MSc Cyber Security
Canterbury, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 22,700 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
The University of Kent is recognised by the British Government as being an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, meaning you will be taught by staff who are top researchers in this area.
Kent has also been named Cyber University of the Year in the Real Cyber Awards 2023. The Awards, which were created to recognise those who are making ‘a real difference in the virtual world that has impact in the real world’, represent organisations and individuals from Cyber Security, Data Protection and Information Security.
Take a year out
You can gain work experience by choosing to take this course with an industrial placement. We have strong links with industry including IBM, Microsoft and Oracle. Our dedicated placement team can help you gain a suitable paid position and provide support throughout your placement.
Accreditation
This degree has been accredited by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC, part of the GCHQ). Students of the MSc Cyber Security programme receive two certificates, as NCSC also allows us to issue an NCSC co-stamped certificate.
About the School of Computing
Our world-leading researchers, in key areas such as cyber security, programming languages, and AI and data science earned us an outstanding result in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF); 100% of our Computer Science and Informatics research was classified as either 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' for impact.
Strong links with industry underpin all our work, notably with Cisco Systems Inc, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Nvidia, Erlang Solutions, GCHQ and Google.
Our courses are taught by leading researchers who are experts in their fields. The School of Computing at Kent is home to several authors of leading computer science textbooks.
We have a large range of equipment providing both Linux and PC-based systems. Our resources include a multicore enterprise server and a virtual machine server that supports computer security experiments.
The School also has a makerspace, Hackspace, which offers exciting teaching and collaboration opportunities. Among other equipment it contains a milling machine, 3D printers, laser cutter and extensive space for building and making digital artefacts.
Scholarship value
The award covers tuition fees, return airfares and living costs for a one-year taught Master's programme.
Deadline
Deadline for Commonwealth application: - 12 December 2024.
Hold an unconditional offer (with the only outstanding condition, international fee deposit) of a programme of study from the University of Kent - 31 January 2025
Criteria
To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, candidates must:
- Hold an undergraduate degree at UK first-class level equivalent.
- Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by one of the eligible Commonwealth countries listed or be a British Protected Person.
- Be a permanent resident in one of the eligible Commonwealth countries listed above.
- To be committed to the University of Kent, you can apply for more than one course and/or to more than one University, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship.
- Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country.
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete. In some circumstances, a student may be permitted to remain in the UK if seeing doctoral study and satisfy certain strict conditions.
- Hold an offer by the deadline for a full-time postgraduate taught degree on one of the eligible courses at the University of Kent:
- MSc Artificial Intelligence
- MSc Infectious Diseases
- MSc Cyber Security
- MA International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- MSc Applied Actuarial Science
- MSc Conservation Science
- MA English and American Literature
Further details
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by DFID in 1986, represent a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK Universities.
Funded by the UK Department of International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development. They are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.
These scholarships are offered under six themes:
- Science and technology for development
- Strengthening health systems and capacity
- Promoting global prosperity
- Strengthening global peace, security and governance
- Strengthening resilience and response to crises - Access, inclusion and opportunity.
How to apply
To be considered for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship you must:
- Make a formal application for a postgraduate degree at the University of Kent commencing September 2025/26. This can be done online here.
- Complete the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) online application process. For information on how to do that and full details of the application process please go directly to the Commonwealth Scholarships webpages.
- Applications will be considered based on Academic Excellence and a completed application.
- The Commonwealth will accept applications until 12th December 2024 (closing at 16:00 GMT).
Stage 1
Compulsory modules currently include the following
- Privacy & Cyber Law
- Information Security Management
- Cryptography & Systems Security
- Network Security
- Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security
- Project & Dissertation
Optional modules may include the following
- Introduction to Quantum Computing and Quantum Cryptography
- Digital Forensics
- Ethical Hacking
Programme aims
This programme aims to:
- enhance the career prospects of graduates seeking employment in the computing/IT sector
- prepare you for research and/or professional practice at the forefront of the discipline
- develop an integrated and critically aware understanding of one or more areas of computing/IT and their applications (according to your degree title)
- develop a variety of advanced intellectual and transferable skills
- equip you with the lifelong learning skills necessary to keep abreast of future developments in the field.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- how to engineer software systems that satisfy the needs of customers, using a state-of-the-art methodology and an industrially-relevant programming language
- a broad variety of advanced topics relating to computing/IT (the specific topics will depend on the optional modules you chose and may vary from year to year in response to developments in the field, staff changes etc)
- The specification, design and implementation of software systems for a variety of platforms and across a range of application domains
- security vulnerabilities of computer systems and networks and the countermeasures used to address them
- the motivation, design, operation and management of modern systems for encryption, authentication and authorisation, including quality of service issues.
