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Cyber Security Masters/MSc

Start date
September/October
Duration
1 year full-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees
We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024/25: 
£11,340 - UK students
£31,410 - International Students
Further fee and scholarships information is available.

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.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

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.

Why study Cyber Security Masters/MSc at Birmingham?

  • The programme has received full certification by GCHQ and the University has been officially recognised by NCSC-EPSRC as an ‘Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research’ (ACE-CSR) by the UK government; an accolade that is a testament to the School’s first rate research and work.
  • 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 through guest lectures and project supervision.
  • Companies including Microsoft, Vodafone, Siemens, IBM and Hewlett Packard come onto campus to talk directly to our students.

Hear about the course

Chat with our postgrads

Chaaru standing with arms foldedThe best advice about studying a Masters or PhD at Birmingham comes from our students. Our friendly and welcoming postgraduate students are ready and waiting to chat and share their thoughts on our courses, stunning campus and life in a vibrant and cultural city.

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Modules

The MSc programme consists of 180 credits.

80 credits of 20-credit taught modules, 60 credits for the project and 40-credits from the optional modules.

Core modules

Optional modules

Select two modules (40 credits). Examples of optional modules include:

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

Annual tuition fees for 2024/25

  • UK students: £11,340
  • International students: £31,410

Are you an international applicant?

All international applicants to this course will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of £2,000 on receipt of an offer, to secure their place.

Find out more about the deposit >>.

Postgraduate Loans (PGL) for Masters students

UK and EU students (with settled or pre-settled status) looking to pursue a Masters programme in the UK can apply for a non-means-tested loan from the British government via the Student Loans Company (SLC).

The loan will be paid directly to you, into a UK bank account. It is intended to provide a contribution towards the costs of Masters study and whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs is at your own discretion.

Learn more about applying for PGL 

 

Scholarships

We offer a range of postgraduate scholarships for taught programmes and research opportunities to ensure the very best talent is nurtured and supported at postgraduate level.

University scholarships

Birmingham Masters Scholarship

Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £2,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants from UK or Ireland undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2024-2025.

How To Apply

UK and non-Tier 4 applicants

Applications will close 31 August 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

International applicants requiring visas

Applications to this programme from students who are international for fees will close 7 May 2024. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full, early applications are encouraged.

Before you make your application

You will need to provide a transcript of your studies to date. This should include details of modules and subjects studied, and grades already obtained. We are unable to proceed with your application without this information, and if it is not provided, your application could be made unsuccessful.

If you are made an offer

If you are made an offer, you will have 28 days to accept the offer via the online portal, or it will automatically be declined by default.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard 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. Learn more about entry requirements. 

International Requirements



We want to recruit students with intellectual curiosity who want to develop their skills in analysing the security vulnerabilities of systems and designing secure systems. To join this programme, you should:

  • enjoy thinking about systems the way an attacker would
  • be capable of logical thinking, to design systems that avoid security flaws
  • enjoy programming (preferably in object-oriented languages)
  • be capable of working hard on difficult projects
  • be willing and able to contribute to group work
  • have the ability to set your own goals and manage your time
  • be self-critical and be able to evaluate your own performance fairly
  • have good communication skills and be able to explain your ideas in presentations and in writing

International Students

English language

For students whose first language is not English, one of the following English language qualifications are required:

  • IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall, with at least 6.0 in each component;
  • TOEFL: TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing;
  • PTE Academic: Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: PTE Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills.

The programme includes lectures, tutorials, exercise classes, practical work, projects and independent study.

You will gain knowledge and understanding of

  • the essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to computer security
  • appropriate theory, practices and tools for the design, implementation and evaluation of secure computer systems
  • appropriate theory, practices and processes for the management and governance of cyber security in industry

You will also attain the following skills and attributes

  • the ability to apply the knowledge and understanding noted above to the analysis of a given information handling problem
  • the ability to specify, design and construct secure computer systems, using appropriate tools, and to document all stages of this process
  • the ability to discover vulnerabilities in implementations
  • the ability to evaluate internet-based software systems in relation to given computer security requirements
  • the ability to work independently on a substantial software project
  • management of learning and development, including time management, organisational skills and the ability to pursue independently further development of your IT education

The MSc in Cyber Security is a new  programme, but graduates of the MSc in Computer Security have gone on to work for Companies including Accenture, IBM, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, BT and Delcam.

Our students gain the knowledge to become leaders in the field of cyber security and to shape the technologies that will be developed in the future. They are equipped to work on secure software development within the software and IT industry, or to become cyber security consultants. They may also choose to move on to PhD research.

A dynamic, fast-moving sector that offers exciting careers and excellent rewards.

The term computing covers every kind of digital technology that we use to create, store, communicate, exchange and use information. This makes it the foundation for small and large businesses to build their strategies and grow. It is also the key to making our personal lives easier and more fun: mobile phones, online shopping, social media – we owe them all and a lot more to computer science.

What can I do with my degree?

Our graduates find themselves in a variety of environments within academia, research, industry, government and private organisations. The following is a short list of research and vocational areas:

  • Software Engineering: developing methods for producing software systems on time, within budget and with few or no defects
  • Software Applications: applying computing and technology to solving problems outside the computer field, eg, in education or medicine
  • Computer/Cyber Security: covers all the processes and mechanisms by which computer-based equipment, information and services are protected from unintended and unauthorised access, change or destruction
  • Artificial Intelligence: developing computers that simulate human learning and reasoning ability
  • Information Technology: developing and managing information systems that support a business or organisation
  • Theoretical Computer Science: investigating the fundamental theories of how computers solve problems and applying the results to other areas of computer science
  • Operating Systems and Networks: developing the basic software computers use to organise themselves or to communicate with other computers

Where can I work?

You could join a technology consultancy firm like Accenture, PwC, CHP Consulting, LogicaCMG, BAE Systems, PA Consulting or Capgemini, or one of the global IT giants, such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Cisco Systems and Apple, amongst many others.

There are a huge number of IT-focused UK companies, not to mention opportunities in investment, retail banking and financial computing and analytics (such as Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of England, Bank of America, HSBC, Barclays, RBS); telecommunications companies (such as BT, Vodafone, Orange, AT&T); IT for retail businesses (such as eBay, Amazon, Tesco, Argos, Expedia) and public sector organisations (such as NHS, GCHQ, Home Office).

Some students choose careers in teaching, research or technology development at universities both in the UK and overseas. There is a great deal of potential for postgraduates looking to put their computing skills to good use.

What does the future hold?

Your career prospects are great and computing graduates with a good degree are in demand. Plus, with the number of computer science graduates from the UK diminishing at the same time as jobs are increasing, students with a postgraduate degree have an excellent chance of securing employment. 

 

University Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge.

If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Professional Accreditation

The programme has received full GCHQ accreditation and the University has been officially recognised as an ‘Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research’ (ACE-CSR) by the UK government.

The recognition of Birmingham as an ACE-CSR signifies the consistently high-quality research being conducted in the Security and Privacy group at the University. The group has expanded greatly in recent years, reflecting the University's continued commitment to supporting world-leading research into cyber security issues affecting industry, government and society.