BSc (Hons)

Cyber Security with Foundation Year

Why study cyber security?

Kickstart your career with our Cyber Security with Foundation Year programme.  

Nearly half of UK businesses have a basic cyber security skills gap, with 30% experiencing more advanced skills gaps in areas such as malware detection, secure personal data management, forensic analysis, and penetration testing (Gov.uk, Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market, 2025)

The demand for skilled and qualified cyber security professionals continues to grow at a rapid pace.

The average UK salary for cyber security ranges by location and cyber security role, but typically you could earn:

• Entry level: £25,000-£40,000
• Mid-level: £35,000-£70,000
• Senior level: £60,000-£120,000+
• Average UK salary: £50,000+

(cybersecurityjobs.tech, 2025)

With rapid growth within the cyber security industry and the average UK salary for cyber security professionals at over £50,000 (salary.com, 2025), now is the perfect time to start or progress your cyber security career.

Our BSc (Hons) Cyber Security course with Foundation Year is designed to teach you all the fundamental technical, practical, and critical thinking skills needed to meet this demand and succeed as a Cyber and Network Security specialist.

Building strong foundations for a successful career in cyber security

The Foundation Year of this course offers a route into cyber security for students who are new to cyber security or do not meet the standard entry requirements for our 3-year BSc (Hons) Cyber Security course.

You’ll build knowledge and understanding of key topics, including foundational computing concepts such as:

• Hardware
• Software
• Operating systems
• Computer networks
• Computer programming

All of which are central to the study of cyber security and computing. You’ll then continue to develop these in Year 1 and beyond on our cyber security undergraduate programme.

Why study a cyber security degree with foundation year at Southampton Solent University Centres?

CCNA certificates of completion

You’ll also have the chance to gain CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certificates of completion alongside your degree.

These CCNA certificates of completion will equip you with the right set of practical and technical skills that are highly valued by the industry, and those who gain a mark of over 70% will also receive a digital badge. If you would like to gain the Cisco Professional Certificate, you can undertake this externally.

As well as this, you will also be provided with essential knowledge from other modules to be able to independently complete other external industry certificates after your studies including:

Please note that should you choose to progress with these external industry certificates additional costs will apply for external exams.

Career-focused teaching and learning

This four-year cyber security course supports and challenges you to achieve the best of your ability and successfully meet your career aspirations in the field of cyber security.

Prepare for a career as a network and cyber security specialist, ready to embrace challenges and contribute to the ever-changing world of computer networking technology. Not only that, but it will also prepare you for both technical roles, such as ethical hacking and penetration testing, and managerial roles, such as governance and information security auditing, giving you more options and potential career routes upon graduation.

Develop a range of subject-specific and transferable skills, which can facilitate continued personal and professional development.

Flexible cyber security study that suits your schedule

You will learn through a combination of in-person and online teaching and independent study, with a choice of timetables (daytime or evening and weekend) and intakes. This will enable you to fit your degree studies around your personal life without the need to take a lengthy break from your existing career.

Study cyber security in a city near you

Alongside a choice of when you learn, you also have the power to choose where you study. With three city-centre campus locations, you can study Cyber Security with Foundation Year in London, Birmingham, or Manchester, making the commute to your on-campus sessions a breeze.

Cyber security teaching and assessment

Learn from cyber security experts, specialists in their field. The cyber security faculty here at Southampton Solent University Centres have many years of experience in the industry; most of them are Cisco qualified.

You will learn theoretical concepts and participate in hands-on practical labs, putting your learning into practice, and get to grips with industry standard software, all under the careful guidance of qualified cyber security experts.

• Lectures, seminars, and hands-on practical workshops: 9-12 hours per week
• Independent study: 30 hours per week
• Assessment: coursework and exams

Blended learning – choose your timetable

Receiving the same number of live contact hours as face-to-face programmes, a typical timetable may include:

Daytime students – If you are a daytime student, you will typically have 2 days of tuition per week – your sessions will be on-campus for 1 of those days and the other day will take place live online.

Evening and weekend blended timetables will involve: 2 evenings face-to-face on-campus and 1 weekend day live online. Please note that the blended timetable pattern will be decided by the scheduling team.

Learn more about Blended Learning at Southampton Solent University Centres.

Please note that the blended timetable pattern will be decided by the scheduling team and you will receive your scheduled timetable after you are fully enrolled and ahead of induction activities.

This course is delivered as part of a partnership between QA Higher Education and Solent University. The programme is validated by the University and delivered by QA Higher Education.