Programme became first undergraduate course in the UK to receive certification in 2018
Edinburgh Napier’s BEng (Hons) Cybersecurity & Forensics has been recognised as meeting the highest academic and practical standards in cyber security education after it was fully recertified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ.
The programme became the first undergraduate degree to receive full NCSC certification in 2018, and is still one of only a small number of undergraduate degrees across the UK to hold it.
The certification demonstrates the course’s high standard in structure, staffing and teaching materials. The topics studied are mapped to the Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK), which show that the degree contains key topics and students can be assured they are choosing a course which provides them with skills needed to pursue a career in cyber security.
The undergraduate programme is one of five courses at Edinburgh Napier that has gained this national recognition. It is joined by the University’s Graduate Apprenticeship programme in cyber and three MSc programmes in Cyber Security in also being certified by the NCSC.
Robert Ludwiniak, Programme Leader for the BEng (Hons) Cybersecurity & Forensics programme at Edinburgh Napier, said: “The NCSC certification is a benchmark of excellence for cyber security degrees, and shows the strength of our teaching of the subject, our custom facilities and our experienced academic team.
"Our students graduate with industry relevant and practical skills, applicable in a range of Security and Forensic roles.”
NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, Chris Ensor (pictured right) said: “The recertification of Edinburgh Napier University’s BEng (Hons) Cybersecurity & Forensics degree by the NCSC demonstrates our shared commitment to responsibly developing the cyber security talent pipeline.
“Offering a NCSC-certified degree helps prospective students make better informed choices about the quality of courses available, and employers can be assured that graduates will have studied relevant material, be well-taught and have valued industry skills.”
Edinburgh Napier University has also been recognised by the NCSC and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) – Gold Award.
Edinburgh Napier’s ACE-CSE is based in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment and is co-directed by leading academics Associate Professor Rich Macfarlane and Professor Bill Buchanan OBE.
Rich Macfarlane (pictured right) said: “Our Cyber Security courses have been continually developed over many years, in collaboration with many industry partners, and also our cyber security research group.
"The BEng degree allows students to study a wide range of real-world security and forensic topics, along with extensive authentic practical activities.
"Key modules are taught by experienced academics in the field, and our custom security virtualisation platforms and on campus facilities provide students with state of the art cyber security learning environments.”
The strengths of Edinburgh Napier’s ACE-CSE are far reaching. The Gold Award notes its team’s impressive outreach work both across the University and externally, with industry collaboration and schools outreach.
Edinburgh Napier’s full course offering in cyber security can be found here and more information on the subject at the University can be found here.