Computer Science (Cyber Security) - MSc

Teaching and assessment

Assessment is through a mixture of written examinations and coursework, the relative weights of which vary according to the nature of the module. The final project is assessed by a dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

• enhance the career prospects of graduates seeking employment in the computing/IT sector
• prepare you for research and/or professional practice at the forefront of the discipline
• develop an integrated and critically aware understanding of one or more areas of computing/IT and their applications (according to your degree title)
• develop a variety of advanced intellectual and transferable skills
• equip you with the lifelong learning skills necessary to keep abreast of future developments in the field.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• how to engineer software systems that satisfy the needs of customers, using a state-of-the art methodology and an industrially-relevant programming language
• a broad variety of advanced topics relating to computing/IT (the specific topics will depend on the optional modules you chose and may vary from year to year in response to developments in the field, staff changes etc)
• the theoretical foundations of computer science
• the architecture of computer systems including hardware components and operating systems in terms of their functionality, performance and interactions
• security vulnerabilities of computer systems and networks and the countermeasures used to address them
• the motivation, design, operation and management of modern systems for encryption, authentication and authorisation, including quality of service issues
• professional, legal, social, cultural and ethical issues related to your chosen field of computing
• information security management and information assurance methodologies
• information risk management, incident response, and business continuity planning and management
• pattern analysis and forensics. 

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in:

• the ability to identify, analyse and formulate criteria and specifications appropriate to a given problem
• the ability to model problems and their solutions with an awareness of any tradeoffs involved
• the ability to evaluate systems, processes or methodologies in terms of general quality attributes and possible tradeoffs
• the ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively
• the ability to work with self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems
• the ability to make sound judgements in the absence of complete data
• the ability to review a research paper or technical report critically and to present your findings to a group of peers
• the ability to plan and execute a substantial research or development-based project and to report the work in the form of a dissertation.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

• the ability to specify, design, implement and test computer-based systems
• the ability to deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software
• the ability to undertake practical work that explores techniques covered in the programme and to analyse and comment on the findings.

Transferable skills

You gain the following transferable skills:

• the ability to plan, work and study independently and to use relevant resources in a manner that reflects good practice
• the ability to make effective use of general IT facilities, including information retrieval skills 
• time management and organisational skills, including the ability to manage your own learning and development
• an appreciation of the importance of continued professional development as part of lifelong learning
• the ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• the ability to communicate technical issues clearly to specialist and nonspecialist audiences
• the ability to present ideas, arguments and results in the form of a well-structured written report
• the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at professional or equivalent level.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

• software engineering
• mobile applications development
• systems analysis
• consultancy
• networking
• web design and e-commerce
• finance and insurance
• commerce
• engineering
• education
• government
• healthcare. 

Recent graduates have gone on to develop successful careers at leading companies such as:

• BAE Systems
• Cisco 
• IBM
• The Walt Disney Company
• Citigroup 
• BT.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

You have access to a dedicated Employability Coordinator who is a useful contact for all student employability queries.

Industrial placements

You can gain practical work experience as part of your degree through our industrial placements scheme  - we have a dedicated Placement Team who can give advice and guidance.  All our placements are in paid roles.

In previous years, students have worked at a wide range of large and small organisations, including well-known names such as:

• Accenture
• BT
• GSK
• IBM
• Kent Police
• Microsoft
• Morgan Stanley
• The Walt Disney Company.

You can take your work placement abroad. Previous destinations include Hong Kong and the US.

An industrial placement gives you invaluable workplace experience, which greatly enhances your employment prospects and also helps put your academic learning into a real-world context.

Study support

Postgraduate resources

The School of Computing has a large range of equipment providing both UNIX (TM) and PC-based systems and a cluster facility consisting of 30 Linux-based PCs for parallel computation. New resources include a multi-core enterprise server with 128 hardware threads and a virtual machine server that supports computer security experiments.

All students benefit from a well-stocked library, giving access to e-books and online journals as well as books, and a high bandwidth internet gateway. The School and its research groups hold a series of regular seminars presented by staff as well as by visiting speakers and our students are welcome to attend.

The School of Computing has a makerspace which offers exciting new teaching and collaboration opportunities. Among other equipment, it contains milling machines, a 3D printer, laser cutter and extensive space for building and making digital artefacts.

Our taught postgraduate students enjoy a high level of access to academic staff and have their own dedicated laboratory and study room. Students whose course includes an industrial placement are supported by a dedicated team which helps them gain a suitable position and provides support throughout the placement.

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff and research students publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Artificial Evolution and Applications; International Journal of Computer and Telecommunications Networking; Journal of Visual Languages and Computing; Journal in Computer Virology.

Links with industry

Strong links with industry underpin all our work, notably with Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Agilent Technologies, Erlang Solutions, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Ericsson and Nexor.

Global Skills Award

All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.