Masters in Cyber Security (MSc)
2009/10 : Registrations for September 2009 are being taken for part-time study only. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
2010/11 : Registrations for both part-time (2 years) and full-time (1 year) will be available starting Sept 2010.
This programme has been designed to meet the requirements of the current and next generation of IT security specialists. It blends world class academic teaching and the latest industry knowledge to deliver a comprehensive cutting edge programme. The course is composed of 8 taught modules and a research dissertation. This is a part time MSc Programme split over two years.
The overall aim of the programme is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work within an IT security profession, combining advanced technical skills with an understanding of the management of risk, types of crime relevant to IT systems, criminal behaviour, methods of intervention and detection and the legal frameworks surrounding IT Systems Security. Its strength and uniqueness lies in the multi-disciplinary nature of the programme, drawing upon expertise from Applied Social Science, Psychology, Computing and ICT Focus.
Elements of the technical curriculum will build upon certification programmes such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) and CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator) thus giving successful students the added opportunity to go on and gain industry-recognised qualifications.
Students will also benefit from the development of skills that are essential for someone working within IT security. They will develop advanced problem solving and planning skills, critical self-reflection skills and the ability to reflect upon the motivation of others, appropriate research and investigative skills and the ability to syntheise and evaluate complex information.
The course is composed of 8 taught modules and a research dissertation.
Module 1: Information System Security Management
This module focuses on the current Information security technologies and best practices and builds upon on the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from (ISC)2.
The module will give the students a wide appreciation of security within information technology.
It is an ideal preparatory course to then go on and take the assessment associated with the CISSP qualification.
The module will particularly focus on the impact that security has in the corporate environment and how to effectively apply security on a networked environment.
More information on this course.
Module 2: Information System Penetration and Countermeasures
This module aims to furnish students with the skills and understanding to test IT infrastructures for vulnerabilities to malicious attack.
This course builds upon Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) from EC-Council and as such provides an ideal way to study for this professional qualification.
The purpose is to enable students to understand the attack process in order for them to be able to develop IT infrastructures more able to withstand attack.
The students will be given first hand practical experience of using tools and techniques to carry out such an attack in order to better understand it.
More information on this course.
Module 3: Information System Forensic Investigation
This module aims to develop technical investigative skills with regard to the gathering of information from compromised systems.
This course builds upon on the Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) from EC-Council and as such provides an ideal way to study for this proffesional qualifiaction.
The module covers skills and technologies that a student will require in order to gather information and draw inferences from that data regarding the attack as it occurred or as it unfolds.
Students will develop the skills required to apply the knowledge in order to carry out an investigation in a range of situations and on differing devices.
More information on this course.
Module 4: Information System Risk Management
This module focuses on the current Information System Risk Management processes and best practices.
In order for security staff to be effective it is important that they have a firm understanding of risk management strategies.
Such an awareness would enable them to analyse business threats and the risks they pose within well known frameworks and take countermeasures to those threats commensurate with the level of risk they carry.
This module will identify key frameworks, international standards and best practices involved in Risk Assessment, Business Impact Analysis, Asset Identification and Risk Management.
The ultimate aim is to develop the students' critical appreciation forimportance of Information Risk Management in the Information Systems Security arena.
More information on this course.
Module 5: Cybercrime
The aim of this course is to provide students with a critical understanding of criminological and sociological
approaches to crime and deviance on the Internet (or 'cybercrime'). Students will explore the range of links
between crime, deviance, 'information communication technologies' (ICTs), and ICT users. The course will
enable students to advance their knowledge of 'cybercrime' through the study of criminological and
sociological literature, and cybercrime case studies organised into specific topics, including cyber-stalking,
online offences against children, and cyberterrorism. Such topics will enable key concepts and theories in
this area to be used by students in a critical and imaginative manner. Finally, the course will help students
understand how ICT users, the IT industry, criminal justice professionals, and policy makers become
entangled in attempts to define and regulate networked ICT use within broader society.
More information on this course.
Module 6: Introduction to Law for Cyber Security Specialists
The aim of the module is to give students a basic working knowledge of relevant legal
systems, sources, institutions and personnel.
More information on this course.
Module 7: Network and Systems Security
This course is designed to allow students to experience the complexities of designing secure systems and protocols.
The focus is secure system and protocol design and implementation.
More information on this course.
Module 8: Crime and Criminal Behaviour
This module seeks to provide students with a better understanding of the individuals that they investigate by introducing them to current theories and research on crime and criminal behaviour.
The module pays particular attention to crimes that are relevant to the contemporary climate, including drug use and crime, fraud, organised crime, and terrorism.
More information on this course.
Module 9: Dissertation
This module give students the opportunity to research and develop their critical thinking in
an area directly related the programme. Students are required to undertake an extended
piece of research to integrate the learning obtained throughout the course and apply it to
an original research field or question. This work must produce an original piece of critical
thinking centred on significant experimental and/or archival study that reflects existing
research within the field.
More information on this course.
Interested
If you are interested in this programme please
register online.
Offical University Course Page>>
Download the timetable for this course>>
At least a second class honours degree, or its equivalent, in Computer Science or a closely related discipline. Applicants who do not meet this criterion but who have significant industrial experience will also be considered subject to individual circumstances.
Overseas Students
For students whose first language is not English, there may an additional requirement to demonstrate fluency in English. The department requires IELTS 6.5 min or TOEFL 580 (paper-based test), 238 (computer-based test), 93 (internet-based test).
You will require a visa to be able to study with us in the UK (you do not also need an ATAS certificate). From April, the UK Border agency will be scoring applications against a new points based system. There is more information on the Home Office website
To get a visa you will need to show that you have the money to pay the course fees (£) and to support yourself for 9 months (£5,400). You must have held the funds for 28 days when you apply for the visa.
Tuition fees
| For UK & EU students | £6,250 |
|---|---|
| For overseas students | £12,200 |
Fees are normally payable on Registration Day. Alternatively, you may opt to pay the fees in three instalments with the first instalment being due on Registration Day.
Course fees do not cover residential accommodation or living expenses. However, as a campus based University, Lancaster is a relatively inexpensive place to study. As a guide, a reasonable estimate of living expenses is about £8,500 for 12 months including rent.
Additional information is available on the University website.
Many students choose to work during their studies to help make their studies here more affordable. Normally the visa permits part-time work of up to 20 hours per week and full time over the vacations. More information about this can be found on the University website.
The Post-Study Work Visa allows you to stay in the UK for up to 2 years after your degree to work full time. Starting salaries of a Software Engineer in UK are approx. £20K (~1.5m INR, ~223K CNY). Our ICT centre of excellence (InfoLab21) can help you find full and part-time work using their ICT JobShop.
Now is an excellent time to be studying in the UK, the current downturn in exchange rates make this cheaper than ever for International students and you will find that both the fees and the cost of living significantly reduced. Being in the North West, you will also find that the cost of accommodation, food and entertainment are all cheaper than more major cities like London and Birmingham.