Overview and contacts

For general information:

Johny Stokoe
Postgraduate Admissions Administrator

Tel: +44 (0)1904 325404
Fax: +44 (0)1904 325599
E-mail: postgraduate@cs.york.ac.uk

For informal discussion:

Professor John Clark
Course Leader

Tel: +44 (0)1904 325354
Fax: +44 (0)1904 325599
E-mail: jac@cs.york.ac.uk

Related Links

• Course Fees
• Apply Online
  

Course overview

• This course is available full-time over one year, or part-time over three years.
• It is made up of 8 assessed modules and an individual project module.

Security of our systems is one of the most challenging topics of our time. There is an international consensus that the level of security skills will have to be increased in order to respond to the increasing number and sophistication of threats we face.

Our new MSc in Cyber Security is a forward-looking course to give you the skills and knowledge you need in the core areas of cyber security. It emphasises the important technical material that will help you to make effective cyber security decisions, and addresses issues such as:

• Identity
• Trust and reputation
• Cryptography
• Network security
• Malware and intrusion detection
• Risk management
• Development of high assurance systems

If you are looking to follow a career in industry or government, this course will provide you with a broad education in cyber security, that allows you to make technically informed principled decision making. This course will also prepare you if you are seeking a research career in this area - a cyber security research skills module is a mandatory part of the course.

It has been designed for students who already possess a strong computer science, software engineering or information technology background who want to broaden their knowledge about the specific challenges in cyber security and possible solutions to those challenges.

Watch our new video on Cyber Security

Professor John Clark, Course Leader for the MSc in Cyber Security, explains more about the course.

Course structure

The MSc in Cyber Security is offered as a one-year full-time course, or can be taken part-time over three years.

The first half of the course is taken up by taught modules. Each of the MSc Cyber Security modules comprise a mixture of lectures, problem classes and practical classes, plus a significant amount of personal study time. In the second half of the course, students undertake an individual research project under the supervision of a member of staff.

Course aims

• To educate students in the theories, practices, technologies and principles that form the essential knowledge for professionals working within cyber security.
• To provide the knowledge and understanding of the principles underpinning effective approaches to cyberdefence.
  

Learning outcomes

When you graduate from the MSc in Cyber Security, you will have developed a detailed understanding of the fundamental aspects of cyber security. The course emphasises the important technical material that must be understood in order to make effective cyber security decision making.

You will understand extant threats to current and emerging system types, and understand and be familiar with a range of technologies that can be brought to bear to reduce risks.

This course will equip you for a career in industry or government, particularly in strategic cyber security decision making, or if you are seeking a research career in this area.

Attendance

Full-time taught postgraduate courses run for 12 months from the start of the academic year in October.  Students on these courses are expected to be in attendance at York for the full 12 months, except for when the Department is closed. Please contact the Postgraduate Admissions Administrator for more details.

Modules

Course components  -  2012/2013

Module Title	Term	Short Description
Identity, Trust, Reputation and their Applications	Autumn	Addresses issues such as how to reliably identify agents and their communications, and whether we can depend on such agents to provide services or keep promises.
Cryptography Theory and Applications	Autumn	Examines the design, analysis and implementation of cryptographic primitives and services. This module also addresses issues of key management infrastructures.
Rigour in the Development of High Assurance Systems	Autumn	Provides an understanding and hands-on experience of rigourous approaches to secure and dependable system development. The linking theme is "rigour". The module also addresses the use of traditional formal methods (formal specification, program proof and so on), but also stochastic model checking, software reliability mathematics, and system safety reliability analysis.
Networks and Communications Security: Threats, Attacks and Countermeasures	Autumn	Gives a broad understanding and knowledge of network security, addressing threats over a range of sophistication levels.
Malware and Other Malfeasance	Spring	Provides an understanding and knowledge of how malware, such as viruses and worms, actually work, and how to detect them. This module also investigates the principles and practices of intrusion detection.
Cyber Security Research Skills	Spring	Covers aspects of being a successful researcher in cyber security. The module includes participating in a mock cyber security conference, giving appropriate critical feedback, communicating cyber security issues to a variety of audiences and writing cyber security research proposals.
Optional Modules from Large Scale Complex IT Systems course	Spring	You can choose a module from our Large Scale Complex IT Systems course.
Principled Approaches to Security - from Threats to Effective Counter-Measures	Spring	Addresses technical issues of information security governance, legal aspects (and how they differ between countries) and cultural issues. The module also looks at issues such as how to put together a convincing argument for security (a security case) and examines the risk based trade-offs that must be made when systems are developed and deployed.
Independent Study Module - Cyber Security Individual Project	Summer Term & Vacation	The dissertation project undertaken by students over the summer is carried out individually, supervised by a member of academic staff. Though many projects may follow naturally from the taught material, projects may also investigate suitably challenging topics outside that material. The outputs from this module are a project dissertation together with a conference paper length summary of the work.

Personal Tutor

Each student is assigned to a tutorial group usually containing no more than five students, and hence to a personal tutor who will monitor progression.

Assessment

Assessment of students' performance in the course modules will take place in a variety of forms: practical exercises, reports, closed examinations, open assessments and a dissertation for the project. Students are deliberately exposed to a variety of assessment methods so that they are not disadvantaged by background.

Assessments will take place at various times during the year. Practical exercises, reports and other forms of open assessment will be due either during the course module or just after its completion.

Timescales, Modules and Project Descriptions may be subject to change.

Project

Overview

The dissertation project undertaken by students over the summer is carried out individually, supervised by a member of academic staff. It may involve working with an external organisation. Students are also encouraged to work with academic staff to create projects of interest to them.

All projects are vetted to ensure suitability for the MSc. Provided academic criteria are met, there is considerable flexibility in the choice of cyber security topics for the project. Though many projects may follow naturally from the taught material, projects may also investigate suitably challenging topics outside that material.

The outputs from this module are a project dissertation together with a conference paper length summary of the work.

Projects are worth 5/9 of the total mark for the MSc.

How to apply

Watch our new video on Cyber Security

Professor John Clark, Course Leader for the MSc in Cyber Security, explains why those who take this course will be in demand in the workplace.

Suitability and Entry Requirements

Typically, you will have achieved at least an upper second class honours degree (or international equivalent) in a computing-related discipline. The course has been designed for students who already possess a strong computer science, software engineering or information technology background.

We are willing to consider applications from those who do not fit this profile.  We will, for example, consider applicants who do not have an appropriate qualification but have appropriate industrial experience.

How to Apply

For more information about completing your application, please take a look at the University’s webpages which tell you how to apply.

In particular, please take note of the supporting documents we need to see in order to be able to make a decision about your application.  You are also required to nominate two referees, of which at least one should be from your current employer or place of study.

When you are ready to apply, you can submit your application using our Online Postgraduate Applications Service (OPAS).

While there is no official closing date for applications, it is important to apply as early as possible.

International Students

This course, like all others in the University, welcomes students of all backgrounds and circumstances. 

If English is not your first language, or your first degree was not taught in English, then you will need to have attained a suitable language qualification no more than two years before the start of the course. 

The University's Postgraduate Study webpages will tell you more about the English language requirements for graduate students.

Studentships

The University of York awards a number of scholarships for overseas students each year, and competition for these scholarships is very intense.

Most scholarships only provide partial payment of tuition fees and not living expenses, and most students will need to fund themselves. 

We can give further advice on how much you should budget for and other ways in which you can fund your MSc course; for example career development loans, an employer's bursary or secondment.