Careers in cyber security

This programme offers excellent career prospects and gives you the opportunity to help fill the current shortage of cyber security skills
cyber security. getty images
This programme offers excellent career prospects, especially in light of the current shortage of cyber security skills in the marketplace. Graduates from this programme can pursue a wide variety of roles, some of which include: Security Analyst, Forensics Examiner, Security Engineer, Penetration (Pentest) Tester, System Administrator, Web Developer, IT Support Engineer.

Where are our graduates now?

“Ever since being young I knew I wanted to be a digital forensic examiner, so I picked my degree with this in mind and that is how I ended up graduating from a cyber security degree. At the time it felt slightly unconventional to study security and want to explore forensics - how wrong I was. The fundamentals learnt in my degree lead to a deep understanding on processes, methodologies and how technologies talk to each other and leave such significant (sometimes hidden to the eye) footprints.
After graduating I did not go down the traditional path of a graduate scheme, I searched and searched and managed to find a local police force who were hiring for a digital forensic examiner. I was a digital forensic examiner, focusing on computer devices, for around 2 years - this was the job I had dreamt of since a child. It was the most technically challenging job, with such a vast amount to learn; no two devices will ever be the same so you constantly had to be on your toes and learning. From here I joined KPMG as an analyst and now am a manager in their Forensic Technology team. This career has not only involved the forensic collection and analysis of devices, it is the collection of data from a plethora of systems that really make you think how to get data off.
Plymouth not only helped grow my confidence, it allowed me to create real understanding of what I wanted from a career, and let me secure and work in my dream role.”
Sian Skiggs
Manager, Forensic Technology at KPMG UK
"I found the programme to be extremely useful in my professional career, as It gave me the technical foundational knowledge on how systems work and more importantly how the security of those systems fits together. The Digital forensics aspect of the course was invaluable during my time as a Security Analyst as it gave me the tools to investigate compromised machines and servers without compromising the integrity of the systems themselves.
After I had graduated I found a position as a Graduate Security Analyst at the parcel delivery company Hermes (Now Evri) in a small security team. There I used the core concepts of network scanning, SIEM, Digital forensics and vulnerability management from my degree at Plymouth into practice. While there I was promoted to Security analyst then Senior Cyber Threat and Vulnerability analyst after a few years at the company where I continued to develop my technical security skills and SecOps practices.
I then joined the coffee chain Costa Coffee as a Global Security Operations Analyst in their global SecOps team, again using those foundational concepts but in more of a Security engineer capacity. I was then promoted to Security Solution Architect which is my current position. In this position I deliver the security tooling and capabilities as part of the security transformation team while also identifying risks in the organisation and providing technical security solutions to fix them.
I feel the knowledge that I gained during my time at Plymouth set me up to have a great technical background that could underpin the work that I do to improve the security posture at organisations. The certification opportunities during my time on the course also helped in gaining a graduate security position."
Callum Ansell
Security Solution Architect, Costa Coffee
“After completing cyber security degree back in 2018, I knew that offensive security was a pathway I wanted to pursue in order to progress my career. The variety of modules assigned to me throughout my studies, combined with my internship year, were two main factors which reaffirmed this ambition.
Post-graduation, I went on to work in my first Security Consultant role for a local cyber security consultancy based in Exeter, Devon called Securious. I was able to quickly develop my skill set and apply my knowledge to real-world projects within penetration testing and ethical hacking.
I then moved to a leading digital forensics company in Stratford-upon-Avon called CCL Solutions. Again, specialising in the field of penetration testing within a nationwide security testing team.
I now work for a company called BSI - within their EMEA security testing team. I am involved in delivery a wide range of security testing services; from web application testing and mobile application testing, to API testing and firewall configuration reviews. I have been fortunate enough to support clients in both public and private sectors across multiple industries, including but not limited to; Telecommunications, Finance, Government, Health and Tourism.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University of Plymouth. I want to thank all the staff who helped me on my journey to a truly rewarding career.”
Ben Strudwick
Security Consultant, BSI Digital Trust

Studying at the University of Plymouth was a great start to my career, and I enjoyed my time there. Since graduating I've worked in a selection of consultancy firms working with some of the leading financial firms globally but more recently, I've pivoted into the aviation sector where the skills learnt at university continue to form the basis of my day-to-day approach.

Shuan Flint
Cyber Security Oversight Specialist, Civil Aviation Authority

The University of Plymouth Computing and Information Security team helped me learn how to learn and turned an interest into a career with interest.

Gavin Dodd
Information Security Officer