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Cyber Security at University of Birmingham - UCAS

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Course summary

Computing infrastructure is now vital for communication, government, commerce, and control of our physical environment, and is a potential target of terrorist and criminal attacks. Graduates who understand the technologies and practices that underpin secure computer systems are in great and ever-growing demand. Cyber security is about designing systems that resist attack. As computers become ever more prevalent and ever more connected with each other, the opportunities for attackers become even greater, and the need to resist them becomes more urgent. This Cyber Security Masters/MSc programme will give you the skills you need to deal with current and future cyber security threats. It provides a solid foundation for graduates to pursue a career in the software industry or research. This is a one-year full-time degree programme for graduates in a computing-related discipline. It will allow you to obtain the knowledge and expertise to evaluate, design and build secure computer systems, processes and people that are involved in cyber security. It covers the theory and practice of designing and building secure systems and gives you a firm grounding in cryptography, network security and secure programming, as well as optional modules in topics such as hardware and embedded system security, operating systems and incident management and forensics. The programme also gives you practical experience with technologies and toolkits for building internet-based software. All students undertake a large, personally supervised project in the final months of the course. Our curriculum has been developed with the involvement of key individuals in the cyber security industry. As well as advising us on the skills they seek when recruiting graduates, they also contribute directly to the MSc programme through guest lectures and project supervision. In recent years, we have had guest lecturers from Microsoft, Vodafone, Siemens, IBM and Hewlett Packard.

Assessment method

Research project.


How to apply

International applicants

English language requirements may apply for international students

Entry requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant subject (eg, Computer Science or a closely related discipline) or international equivalent in Computer Science or a closely related discipline. A solid foundation in programming and knowledge of data structures and algorithms, in particular, knowledge of object-oriented programming will be a strong asset. Students who have not studied in English must pass a recognised English test.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For more detailed information on available funding and fees for postgraduate courses please visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/fees-funding

Sponsorship information

Scholarships may be available to home and international students.

Cyber Security at University of Birmingham - UCAS