Cyber Security (MSc)

As demand for cyber security professionals in the uk and worldwide continues to surge, this course will prepare you for the challenge of keeping it environments safe and secure in a world where data is constantly under attack. The msc cyber security course gives you a broad understanding of the latest practices and techniques for cyber security systems development and operations. 

• You will be able to analyse the legal, social, ethical and professional issues involved in the human aspects of cyber security and be guided by the adoption of appropriate professional, ethical and legal practices. The course is particularly designed to tackle industry needs and job market challenges and produces informed graduates who are suitably equipped to thrive.
• Upon graduation, you will have the critical skills and techniques essential for security-related jobs/roles in a rapidly evolving and diverse environment to appropriately solve typical cyber security problems.
• You will also develop the necessary research competencies and build a solid foundation for applied research in cyber security, which will create pathways to further study such as a PhD.

Study options

As well as the full-time and  part-time options, this course can be studied with:

• Pre-Masters: If you have an undergraduate degree but do not meet the entry criteria or English language requirements for this course, you may qualify for our Extended Masters or Enhanced Extended Masters courses. 
• Internship: Take this course with an eight-week internship.

Through this course, you will be geared up for a professional career in cyber security. You will gain a practical understanding of issues surrounding the design, analysis and implementation of modern secure IT systems in an industry context.

Along the way you will develop an appreciation of commercial and open source cyber security equipment, software and services based on industry standard technologies  In addition, you will discover how cyber security systems are designed and constructed, and the impact this technology has on organisations.

You will gain the skills you need to work effectively in a business environment, and provide a solid basis for cyber security research and development.

The course is taught by an academic team with extensive research and professional practice directly in cyber security. All the tutors have the academic and industry knowledge and experience to support your development. A strong supportive culture exists among the course tutors which enables you to grow and succeed.

We use a variety of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, laboratory work and report writing, to help you make the most of your learning experience. You will also have access to laboratories and dedicated ICT suites with specialist networks and software, plus ample space for private study and meetings.

The School of Computing and Engineering has strong industry links, creating opportunities for industry projects, work placements and internships for our students.

Pre-Masters (Extended Masters and Enhanced Extended Masters)

• Our Extended Masters and Enhanced Extended Masters courses are intended for students who already have an undergraduate degree but don't meet the entry requirements to study for a Masters degree.

Over a full-time semester, you will study four modules specially designed to improve your academic and English language skills:

• Advanced Study Skills
• Critical Thinking, Analysis and Evaluation
• Statistics
• English (Business English on the Enhanced course)

Once completed, you will progress directly onto the core Masters course.

• What's the difference between an Extended Masters and an Enhanced Extended Masters? The Enhanced Extended Masters is similar to the Extended Masters but with a greater focus on improving your English skills. It also includes a Business English module which will allow you to gain a full understanding of this critical subject area.

Internship

• You can choose to take this course with an eight-week internship at a relevant organisation. If you choose this option you can gain workplace experience, develop new skills and connect with potential employers.

You will have an academic supervisor throughout the duration of your internship.

• Please note: There is no guarantee that you will be successful in securing an internship. If you are unable to secure a placement/internship opportunity, the University will transfer you to the non-internship/placement route. 
• You must take all compulsory modules and may choose two of the optional modules listed excluding Learning and Professional Development, Programming Support and Employability Skills and Employment which are additional optional support modules.
• Internship students must take the Employability Skills and Employment module.
• International students must take the Learning and Professional Development module.

Supporting modules

• Employability Skills and Employment (for Internship students only)
• Learning and Professional Development (for International students only)
• Programming Support.

On completion of the course you have clear routes into a number of career 

• Opportunities especially in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and in organisations that are data and knowledge intensive. Employers require information security officers at all levels including the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), network and computer security engineers, security managers and consultants, penetration testers, cyber security analysts, security investigators and security researchers to name a few of the roles. Additionally some security experts find themselves working in media, writing articles for magazines and papers etc. 

Typical job titles include:

• Network or Computer Security Technician
• Computer or Network Security Officer
• Penetration Tester
• Identity and Access Management Officer
• Threat and Incident Response Analyst
• Data Privacy Officer
• Network Forensics Analyst
• Data Protection Adviser
• Security Operations Analyst
• ISO27002 Lead Auditor
• Cloud Security Architect
• Security Consultant
• IT Security Manager
• Business Continuity Manager
• Information Risk Manager
• Information Governance Manager
• Cryptographer/Cryptologist
• Security Software Developer
• Source Code Auditor
• Virus Technician.

Outstanding graduates have gone on to further study at the level of MPhil and PhD at UWL and at other institutions. We actively encourage students with potential for research to make their interest known early on in their course.