Bachelor of Cyber Security

Combat cybercrime with a bachelor of cyber security from unsw engineering. Develop technical skills and understand the human factors impacting security. Learn to design secure systems, analyse failures, and navigate ethical and legal aspects. Set yourself up for career success with hands-on experience and industry connections. 

• Protect people and businesses against cybercrime with a Bachelor of Cyber Security from Australia’s number one Engineering and Technology faculty*. Develop a unique blend of technical skills with an emphasis on human factors that impact cyber security.
• Cybercrime is rising rapidly around the world, with hundreds of millions of dollars being lost as a result every year. Forty-seven percent of Australian computer users respondents experienced at least one cybercrime in 2023, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, opens in a new window, with nearly half of all victims experiencing more than one type of cybercrime.
• In this program, you'll learn how to safeguard against cyber threats. Gain skills in designing secure systems, networks and data platforms using industry-standard technologies. Discover how human behaviour affects security and learn to analyse security failures. Plus, you'll learn about the ethical and legal aspects of cyber security, including data privacy laws.
• With a Bachelor of Cyber Security from UNSW Sydney, you’ll be equipped with the skills to meet the growing demand for cyber security professionals and be prepared for a career in a fast-moving field.

Key features
Flexible learning with real-world experience

• With a mix of online, in-person, laboratory and real-world projects you'll gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. You’ll gain hands-on experience with Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities with industry partners to help you kickstart your career in cyber security.

Pathway to future employment

• This degree addresses real-world skill shortages. You'll engage with industry fellows and adjuncts to build employability skills and industry networks throughout your studies.

Learn from the best in cyber security

• Benefit from the expertise of leading academics in cyber security at UNSW. Leverage our strong relationships with industry partners and our significant expertise in the field, including a dedicated team of cyber security specialists.

Why study this degree at UNSW Canberra?
Top-ranked Computer Science & Engineering School

• UNSW's School of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) is one of Australia's largest and most prestigious schools. CSE is part of the Faculty of Engineering, which is ranked 1st in Australia for engineering and technology and 31st in the world.

Australia's top university for graduate employability

• Stand out with a Cyber Security degree from Australia’s top university for graduate employability, offering the best career outcomes^ in the country. For more than 20 years, CSE has built a national reputation for excellence in cyber security education. Our alumni hold senior and leadership roles in the cyber industry, and our undergraduate students have won every major inter-university cyber competition in the past decade.

World-leading cyber security research

• Our teaching is informed by the latest research and emerging cyber security technologies. The UNSW Institute for Cyber Security (IFCYBER) brings together over 100 leading academics and is renowned for its multi-disciplinary approach to cyber security and collaboration with government and industry. CSE is home to world-leading researchers, including Professor Richard Buckland, a renowned expert in Cyber Crime.

Program structure

• The Bachelor of Cyber Security at UNSW Sydney is led by the School of Computer Science and Engineering. The program covers both practical and theoretical aspects, teaching students how to approach security from both attack and defence perspectives with an engineering mindset.
• Students will study core courses including introductory courses designed to build foundational knowledge in key areas such as programming and computer systems, as well as workshops where students will apply their cyber security and computing knowledge to practical challenges. Choose from a range of Cyber Security electives to further build your disciplinary knowledge, complemented by free electives and general education courses.

Full program structure

• This program contains a total of 144 units of credit (UOC) and can be completed in 3 years of full-time study. Most courses are 6 UOC. 

Students must complete:

• Core courses – 60 UOC
• Plus one of the following – 6 UOC
• Cyber electives – 30 UOC
• Free electives – 36 UOC
• General education courses – 12 UOC

Future careers

• Career opportunities in cyber security are rapidly expanding, with demand expected to reach 51,100 workers by 2026, according to the Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan. Since 2016, jobs for cyber security professionals have grown by an average of 24.6% each year. There is an increasing need for experts in cyber defence across primary industries, SMEs, Commonwealth agencies and departments, and indeed any large organisation that cares about data security, to counter the rising number of cyber-attacks.

Potential roles

• Cryptography Engineer
• Cyber Defense Incident Responder
• Cyber Forensics Analyst
• Cyber Security Analyst
• Cyber Security Architect
• Cyber Security Engineer
• Cyber Security Specialist
• Data Privacy Analyst
• Information Security Analyst
• Penetration Tester
• Security Consultant
• Security Engineer
• Software Engineer
• Vulnerability Assessment Analyst