Learn to build, operate, monitor and defend the network and systems infrastructure that governments, financial institutions and communities depend on.
The Department of Computer Networks and Security educates the engineers and specialists who build, operate, monitor and defend the network and systems infrastructure on which government services, financial institutions, telecommunications operators, humanitarian organizations, education providers and private enterprise now depend.
Connectivity and security have become inseparable. Every organization that connects a branch office, migrates a service to the cloud, opens a mobile money channel or publishes a public-facing portal simultaneously creates a network to be engineered and an attack surface to be defended. The department rejects the historical separation of these responsibilities: its graduates are network professionals who think defensively by default and security professionals who understand, at packet and protocol level, the infrastructure they protect.
The programme is built on a harmonised computing core shared with the BCS in Software Engineering. Approximately 71% of bachelor-level credits are common to both programmes; the remaining 29% establishes the distinct networks and security identity through routing and switching, server administration, network services, wireless systems, network automation, network security, penetration testing, security operations, digital forensics, enterprise network design and advanced network defence.
The curriculum is practice-weighted by design: across the full pathway students accumulate 2,752 supervised practical hours against 1,920 lecture hours. They do not merely study routing protocols, directory services, firewalls, intrusion detection, forensic acquisition or automation scripts — they configure, break, repair, measure, secure and document them under supervision.
To be a leading centre of excellence in computer networking and cybersecurity education in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, producing ethical, technically capable and industry-ready professionals who can design, operate and defend modern digital infrastructure.
To provide comprehensive and practice-oriented education in networking and cybersecurity through strong computing foundations, intensive laboratory work, secure infrastructure design, ethical security practice, research, professional engagement and continuous alignment with evolving technologies and threats.
Depth of knowledge and hands-on mastery of the systems, protocols and tools that carry national and organizational data.
Security capability exercised only within lawful, authorized and professionally accountable boundaries.
Learning anchored in laboratories, live equipment, simulation and real infrastructure rather than description alone.
Continuous alignment with national digital priorities, employer demand, professional certification and the evolving threat landscape.
A culture in which students investigate, measure, question and build rather than only consume technology.
Stated operationally to guide delivery, and educationally to describe graduates three to five years after graduation.
Develop strong foundations in programming, mathematics, computer systems, databases, networking and cybersecurity that support lifelong technical growth.
Develop competence in routing, switching, network services, server administration and enterprise network design.
Prepare students to configure, monitor, troubleshoot and secure wired, wireless, virtualized and cloud-based networks.
Develop skills in network automation, security operations, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and digital forensics.
Develop understanding of cryptography, incident response, cyber law, privacy and professional security practice.
Build research, project-management, teamwork, communication and entrepreneurship capabilities.
Prepare graduates for professional roles in networking, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure and security operations, and for postgraduate study.
Instill the habit of authorized, documented and accountable practice in every technical intervention.
| Ref. | Objective | Statement |
|---|---|---|
| PEO 1 | Professional competence | Graduates practice successfully as network, systems or security professionals, designing, deploying, operating and troubleshooting reliable infrastructure in organisational settings. |
| PEO 2 | Security leadership | Graduates assume responsibility for the protection of organisational information assets through monitoring, assessment, hardening, incident response and defensible architecture. |
| PEO 3 | Technical adaptability | Graduates absorb new platforms, protocols, threats and tools independently, sustaining relevance as the technology and threat landscape changes. |
| PEO 4 | Ethical and legal integrity | Graduates apply professional codes, cyber law, privacy principles and authorisation discipline consistently, including under commercial or institutional pressure. |
| PEO 5 | Communication and teamwork | Graduates work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and communicate technical findings and recommendations clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences. |
| PEO 6 | Advancement and contribution | Graduates progress into senior technical roles, postgraduate study, professional certification, entrepreneurship or teaching, and contribute to national digital capacity. |
Each outcome is assessed through identified course-level tasks and mapped to the programme objectives.
