Cyber Security (MSc)

If you are interested in pursuing a career in industry or government, this course will provide you with a broad education in cybersecurity, which will allow you to make technically informed principled decisions. This course will also prepare you if you are seeking a research career in cybersecurity; a research skills module is a mandatory part of the course. 

Security of our systems is one of the most challenging topics of our time. There is an international consensus that in order to respond to the number and sophistication of threats that we face, the level of security skills we have needs to be increased.

This forward-looking, fully certified course will give you the skills and knowledge you need in the core areas of cybersecurity. You'll learn the theories, principles, practices and technologies of cybersecurity and gain knowledge and understanding of the principles underpinning effective approaches to cyber defence.

The course emphasises important technical material that will help you make effective cybersecurity decisions, and addresses issues such as: identity; trust and reputation; cryptography; network security; malware and intrusion detection; risk management; and the development of high-assurance systems.

Course content

• The first half of the course is taken up by taught modules. Modules comprise a mix of lectures, problem classes and practical classes, plus personal study time. In the second half of the course, you will undertake an individual research project under the supervision of a member of staff.

Core modules

• Research Methods in Computer Science
• Ethical Hacking, Analysis and Investigation
• Cryptography Theory and Practice
• Network Security
• Professional and Academic Development
• Human Factors: Technology in Context

Dissertation

• Cyber Security Individual Project

As part of this course you will undertake an individual project and dissertation. This takes place over the summer and is supervised by a member of academic staff. It may involve working with an external organisation. You will be encouraged to work with academic staff to create projects which are of specific interest to you and the staff member you are working with.

You will be given considerable flexibility in the topics you can choose to base your project around, providing academic criteria are met. To ensure you reach your goals, your project will be assessed at an early stage to ensure that it is suitable for study at this level. Many previous projects undertaken have followed naturally from the taught material. However, your project may also investigate suitably challenging topics outside that material if you wish.

At the end of this period of study you will be asked to produce a dissertation describing your project work.

Teaching and assessment

• You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.

Teaching format

• Part of this course is taken up by taught modules. Each module comprises a mix of lectures, problem classes and practical classes, plus personal study time. You should expect to be working on open assessments during vacation periods. Throughout the course you will have a personal tutor, who will provide academic and pastoral advice.
• In the second half of the course, you'll undertake an individual research project under the supervision of a member of staff. When you undertake your individual project, you will be allocated a supervisor within your area of interest. Work on your individual project will start around the beginning of April, and you will receive regular one-to-one supervisions throughout your project. You will continue to work on your individual project over the summer, and there will be continuing supervision and research-group meetings to discuss your project. You will finish the course when you hand in your dissertation and paper for your project in September.
• Due to the intensive nature of the course, you will need to be in York throughout both semesters and over the summer while you undertake your individual project.

Facilities

• Built to the highest specifications, the department is packed with cutting-edge facilities housed in a modern, self-contained building.
• The department houses four software labs and two hardware labs. One of the hardware labs is equipped with dedicated Cyber Lab infrastructure required for several of your practical classes.
• Our Interaction Labs provide excellent facilities for research and teaching in human-computer interaction. The Interaction Labs consist of an Accessibility and Usability Lab and a Games Research Lab, both of which are stocked with the latest technologies.
• Our Real Time Systems Lab is the main research and development facility for the Real Time Systems research group. Inside the lab is a range of high-performance computers, custom hardware like FPGAs, robots, and various industrial machinery.
• The Computer Vision group have a darkroom laboratory which enables us to conduct experiments in controlled illumination conditions and a second laboratory which includes a commercial 3D scanner. 
• Our Robotics Laboratory is a purpose-built laboratory used for various robotics research projects and teaching. Within it, there is a dedicated student working area, with workstations and electronics bench equipment, alongside the main 80m2 robotics arena. The arena features a 5.5m high ceiling allowing drone experiments to take place alongside ground-based robots. Special tracking systems are installed to allow positional data of the robots to be extracted. There is also a workshop area with CAD, soldering and 3D printing facilities.

Teaching location

• Computer Science is based on Campus East. The majority of teaching on this course takes place on Campus East in the Computer Science building and Ron Cooke Hub.

About our campus

• Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.

Assessment and feedback

• All taught modules on this course are examined by open assessments. This type of assessment allows you to engage with the research literature and gives us the chance to assess your practical skills.
• Once you have successfully completed the taught modules, you will undertake an extensive individual project. Here you will work on an identified cyber security topic, and document the results in a report.
• Assessments will take place at various times during the year. Practical exercises, reports and other forms of open assessment will be due either during the course module or just after its completion.

Careers and skills

• This course will prepare you for a career in the field of cyber security. It will also equip you with the relevant skills to undertake further research in the area.
• Previous graduates have gone on to technical roles, such as malware analysis, security design, penetration testing and broader roles such as risk assessment, security planning, or security consultancy. Some previous students have returned to their home countries to teach security, and others have gone on to study for a PhD.

Career opportunities

• Security analyst
• Security architect
• Cryptographer/Cryptologist
• Security consultant
• Software developer
• Security engineer

Transferable skills
You will gain the ability to:

• Interpret, evaluate and synthesise data and arguments from up-to-date research literature, technical manuals and standards specifications.
• Communicate complex technical ideas and arguments to peer specialists and general audiences, through oral presentations and written reports.
• Scope, plan, execute and manage complex technical projects.
• Assess and consider the impact of legal, social and professional issues in the development and operation of technical systems.
• Analyse the work of others in order to achieve defined goals.