Practical Master's degree fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre - part of GCHQ.
Programme Overview
Fully certified by the National Cybersecurity Centre - part of GCHQ - this Masters degree develops the skills and mind set needed to tackle the growing threat of computer hackers. Computer security is a growing concern for organisations of all sizes.
This Masters will put you in the ideal position to pursue a successful and often lucrative career. The industry is currently experiencing a major skills gap and global demand for ethical hackers. It’s not unusual for the salaries of our graduates to start at £35,000-£40,000.
We’re the only university in the UK to offer a Masters programme in ethical hacking. We want to change the way you view cyber security to adopt an offensive approach. The best way to beat a hacker is to be able to think like one!
Aimed at Computing/IT graduates, our MSc Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity covers a wide range of subjects, including penetration testing, digital forensics, information security management, Malware analysis, port scanning, buffer overflows and password cracking. Our research-active teaching staff are at the forefront of new developments, allowing the programme to evolve to cover the latest techniques and guidelines.
There are two modes of studying this degree. Full-time, on-campus over one year or, part-time distance learning over two years.
In recent years, full-time on-campus class sizes have been around 10-15 people, and they’re unlikely to go higher than 20. This allows for closer relationships with academic staff and fellow postgraduates.
The part-time distance option offers a virtual lab for practical work and weekly sessions to meet staff, fellow students and get help.
Our graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as:
- Dell Secure Works
- Goldman-Sachs
- NCR
- GCHQ
Others have gone on to set up their own successful information security businesses.
Join us and start your career in ethical hacking and cyber security - fascinating, rewarding and hugely in-demand
How the Course Works
You’ll learn how to evaluate the impact of security problems and recommend improvements to a network’s security within a legal and ethical framework. You’ll also conduct a master’s project within an area of cybersecurity that’ll allow you to build on your existing skills.
Full-time on campus students completing the degree in one year: The academic year consists of three terms with the masters project module completed in term 3.
Part-time distance learning students completing the degree in two years: Year 1 consists of two terms and Year 2 of three terms with the master project module completed in the final term.
Accreditation
This course is fully certified by GCHQ and accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, as meeting the educational requirement for CITP Further Learning and partially meeting the educational requirement for CEng/CSci registration.
Partnerships
Abertay is a Crest academic partner. CREST builds trust in the digital world by raising professional standards and delivering measurable quality assurance for the global cybersecurity industry.
Learning
Lectures are used to present the key concepts, while practicals increase your understanding of the subject and allow you to develop your competence in technological and theoretical work.
You’re taught using a problem-based learning approach.
For full-time on-campus students, teaching takes place in dedicated classrooms. You’ll spend around 12 hours per week attending classes and around 30 hours a week of private study.
For part-time distance learning students, you'll watch video lectures and and complete practical exercises in your own time. For the latter, you'll work remotely in a virtual lab that recreates the safe controlled environment of the Hacking Lab at the University. You'll enjoy the benefits of being part of the academic community through weekly sessions to meet staff, fellow students, the Ethical Hacking Society and to get help with the practical materials for each module.
Assessment
The taught course will be assessed using a combination of written coursework, presentations and seminars, with a written dissertation at MSc level.
For part-time distance learning students, all assessments and exams would be completed remotely online.
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