- Professional, legal, social, cultural and ethical issues related to the chosen field of computing.
Intellectual skills
You develop intellectual skills in:
- the ability to identify, analyse and formulate criteria and specifications appropriate to a given problem
- the ability to model problems and their solutions with an awareness of any tradeoffs involved
- the ability to evaluate systems, processes or methodologies in terms of general quality attributes and possible tradeoffs
- the ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively
- the ability to work with self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems
- the ability to make sound judgements in the absence of complete data
- the ability to review a research paper or technical report critically and to present your findings to a group of peers
- the ability to plan and execute a substantial research or development-based project and to report the work in the form of a dissertation.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in:
- the ability to specify, design, implement and test computer-based systems
- the ability to deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software
- The ability to undertake practical work that explores techniques covered in the programme and to analyse and comment on the findings.
Transferable skills
You gain the following transferable skills:
- the ability to plan, work and study independently and to use relevant resources in a manner that reflects good practice
- the ability to make effective use of general IT facilities, including information retrieval skills
- time management and organisational skills, including the ability to manage your learning and development
- an appreciation of the importance of continued professional development as part of lifelong learning
- the ability to work effectively as a member of a team
- the ability to communicate technical issues clearly to specialists and non-specialists
- the ability to present ideas, arguments and results in the form of a well-structured written report
- the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.
Our programmes of study are designed to equip our graduates with the skills and knowledge that make them highly attractive to potential employers, providing a good balance between theoretical studies and real-life applications. Our graduates therefore benefit from a first-rate academic experience as well as being prepared to face the demands of the economic environment.
Graduate destinations
Our graduates have gone on to work as:
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Cyber Security Consultant
- Cyber Intelligence Analyst
- Security Engineer.
Recent graduates have gone on to develop successful careers at leading companies such as:
- BAE Systems
- Cisco
- IBM
- The Walt Disney Company
- Citigroup
- BT.
Industrial placements
You can gain practical work experience as part of your degree through our industrial placements scheme - we have a dedicated Placement Team who can give advice and guidance. All our placements are in paid roles.
In previous years, students have worked at a wide range of large and small organisations, including well-known names such as:
- Accenture
- BT
- GSK
- IBM
- Kent Police
- Microsoft
- Morgan Stanley
- The Walt Disney Company.
You can take your work placement abroad. Previous destinations include Hong Kong and the USA.
An industrial placement gives you invaluable workplace experience, which greatly enhances your employment prospects and also helps put your academic learning into a real-world context.
Teaching and assessment
Assessment is through a combination of unseen written examinations, written and practical coursework, student presentations, individual and group projects.
The substantial research project is assessed by dissertation.
Study support
We provide an extensive support framework for our research students and encourage involvement in the international research community. We have strong links with industry including Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle.
Postgraduate resources
The School of Computing has a high performance computing cluster with a number of powerful GPUs and CPUs. There is a multi-user server with 128 hardware threads, running Linux, which is available for all Computing students and an OpenStack cloud offering self-service virtual machines. It has a local GitLab Enterprise instance offering a range of source control and project management features.
All students benefit from a well-stocked library, giving access to e-books and online journals as well as books, and a high bandwidth internet gateway. The School and its research groups hold a series of regular seminars presented by staff as well as by visiting speakers and our students are welcome to attend.
The School of Computing has a makerspace, which offers exciting new teaching and collaboration opportunities. Among other equipment, it contains milling machines, a 3D printer, laser cutter and extensive space for building and making digital artefacts. The School also owns specialist equipment for Internet of Things and media steganography.
Our taught postgraduate students enjoy a high level of access to academic staff and have their own dedicated laboratory and study room. Students whose course includes an industrial placement are supported by a dedicated team which helps them gain a suitable position and provides support throughout the placement.
Links with industry
Strong links with industry underpin all our work, notably with Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP, Amazon, BT, Orange, Cisco, Ericson, Vodafone, Lloyds Banking Group, KPMG, ISC2, Cloud Security Alliance, EC-Council, Honda, Pfizer.