Cyber Security (MSc)

Provided by University of South Wales

About the course

MSc Cyber Security

Get the latest knowledge and understanding of the threats associated with the use of technology in business and how best to deal with them. As the number of sophisticated cyber attacks increase across the world, so too does the demand for graduates with the necessary skills and expertise to support an organisations ability to protect themselves against security threats and digital incursion.

The MSc Cyber Security course will equip you with the latest knowledge and understanding of the threats associated with the use of technology in business and how best to deal with them. You will cover both the technical and management/governance areas required to operate in the cyber security profession, allowing you to develop a range of key transferable skills valued by employers in both the public and private sectors. You will also benefit from being taught by staff who are at the forefront of their subject area.

What you will study

You will study the following modules:

• Network Security (20 credits)
  To enable students to evaluate, synthesize and validate the identification of security issues and their associated impacts against devices and protocols that make up networks and distributed systems.
   
• Security Management (20 credits)
  To provide a knowledge of the tools and techniques available to secure and manage, in a meaningful manner, an information system.
To develop the students’ ability to manage the security of an information system at a strategic, tactical and operational level.
   
• Incident Response and Incident Management (20 credits)
  To evaluate, analyse and synthesize the capability to perform incident management and incident response.
   
• Cyber Law (20 credits)
  To develop a critical understanding of UK and EU legislation and organisational responsibility in relation to Cyberspace and Information Technology.
   
• Strategic Management and IT Governance (20 credits)
  To develop a critical understanding of strategic management tools and IT Governance frameworks.
   
• MSc Project (60 credits)
  To provide the opportunity for students to employ autonomy and originality in the application of their computing, award and research skills to a complex problem. To provide an opportunity for the student to investigate a topical, award relevant issue of their choice in some depth. To produce a justified solution to a significant problem that is informed by a critical review of research. To further develop the student's investigative, research, writing and presentation skills as a self-directed, autonomous learner.
   
• Project Management and Research Methodology (20 credits)
  To understand current developments in project management, its techniques and tools, and to determine and use appropriate ones in contexts where there are many interacting factors.

Teaching

The MSc Cyber Security course is delivered in four major blocks to offer an intensive but focused learning pattern, with two start points every year – February and September. The course typically begins in September and finishes the following September. Full-time students will typically spend 12 hours in classes each week. You will study through lectures, tutorials, practical sessions, seminars and projects.

Assessment

You will need to spend a significant amount of time working independently, reading and preparing for assessments. While the style of coursework may vary, research-style papers or essays of around 4,000 words in length are typical. You will also work on a significant research project and a major project of your choice, where strong independent thinking, critical analysis and project management skills will be important.

Course details

Accreditations

The University of South Wales' MSc Cyber Security degree gives full exemption from the examination requirements of the British Computer Society and is BCS accredited to Chartered Information Technology Practitioner (CITP) level.

Facilities

Our facilities are at the cutting edge of computer development, meaning you’ll use the latest technologies in high-spec labs. There’s a Digital Investigation Lab, which is a computer forensic facility typical of those used by law enforcement agencies to analyse computer files and digital media for use as evidence in court. The University of South Wales has become part of a project to train the next generation of computer security experts. You could join the fight against cyber crime in our National Cyber Security Academy and become part of the next generation of cyber security experts. You'll study in our Secure Operations Centre which has been designed to emulate the workplace.