Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

M.Sc. in Computer Security

Address the most pressing, ambitious, and deeply technical challenges in computer security

Our Master's programme Computer Security is unique in the Netherlands and one of the few of its kind in the world. It builds on a solid computer systems foundation, with the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex systems, and then specializes in the security issues of modern systems in both hardware and software. The emphasis is on experimental computer science rather than theory. As such, most of the courses in the curriculum are very hands-on, which means you will get extensive practical and research-oriented experience in computer systems and security.

You will study the inner workings of modern computer systems and understand how they have become increasingly complex to meet the challenges of Clouds, Big Data the, Internet of Things, etc. and the ever-growing demand for better performance. You will learn how such sheer complexity comes at a nontrivial security cost, with each layer of the modern hardware and software stack plagued by critical security vulnerabilities.

In a nutshell, you will learn how to use experimental and empirical approaches to understand and address today’s systems security issues towards tomorrow’s hacker-proof computer systems. What’s more, you will design, implement, and evaluate complex systems and security solutions. To this end, you will often work in small teams to learn valuable collaborative research skills.

First year

Our Computer Security Master is a two-year programme that offers you a great balance between classroom and applied work. 

The curriculum is made up of compulsory core courses, elective courses, and a Master’s thesis. The emphasis shifts gradually from classroom lectures to independent, research-oriented study with practical work, seminars, and the identification of open research questions.  

Compulsory courses include a systems core, with courses such as Storage Systems, Parallel Programming, and Distributed Systems, and a security core with courses such as Software Security, Network Security, and Binary and Malware Analysis.

Elective courses you can choose include Network Security, Verification for Security, Security Experiments and Measurements, Advanced Computer Networks, Web Data Processing Systems, Data Mining Techniques, and literally dozens of others – the possibilities are endless. You’ll also have the opportunity to test your knowledge in at least one large project before your final thesis.

Courses

• Programming Large-scale Parallel Systems
• Software Security
• Systems Seminar
• Binary and Malware Analysis

Security elective courses

• Verification for Security, where you’ll learn how to formally reason about and prove that a program is correct and secure
• Security Experiments and Measurements, where you’ll learn the research methodology to design experiments and conduct security measurements
• Software Threat Analysis, where you’ll learn the practice of threat analysis and participate in a competition with your peers using industry or open-source tools
• Security and Machine Learning, where you’ll learn how to secure machine learning systems
• Advanced Compiler Construction, where you’ll learn principles of compiler-based program analysis and instrumentation to secure software

Second year

In the second year of our Computer Security Master, you’ll take additional core courses such as Advanced Operating Systems and Hardware Security as well as additional electives. The final semester is dedicated to the Master’s thesis, which usually involves conducting research together with one or more members of the academic staff. Many Master’s thesis results get published in top international venues in computer security. 

Courses:

• Storage Systems
• Hardware Security
• Master Project Computer Security

An outstanding Master ran by outstanding researchers at VU Amsterdam

Our Master's programme has been established by VUSec, the Systems and Network Security Group at VU Amsterdam. VUSec has won multiple prestigious grants (ERC, VICI, multiple VENIs), a Dutch Prize for ICT Research, a EuroSys Jochen Liedtke Young Researcher Award, a VMware Early Career Faculty Award, five Pwnie Awards, two ACM SIGSAC Doctoral Dissertation Awards, a Dennis M. Ritchie Ph.D. Award, seven Roger Needham Ph.D. Awards, three William C. Carter PhD Dissertation Awards, and other awards from academia or industry. 

The VUSec group runs the programme in collaboration with the brand new group in Foundational and Experimental Security and the other researchers from the Computer Systems (CompSys) section at VU Amsterdam. CompSys itself consists of three interconnected research groups of outstanding international reputation and was set up by  professor Andrew S. Tanenbaum, winner of the ACM Karl V. Karlstrom outstanding Educator Award, the ACM/SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education and the IEEE award. 

You’ll come away from our Master’s programme with strong research and technical skills in computer security that are much needed by employers everywhere. The industry is chasing talent: well-qualified graduates in this field are in high demand. Our programme prepares you specifically for research work at commercial or government labs, or for technical leadership positions in the industry. In addition, high-quality PhD candidates are in very short supply at virtually all Computer Science departments in the Netherlands and elsewhere. Students who complete our Master’s programme are ideally suited to pursue a PhD in computer security at many top universities around the world. 

What can you do after your Master's degree?

Move to industry

Different career paths are open to you as a graduate of our Master’s programme Computer Security. You might want to join a tech company in which systems and security skills are crucial to carry out innovative projects, or to lead the research and development of new security solutions. Alternatively, you might be snapped up by firms looking for the ideal combination of creative problem-solving abilities and technical skills in computer security (or experimental computer science in general).

Or pursue an academic career

Or you may choose to pursue an academic career, going on to obtain a PhD in your area of specialisation at a top university at home or abroad. And last but not least, if you have an entrepreneurial streak, you could choose to start your own company – leveraging your knowhow as well as your network of alumni. 

For more information about our (upcoming) open days and webinars please visit us

Each year we organise an online session for aspiring Master's students that covers all you need to know about the application process and beyond. This year, the International Master's webinar will take place on Tuesday 15 October at 16:00 (CET). 

During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to:

• Discover what it is like to study at VU Amsterdam;
• Learn everything you need to know about the admission and application process;
• Get the latest insights on scholarship opportunities;
• Hear first-hand experiences from one of our current international students about being a student in the Netherlands' dynamic capital city.