Master of Cybersecurity

The master of cybersecurity program engages students in developing specialized knowledge and practical skills in the area of cybersecurity. This full-time master's program is suitable for students with a strong aptitude in computer science, or other quantitative fields, such as engineering and mathematics. 

The program trains students to build and maintain safe systems and infrastructure that can withstand digital attacks. Foundational topics such as penetration testing, malware analysis and configuration of firewalls are covered as part of the curriculum complemented by advanced teaching in cryptography, secure software design and ethical hacking, among others.

Students take instructional and lab courses, in a cohort, and complete work placement through SFU's co-op program, allowing them to tackle real-world scientific, engineering, and social-economic problems and gain valuable project management experiences while expanding their network of industrial contacts.

Program at-a-glance

• Unlike traditional thesis-based degrees, this program does not have a research component. Instead, almost half of the coursework consists of hands-on lab training, complemented by a carefully selected array of instructional courses. Students develop deep knowledge and practical skills working with data in all forms. Consulting with dedicated academic advisors, students are able to select courses that help them hone in on an area of interest. The program is best suited for students who wish to work in industry upon graduation and have a strong aptitude in computer science or other quantitative fields, such as engineering or mathematics.
• A hallmark of our program is the mandatory, paid co-op placement. Co-op allows students to tackle real-world scientific, engineering and socio-economic problems while gaining valuable project management experience and expanding their network of industry contacts.

Program Requirements
Our Masters programs require students to complete a minimum of 30 units of graduate work. These units are divided as follows: 

• A minimum of 15 credits of graduate coursework
• 12 credits of specialized lab work
• 3 credits for co-op (internship) work

Please note that only three credits are allocated to the co-op placement, regardless of whether a student completes one or two terms on co-op.

• The program is normally four semesters (or 16 months) in length. This includes a four-month co-op placement. Students who take more than four semesters to complete the program are required to pay a continuing fee for each additional semester. Please see the section on tuition fees for more information. 
• It is recommended that students complete nine credits per academic term so as to spread out the coursework evenly and maximize the learning experience while allowing time for extra-curricular activities and the co-op seeking process. Typically, the first two semesters are nine credits each, followed by one or two co-op terms (depending on whether a four-month or eight-month placement was secured). 

Curriculum
The current curriculum for the Master of Cybersecurity covers (but is not limited to) the following topics: 

• Fundamentals and advanced knowledge of information security, risk management, situation analysis, data analytics, applied cryptography, cyber ethics and cyber forensics
• Understanding protocol-specific attacks and generic attacks, new technologies related to containers, IoT and 5G
• Machine learning and predictive analytics for cybersecurity risk assessment, intrusion detection and prevention, and critical infrastructure protection
• Applied cryptography, cryptographic and cryptoanalytics techniques 
• Cybersecurity of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies
• Information privacy and fundamental privacy concepts 
• Cyber risk assessment and mitigation strategies to identify, estimate, and prioritize cyber risks, threats and vulnerabilities
• Applied cryptography, cryptographic and cryptoanalytics techniques such as cryptographic primitives, public key encryption, digital signature, message authentication codes and cryptographic protocol

Admission Requirements

• Admission to our master's programs is competitive: only the best qualified applicants are offered a seat. Therefore, it is imperative that students familiarize themselves with the admission requirements in order to ensure they submit a strong application. Since conditional and qualifying admission offers are made very rarely and only in exceptional cases, students who qualify for regular admission have higher chances of acceptance than those who only qualify for conditional or qualifying admission.

Foundations:

In order for students to succeed in this program, it is expected that they have the following knowledge/experience prior to beginning their studies:

• Ability to program in Java, Python and C++. Familiarity with programming and ability to learn new languages. Students planning to take courses in computer graphics, computer vision, etc. may not need Java and C++ but need Matlab.
• Knowledge of advanced math - calculus, linear algebra and advanced statistics.
• Knowledge of data structures and algorithms, databases, and operating systems.

Regular Admission:

• Regular admission is the preferred route for this program. To qualify, students must satisfy the admission requirements laid out here as well as the University's admission requirements for a master's program, as stated in SFU Graduate Regulation 1.3.6a. 

Students who have completed their degrees outside of Canada

• Students must hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent in computer science or a related field with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.00/4.33 (B) or the equivalent. Alternatively, a minimum GPA of 3.33/4.33 on the last 60 credits of undergraduate courses will also meet the GPA requirements for admission to the program. All graduate work is also considered.
• Students applying to this program must hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent in computer science or a related field. Please see here for minimum equivalent qualifications, academic standing and required credential for students who have completed their degree outside of Canada. The academic requirement is listed by country.

Conditional & qualifying admission:

• In exceptional circumstances, a student may be admitted with lower formal qualifications when there is significant professional experience relevant to the proposed area of scholarship. Please do not contact us about waiving the requirement. Instead, use your application materials (your CV, statement of purpose, etc.) to make the case that your professional experience is relevant and should be considered along with your GPA.
• The School's graduate admissions committee may also, at its discretion, offer admission to the program to exceptional students whose undergraduate degree is not in computer science or a related field. Such students typically make up for the lack of program-specific education through relevant work experience, course work, or certificates, diplomas, etc. 

Financial Support & Funding

• Read more about various funding opportunities for graduate students as set out on the Graduate Studies website, or review department specific opportunities

Mandatory Co-op 

• Students in this program complete a mandatory co-op placement as part of their degree. Co-op is a great opportunity for students to gain hands-on work experience by applying the skills and knowledge they obtained in the classroom to real world challenges or to simply branch out and learn new things.