| Ref. | On completion, graduates will be able to… | Supports |
|---|---|---|
| PLO 1 | Design, configure, operate and troubleshoot scalable computer networks and network services. | PEO 1, 3 |
| PLO 2 | Administer Linux and Windows systems and integrate them securely into organisational infrastructure. | PEO 1, 2 |
| PLO 3 | Apply routing, switching, wireless, network automation and enterprise network design principles to meet defined organisational requirements. | PEO 1, 3 |
| PLO 4 | Assess vulnerabilities and implement appropriate network and system security controls. | PEO 2, 4 |
| PLO 5 | Use security monitoring, SIEM, incident-response and digital-forensics methods in authorised environments. | PEO 2, 4 |
| PLO 6 | Apply cryptography, access control, secure protocols and defensive architecture appropriately. | PEO 2 |
| PLO 7 | Write, adapt and reason about programs, and apply computing, mathematical and data-analysis foundations to networking and security problems. | PEO 1, 3, 6 |
| PLO 8 | Work effectively in teams and communicate technical findings, reports and recommendations professionally. | PEO 5 |
| PLO 9 | Apply professional, ethical, legal and privacy principles to technical decisions and to the conduct of security work. | PEO 4 |
| PLO 10 | Plan, conduct, document and defend a substantial networking or security investigation or project, and sustain independent learning thereafter. | PEO 3, 6 |
Students demonstrate academic literacy, mathematical readiness, digital fluency, introductory programming and hardware competence.
Students program with confidence, reason about computer organization and operating systems, and configure fundamental network components.
Students administer servers, configure routed and switched networks, deploy core network services and apply cybersecurity fundamentals in guided settings.
Students secure networks, deploy wireless infrastructure, automate configuration, conduct authorised testing and evaluate designs against requirements.
Students design enterprise infrastructure, operate security monitoring and response, conduct forensic investigation, and deliver and defend an independent capstone.
Delivered over ten semesters. Shared Core courses use identical codes, titles, credits and contact hours as the Software Engineering programme and are timetabled jointly.
| Stage / Semester | Credits | LH | PH | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation — Semester I | 16 | 208 | 96 | Shared |
| Foundation — Semester II | 20 | 240 | 160 | Shared |
| Year I — Semester I | 18 | 240 | 160 | Degree |
| Year I — Semester II | 18 | 192 | 256 | Degree |
| Year II — Semester I | 18 | 192 | 320 | Degree |
| Year II — Semester II | 18 | 176 | 288 | Degree |
| Year III — Semester I | 18 | 224 | 256 | Degree |
| Year III — Semester II | 18 | 160 | 352 | Degree |
| Year IV — Semester I | 18 | 192 | 320 | Degree |
| Year IV — Semester II | 18 | 96 | 544 | Degree |
| Foundation Total | 36 | 448 | 256 | |
| Degree Total | 144 | 1,472 | 2,496 | |
| Overall Pathway | 180 | 1,920 | 2,752 |
Networking and security competence is demonstrated, not recited. Assessment is weighted toward what a student can configure, diagnose, secure and document.
| Course Category | Continuous Assessment Components | Wt. | Final Assessment | Wt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theory-dominant courses | Continuous assessment, assignments, presentations and mid-term exam | 60% | Written final examination | 40% |
| Mixed lecture / laboratory | Laboratory work, practical tests, assignments and continuous assessment | 60% | Written and practical final examination | 40% |
| Laboratory-intensive courses | Configuration tasks, laboratory reports, practical tests and portfolio | 60% | Practical and written final examination | 40% |
| Project courses (I & II) | Milestone deliverables, supervision reports, teamwork and documentation | 70% | Demonstration and oral defence | 30% |
| Internship / Professional Practice | Workplace supervisor evaluation, logbook and reflective report | 60% | Institutional presentation and assessment | 40% |
| Capstone Project | Proposal, design, implementation milestones and written thesis | 60% | Public demonstration and oral defence | 40% |
Lectures and structured seminars, supervised laboratories on real and virtualised infrastructure, simulation and emulation, case-based analysis of real incidents and outages, team projects, industry engagement, independent research and structured self-study.
Any exercise involving exploitation, traffic capture, credential attack or malicious code is confined to a segregated environment governed by written rules of engagement that students formally accept — building the discipline of authorised testing as an operational habit.
Employability is treated as a design requirement. The internship and professional portfolio mean graduates enter the market with a demonstrable body of work.
Routing, switching, network services and enterprise design
Windows and Linux administration, directory and virtualisation services
Threat detection, monitoring, log analysis and alert triage
SIEM operation, incident detection and escalation
Authorised testing, exploitation, reporting and remediation advice
Evidence acquisition, analysis, containment and recovery
Virtualisation, cloud deployment and infrastructure automation
Scripted configuration, orchestration and programmable networks
Wireless design, mobile networks, site survey and optimisation
Hardware, operating systems, connectivity and user support
Advisory, design, implementation and managed services
Applicants should meet the general undergraduate admission requirements set by Ilays National University. Applied cybersecurity and laboratory work are governed by the department's professional and ethical code.
Contact AdmissionsTo be eligible for admission into the Ilays University undergraduate programs, applicants must meet the following criteria: