Organisations rely on talented and well-qualified professionals to keep their data safe from hacking, espionage, user error, and equipment malfunction. If you've already completed a related foundation degree or HND, our BSc (Hons) Computer Networks and Security (top-up) course offers you honours-level skills and knowledge ready to help keep the modern world running smoothly.

Key information

Award:

BSc (Hons)

Mode of Study:

Part-time

Duration:

2 years

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

25/09/2023

Course Details

Recent news reports reveal data breaches at large corporations, and some people say the age of cyber-warfare has already begun. The need for talented, professional and ingenious computer network and security professionals has never been greater. Governments, organisations, and individuals need to store and access information securely and efficiently. Our BSc (Hons) Computer Networks and Security (top-up) course seeks to enhance your existing foundation degree or HND-level knowledge and skills and expand your cyber security and computer networking opportunities.

Our dedicated and experienced staff will support you in developing honours-level understanding and practical know-how vital to protecting data against all possible sources of disruption at all times. Building on your prior studies, we'll guide you as you gain skills in problem analysis and finding solutions to contemporary networking and security problems. You'll have the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of IT operations management, your understanding of cloud and network threats and the strategies for countering them. You'll also choose optional modules depending on your prior knowledge, experience, and personal preferences.

We'll support you in gaining vital academic and lifelong learning skills to prepare you to research new technologies and apply your knowledge in new ways. As a graduate of this course, you'll be well prepared to keep abreast of innovations and enhancements in the computer networks and security industry throughout your career.

Highlights

Our Computer Science courses are top in the UK for student satisfaction, according to The Complete University Guide 2022.
Our Computer Science courses are also placed first in the UK for teaching quality and student experience by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.
Our dedicated staff team has a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offering you a variety of perspectives and broadening your horizons.
We prefer to keep lecture and practical classes relatively small so that you have plenty of opportunities to us ask questions and get help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
Our dedicated laboratories are firewalled so that you and your classmates can experiment and evaluate attack tools without worrying about disrupting the wider University network.
We’re committed to helping you develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend guest lectures that enhance your learning, help you make contacts in the industry, and contribute to your professional development.
By designing the course assignments and projects to mimic industry pipelines and standards, we aim to give you a real feel for a career in computer networks and security.

Key Features

We offer a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
We want to work with you as an individual, giving you access to the help and support you need to succeed.
Our dedicated networking laboratories have industry-standard hardware and software. You’ll have unrestricted access, so you’ll always be able to practice and develop your workplace skills.
As you’d expect, many of our computing facilities can be accessed across the internet, allowing you to work on your assignments whenever and wherever you choose.
Your final year project offers the chance to specialise in an area of interest. We’ll support you in developing it as a work portfolio that demonstrates your knowledge and skills, ready to impress potential employers.

For direct entry to Level HE6 (top-up), you'll need either a foundation degree (FdSc or FdEng) or an HND in computer networking and security, cloud computing, software engineering, or a similar computing-related qualification.
If you don't meet the standard entry requirements, but have non-traditional qualifications and/or relevant experience, we'll be happy to consider your application. You'll be required to undertake an assessment to determine your suitability for the course. You'll be assessed on your problem solving skills and your ability to participate in group work.
You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

This is a growing sector as companies become increasingly liable for their customer and business data security and confidentiality. As a graduate of our BSc (Hons) Computer Networks and Security (top-up) degree, you'll understand how to evaluate an organisation's security needs and put plans in place to protect against possible cyber-attacks and security breaches. This course covers designing and implementing new systems and leading and managing them effectively. Completing your honours-level studies should prove valuable in helping you access more senior roles in the sector.

As a graduate, some of the key transferable skills you'll possess include teamwork, leadership, communication, time management, commercial awareness, problem-solving and negotiation. You'll also be well prepared for lifelong learning, as continuing professional development is significant for people working in computing because technology and software develop rapidly.

What can I do with this qualification?

Every company has some form of digital infrastructure that supports the day-to-day running of the business. As a computer networks and security graduate, you'll be able to explore opportunities in a range of businesses, including large corporates and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), government agencies, local authorities, health authorities, financial services, retail and e-commerce, network providers and internet service providers.

Completing this degree will also prepare you for a variety of related careers, such as computer and information systems management, technical support engineering, computer systems analysis, network and computer systems administration, network analysis and network security, digital forensics and computer network architecture.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Roles include:

Teaching
Research and development
Social media management
Technical writing
Product management
ICT Training
ICT sales
Digital copywriting
Telecommunications
Network engineering

Course fees

Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £4,500 for the academic year 2023/24.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2022-2023 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2022-2023 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:

You should have to hand:

Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions@bolton.ac.uk

Apply online: University of Bolton BSc(Hons) Computer Networks and Security Top Up - 25 September 2023

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
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For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.

By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or UGadmissions@bolton.ac.uk

Apply online: University of Bolton BSc(Hons) Computer Networks and Security Top Up - 25 September 2023

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!

Lectures introduce the core course content, while practical laboratory sessions give you practical experience and help consolidate your learning. Tutorials offer you space to ask questions, ensuring you understand the topics covered in lectures and laboratory sessions. We use case studies and practical scenarios to help you learn to apply academic theory to real-life problems, allowing you to gain insights into computer networks and security in commercial environments.

Guest lectures/presentations by a variety of visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding further.

In terms of assessment, you can expect time-constrained exams and coursework, such as essays, reports, presentations, portfolios, and others. These contribute to your final marks and allow you to demonstrate that you’ve met the learning outcomes for the course.

We also use other forms of assessment to help you learn, provide you with feedback and inform your development, though these don’t count towards your final marks. For instance, you might be asked to complete quizzes or undertake practical exercises. You’ll also receive feedback on assessment drafts. This helps to identify any areas that would benefit from extra attention on your part or where you need extra support from your tutor.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Undergraduate Project
Ethical Hacking and Digital Forensics
Operations Management
Network Management

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 80%, Written exams 20%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 77%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.