admission

In addition to fast-tracking your progression to the final year of a cyber security or related degree, we provide you with an admissions letter for university. This letter meets the entry requirements for your chosen university, ensuring that once you have successfully completed our Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway, you have a guaranteed letter for the final year of your university education. 

Modules

Year 1 covers the following units: 

Unit 1: Cyber Security Threat and Risk 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand complex business cyber security threats and risks 
• Understand recent mega breaches and explain malware and ransomware attacks 
• Understand how threats and malicious hackers are advancing and developing customised intrusion tools 

Unit 2: Network Security and Data Communications 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand how computers and digital devices communicate with one another over a network 
• Understand, at a strategic level, how computer networking, web applications and software can be exploited 
• Understand methods of security prevention and systems hardening 
• Understand key network security and systems resilience tools, terminology and models 

Unit 3: Database Security and Computer Programming 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the broad range of information security controls to protect databases 
• Understand types of database categories of control 
• Understand the underpinning concepts and models of cloud-based storage solutions 
• Understand the relationship between computer programming and computer hacking 
• Understand the ‘interpreted’ general-purpose programming language, Python 

Unit 4: Incident Response, Investigations and Forensics 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the role and composite parts of Incident Response as a business function and how CERTS operate 
• Understand aligned task/task forces for Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management 
• Understand how major computer incidents are formally investigated 
• Understand laws and guidance in relation to the conduct of planned and structured major incident investigations 

Unit 5: Security Strategy: Laws, Policies, and Implementation 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the concept of strategy, strategic management, planning and buy-in in relation to cyber security 
• Understand how legislation, formal industry standards, training and accreditations support cyber security 
• Understand how to implement Plan, Do, Check and Act security and risk management policies 
• Understand the future legal and technical environment and the impact on cyber security planning and digital risk management 
• Understand how to plan and design a security audit for a cyber network 

Unit 6: Cyber Wars 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand how nation states are potentially engaged in cyber defence and offensive capability strategy 
• Understand the motivations and causes behind nation-state-linked cyber-attacks and breaches 
• Understand how private sector industry has been targeted by potentially state-sanctioned cyber-crime groups and/or armies 
• Understand how CNI has been targeted by state-backed cyber-crime groups and/or armies 

Year 2 covers the following units:

Unit 1: Cryptography 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand key cryptographic principles and modes 
• Understand the standards, regulations and laws that apply to business and government organisations in relation to encryption 
• Design an encryption plan and courses of action for a given organisation 

Unit 2: Digital Investigations and Forensics 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the core principles of digital investigations 
• Apply the types of tools that support professional digital investigations at a strategic level 
• Plan for an investigations and forensics teams 
• Understand the importance of safeguarding evidential integrity in digital investigations 

Unit 3: Communications and Incident Management 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the physical and human resources required to manage a major suspected cyber security incident 
• Apply Business Continuity Management to major incident planning and response 
• Understand how Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management are integrated into a suspected major cyber-enabled incident 
• Evaluate the potential impact of NOT planning crisis communications and incident response 

Unit 4: Digital Leadership 

Upon completion of this unit, you will: 

• Understand the role of senior leaders and digital leadership 
• Evaluate the management streams and performance monitoring mechanisms that relate to information security 
• Understand how threat and risk identification and management is integrated into C-Suite considerations and governance 
• Understand how data protection legislation impacts considerations of strategy-setting and digital leadership 

Entry Requirements

You’ll need to possess an appropriate level of English.

For individuals whose first language is not English, we recommend the following English language proficiency standards or an approved equivalent for this qualification:

IELTS: A score of 6 or higher

• Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): Achieving at least B2 level
• Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): Scoring 162 or above
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: Achieving a score between 42-49

Minimum Age Restriction

18

Average Completion Timeframe

This qualification typically takes learners an average of 18 months to complete.

Assessment Requirements

There are no exams included in this study programme, instead, you will complete several written assignments.

Course Fees

All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.

*You will have access to the course for 24 months.

There are no exams included in this online degree pathway, instead, you will complete several assignments that we have designed and built with Qualifi and our university partners.

These assignments consist of a range of different tasks that can be completed from home and then submitted online through your learning platform. These include:

• Written essays
• Academic reports
• Presentations
• Case studies
• Extended essays on a related subject of your choosing

You will have support from a tutor throughout and will also receive additional guidance in terms of researching, planning, and drafting your work.

Qualifi

Upon successful completion of this online course, you will have achieved a globally recognised Qualifi qualification:

• QUALIFI Level 5 Extended Diploma in Cyber Security (610/3296/7) 

Qualifi is a leading 21st-century Awarding Organisation founded to meet the developing education and training needs of learners and employers from the UK and around the globe. They identified a growing demand for consistent and credible academic qualifications and awards as the economy became more competitive and global in nature – especially in many fast-paced industry sectors.

Qualifi works with a growing number of sector skills councils, professional associations and employers to identify mission-critical learning requirements and assess outcomes of programmes to achieve consistent and recognised professional and academic standards.

Once you have successfully achieved this online Cyber Security Online Degree Pathway, you can progress to the final year of an undergraduate degree in cyber security or a related subject, at an array of UK universities.  

After finishing a degree programme at an accredited UK university, you will be qualified to pursue a career in cyber security within the public or private sector.

The primary areas of employment include:

• Network security engineer
• Security analyst
• Security consultant
• Penetration tester
• Information security manager
• Forensic computer analyst

Frequently Asked Questions