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University of Central Lancashire

UCAS Code: FG10 | Bachelor of Science - BSc

Entry requirements

96-112 UCAS points at A2.

Pass Access to HE Diploma with 96-112 UCAS points.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

5 GCSEs at grade C/4 including Maths and English Language or equivalent.

96-112 UCAS points from Higher Level subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

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Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

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T Level

Pass (C and above)

UCAS Tariff

96-112

About this course

This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2025

Subjects

Computer and information security

Policing

Criminal law

**Course Summary**
Do you like the idea of investigating, and solving, high-tech crimes? The Cyber Investigations with Digital Forensics course combines investigation and computer science skills to create the next generation of digital investigators.

The Cyber Investigations with Digital Forensics degree brings together modules from the school of Law and Policing and the School of Computing to create a programme of study ideally suited for students seeking a career investigating digital crime. With exciting careers available in both the private sector and public sectors, this course has been designed to meet the demands of a modern society. The "Policing Vision 2025" identifies the necessity of developing digital investigation and intelligence capabilities within the police.

On this course you will cover modules surrounding academic skills, investigation skills, intelligence gathering and analysis, computer networking and cyber security.

**Why study with us?**
- You will use our outstanding facilities for immersive learning; including our Hydra Minerva Suite, scenes of crime houses and computer labs.

- You can take an optional industrial placement year; gaining valuable experience to complement your classroom learning.

- You will be taught by academics with a wide range of backgrounds, including former police investigators, ethics hackers and computing professionals.

**What You'll Do**
- You will work on scenario-based assessments based on what is happening within the real-world.

- You can practice your investigation skills within our Missing Person Investigation Unit or our public facing Cyber Clinic; or you can join our Women in Cyber Security group.

- You will have close support and supervision at all stages of the course.

**Future Careers**
Students undertaking the Cyber Investigations with Digital Forensics degree course will have the opportunity to undertake many exciting careers in both the public and private sector.

Public sector careers may involve working for the Police or other investigative body, such as the National Crime Agency or Serious Fraud Office. Private sector careers may involve working for civil litigation companies within the "eDisclosure/eDiscovery" industry. This typically involves working with large forensic accounting companies. Nowadays, most (if not all) companies use digital storage systems and may face the prospect of becoming a victim of a cyber-attack. Working alongside preventative cyber-security specialists to provide a reactive response will enable companies to take remedial action through the court system.

Modules

Please visit The University of Central Lancashire’s website for the latest information about our modules.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Preston Campus

Department:

School of Law and Policing

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

63%
Computer and information security
86%
Policing
86%
Criminal law

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Software engineering

Teaching and learning

61%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
67%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
33%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

78%
UK students
22%
International students
85%
Male students
15%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
29%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
D

Law

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
77%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

78%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
52%
Male students
48%
Female students
66%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Software engineering

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

Top job areas of graduates

75%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
15%
Information technology technicians
5%
Customer service occupations

A specialist subject, and not surprisingly graduates tend to go into software engineering roles or related. The degree classification students achieved made a particular difference last year — computing graduates with the best grades were much less likely to be out of work after six months and employers can even rate a good grade as important as work experience. Most students do get jobs, though, and starting salaries are good — particularly in London, where average starting salaries for good graduates were getting towards £38k last year. Be aware that at the moment, recruitment agencies are much the most common way for graduates from this degree to get their first job, so it may be worth getting in touch with a few specialist agencies in advance of graduation if you take this degree to get a foot in the door.

Law

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

Top job areas of graduates

26%
Legal associate professionals
11%
Protective service occupations
8%
Legal professionals

Law graduates tend to go into the legal industry, and they usually take similar routes. Jobs are competitive — often very competitive - but starting salaries are good and high fliers can earn serious money - starting on over £24k in London on average. Be aware though - some careers, especially as barristers, can take a while to get into, and the industry is changing as the Internet, automation and economic change all have an effect, If you want to qualify to practise law, you need to take a professional qualification — many law graduates then go on to law school. If you want to go into work, then a lot of law graduates take trainee or paralegal roles and some do leave the law altogether, often for jobs in management, finance and the police force. A small proportion of law graduates also move into another field for further study. Management, accountancy and teaching are all popular for these career changers, so if you do take a law degree and decide it’s not for you, there are options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Software engineering

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£21k

£21k

£26k

£26k

£29k

£29k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Law

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£21k

£21k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here