MSc Internet of Things with Cyber Security

Provided by Bournemouth University

About the course

In the future, all our objects will act as one. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the connection of intelligent devices that captures data about how we live and what we do. All our domestic appliances and basic networked devices are now being connected up to the Internet and are capable of sensing and transmitting data; it is predicted that there will be more than 20bn connected appliances and other devices by 2020. As the connections grow, devices will exchange data and personal information on an exponential scale, presenting all organisations with on-going security management challenges. 

This course will produce professionals with strong technical, creative, and intellectual skills. You will share the core modules with the MSc Internet of Things, whilst the specialist units provide a route into Information Assurance and Cyber Security within an IoT context. You will be able to choose to learn how the cyber-threat landscape shapes the development of socio-technical IoT systems and understand how to manage security events and incidents.

Key information

Next start date:

September 2018, January 2019

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

September start: 12 months without placement or 24 months with a 12 month placement, January start: 18 months without placement or 30 months with a 12 month placement. Part-time – 24 months

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject or equivalent.

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS 6.5 (Academic) or above.

Course content

Core units

• Mobile & Pervasive Technology: In this unit you will examine, from a systems perspective, the architectural factors in producing mobile and pervasive solutions, and explore technology areas such as application design.

• Wireless, Sensor and Actuator Networks: You will explore the operating principles, standards, design and configuration of WSANs.  Future and emerging paradigms – such as Mobile Crowdsensing Systems, and technologies such as Wireless Power Transfer in ad-hoc networks will also be addressed.  

• Security and Privacy in IoT: Smart objects, IoT applications, and their enabling platforms are often vulnerable to security attacks and changing operating and context conditions that can compromise the security of some of their components (e.g., local sensors, network components, application-level components). They also generate, make use of and inter-relate massive personal data in ways that can potentially breach legal and privacy requirements. This unit will develop your capability to understand and produce security architectures of IoT-related networks and systems.

• Research Methods & Professional Issues: Research requires a structured and disciplined approach at all stages. We will help you to develop key research skills in many areas from project proposals and planning to critical analysis of research findings, academic writing, and dissemination. Ensuring you give due consideration to professional standards and ethical issues in research.

• Research Project: The Research Project provides you with an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in a relevant area of particular interest. Your project will give you the opportunity to engage with a complex, real-world problem.

Option units

• Cyber Security: Develop skills and knowledge for cyber security. Material, lectures and seminars in this unit capture concepts of cyberspace ecosystems and the security of socio-technical systems. The unit also covers the life cycle of cyber security mechanisms, including the design, development, management and, most importantly, how they're sustained. Unit leader: Dr Ioannis Askoxylakis

• Enterprise Digital Forensics: As globalisation and the Internet have led to increasing integration, the opportunities for unauthorised exploitation have also grown. You'll develop competencies for constructing plans to capture and analyse data for an investigation of potentially abnormal activity. Unit leader: Dr Michael Jones

• Security Event & Incident Management: Incident management capability means managing computer security events and incidents. Lectures and seminars in this unit will capture the concepts of event logging and collection. You'll learn to define policies, processes, procedures, roles and responsibilities and understand the issues of lead implementation of ISO 27001.

• Optional Industrial Placement: If you choose to take this opportunity, you will gain experience of working within an appropriate professional environment in line with the BU employability strategy.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.