Program Overview

Foundation Studies prepares you for a successful transition to degree-level study, providing a pathway to the first year of study of a bachelor’s degree at Murdoch University.

This course is suited to you if you:

• Need an entrance qualification for Murdoch University
• Want to accelerate your university preparation after Year 11, or equivalent
• Want to change your degree stream after Year 11, or equivalent

Course Structure
For Foundation Studies you will complete eight units over two study periods, studying a combination of core and elective units. The units you will undertake will be determined by your chosen degree. All students must complete the two English units and at least one unit from each Discipline Group.

Each unit of study builds concepts from an introductory level through to university entrance level. The units are designed to develop your learning techniques as well as bridging gaps in your unit knowledge.

• English
  • Essential Australian Studies
  • Introduction to Academic Communication
• Mathematics
  • Introductory Mathematics
  • Mathematics for Science
• Science and Technology
  • Information Technology for Academic Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
• The Arts
  • Introduction to Media
  • Media Production
• Business and Legal Studies
  • Accounting
  • Management
  • Economics

Leading to: Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Information Technology
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information Technology (IT) has fundamentally changed the legal world. IT is more important than ever in the legal field as we explore AI to help defend the rights of others.

Leverage your skill sets to future proof your career in this five-year degree, where you’ll gain the knowledge to practice law in range of complex IT settings and have the opportunity to take part in project-based units and solve problems for real clients.

You’ll take a hands-on approach to the law, develop strong real-life legal skills through our clinical program and develop your reasoning skills in our internationally recognised mooting program.

You’ll also explore theory, methods and systems used in the IT industry and will acquire strong analytical, research, design and technology skills combined with a very strong understanding of software design and programming.

Major: Cyber Security and Forensics
Cybercrime has quickly risen to become a top-level national security priority across the globe. Increasing the security of data, as well as reducing the impact of a network or database security breach, are the key challenges for IT security specialists.

In this degree, you’ll gain a solid foundation of the theoretical and practical aspects of different dimensions of cyber security, such as network security, software security, system security measures and models, information security, computer forensics, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessment.

You’ll learn how to forensically examine digital evidence, identify and respond to threats and information security incidents, and develop digital forensic and critical thinking skills to solve computer crime.

In the final year of your degree, you’ll take part in a professional practice project unit. This will include working in a team with other students and consulting with real clients to recommend, develop and implement new technologies to solve business problems.

3 reasons to study Cyber Security and Forensics at Murdoch

• Five-star rating for learning resources, student support and teaching quality for computing and information technology by the Good Universities Guide 2024.
• Get industry ready in our IT Innovation Hub, which is fitted out with the latest mixed and augmented reality equipment, operational data centre and high performance computing capabilities.
• Take on real clients with our project-based units, allowing you to get a taste of your future career by completing an internship or work placement.

What you’ll learn
Build the knowledge and skills you need to meet your career or study goals. Here are some of the things you’ll learn:

• Systems analysis
• Development and design
• Server environments and architectures
• Security architectures and systems administration
• Information security policy and governance
• Cyber forensics and information technology
• Database management