How long is the BSc in Ethical Hacking?

The BSc in Ethical Hacking is three years full-time on-campus with offensive-security lab access, or up to four years part-time through online and distance-learning routes with virtualised lab range.

Can I study the BSc in Ethical Hacking fully online?

Yes. The BSc in Ethical Hacking is offered on-campus, fully online with a virtualised lab range, and by distance learning, all assessed against the same red-team capstone engagement.

Is the BSc in Ethical Hacking recognised by UK employers?

Yes. The BSc in Ethical Hacking is a UK-accredited honours degree aligned with BCS and ISACA standards, mapped to (ISC)² CC, eJPT and OSCP preparation, recognised by UK CHECK and CREST consultancies.

What are the entry requirements for the BSc in Ethical Hacking?

Three A-levels at BBC or equivalent, GCSE English grade 5 and Maths grade 4, IELTS 6.5 for international applicants. The BSc in Ethical Hacking prefers Computing or Mathematics at A-level.

What does the BSc in Ethical Hacking cost and is funding available?

Tuition for the BSc in Ethical Hacking varies by route and domicile. Means-tested bursaries and merit scholarships are offered each intake — contact LSCT admissions for the current fee schedule.

BSc in Ethical Hacking in London in London | LSCT (Harold) | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BSc in Ethical Hacking at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a three-year UK honours programme that turns curious learners into employable penetration testers. The syllabus is shaped by the work UK CHECK-team consultancies and CREST-accredited testers actually do — web app and infrastructure assessments, social-engineering exercises, red-team engagements and the report writing clients pay good money for.

You will live in our offensive-security lab from year one, build CTF-style challenges, run reconnaissance against a deliberately-vulnerable corporate target and present findings to a panel that includes a working senior tester. By graduation you have a working portfolio of write-ups, a credible LinkedIn presence in the UK infosec community and a clear ethical line you can articulate.

You will study in small, tutor-visible cohorts; meet visiting professionals fortnightly; and work to deadlines that mirror professional practice in the information technology sector. The UK technology economy has shifted decisively towards regulated, cloud-native and AI-aware engineering since the FCA tightened operational-resilience expectations in 2022; the programme is structured around those new realities rather than the textbook conventions of a decade ago.

Key Features

BCS and ISACA-aligned syllabus with content mapped to (ISC)² CC, eJPT and OSCP preparation.
Three study modes — on-campus in London with offensive-security lab access, fully online with virtualised lab range, or distance learning with the same lab range delivered remotely.
CHECK and CREST-aware report writing module — taught to UK consultancy standards.
Red-team capstone in final year — a simulated engagement with rules of engagement, reporting and an executive debrief.
Ethics, legality and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 taught as a continuous thread, not a one-off module.
Industry placement in year two with a UK penetration-testing consultancy or in-house security team.
Engineering peer review — fortnightly code-review and architecture-review rounds with cohort and a named tutor.

What You Will Learn

The degree balances offensive technique with the report-writing, legality and client-handling skills that distinguish a serious penetration tester. You will graduate able to read a penetration-test scope, run a credible web-app assessment, write a report a CISO will read and explain CMA 1990 boundaries before, during and after every engagement.

Network and infrastructure penetration testing.
Web application security — OWASP Top 10 and beyond.
Active Directory attacks and defence.
Wireless and physical security testing.
Malware analysis and reverse-engineering basics.
Cloud security testing across AWS, Azure and GCP.
Social engineering and red-team operations.
Report writing and executive communication.
Code review and pair-programming as a daily working practice with structured rituals.
Production debugging and incident-response habits taught against real outage scenarios.

Across every module you keep a structured working portfolio of shipped code, design documents and post-incident notes — a single source of truth you can show at interview and continue to maintain after graduation. Programme assessment combines coursework, in-class exercises and a substantial practice-led piece of work assessed by a working senior engineer.

Who This Course Is For

This degree suits learners with a genuine interest in offensive security and the maturity to handle the responsibility.

A-level leavers building home labs and competing in CTFs.
International students seeking a UK ethical-hacking degree taught in English.
Career changers from IT support, networking or development moving into security.
Apprentices and HND holders topping up to a full honours degree.
Returners to work re-entering UK tech after a career break or family leave looking for an assessed credential.

Career Pathways

LSCT ethical hacking graduates move into penetration-testing, red-team and security-operations roles across UK consultancies, financial services, the public sector and defence. Typical destinations include:

Junior Penetration Tester (CHECK / CREST consultancy)
Red Team Operator (junior)
SOC Analyst (security operations centre)
Application Security Engineer (junior)
Vulnerability Researcher
Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst
Technical Account Manager or Sales Engineer at a UK technology vendor

The BSc in Ethical Hacking is a strong foundation for postgraduate study in offensive security, digital forensics or cyber-risk management.

LSCT careers service maintains a working contact book of UK technology employers, hosts at least one industry-careers day per academic year and offers structured one-to-one application support during your final stage. Many graduates also build long-term professional networks through the BCS, ISACA and (ISC)² London engagement events that LSCT students are encouraged to attend throughout their study.

Entry Requirements

Three A-levels at grades BBC or above (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Foundation Year pass) — Computing or Mathematics strongly preferred for the BSc in Ethical Hacking.
GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A personal statement; mature applicants (21+) may apply with a portfolio and short interview.
Applicants with a public GitHub portfolio, certifications or working production experience are particularly encouraged to mention these on the application form for the programme.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom. For offensive-security students the NCSC's London engagement events, the (ISC)² and ISACA London chapters and the BSides London community are part of your weekly study orbit.

Our IT students often join London-based meetup groups in their first term — BSides London, the London Cloud meetup, the London React community and others — building a working professional network alongside their studies. Students also benefit from our partnership with Harold International College of London, with shared library access, careers-service connections and the option to take a small number of elective modules across the wider Harold International programme catalogue subject to availability.

Whichever study mode you select, you will join a single, intake-aligned cohort with weekly tutor visibility, a named programme tutor for the duration of your studies, an institutional access plan offering peer support and structured careers advice, and the full library and online-resource subscription package of Harold International College of London. Many students travel to London for two short on-campus residentials per academic year — these are optional for online learners but supported by LSCT for students who can attend.

Apply for BSc in Ethical Hacking

The BSc in Ethical Hacking is built to launch your career in the information technology sector. Click Enrol Now to submit your application; admissions reply within one working day with intake dates and lab-range access information for distance and online learners.