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MSc

Cyber Security, Risk and Resilience

With the increasing sophistication of threats to the cyber landscape and a rapid rise in attempts to disrupt our critical systems and gain commercial and personal data, there is an ever-increasing demand for high skilled cyber security graduates to defend individuals and organisations from a diverse range of cybercrimes with roles that focus on the risk, management and incident resilience aspects of the cyber sector.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    February

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Home students

    £10,800*

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Through a range of learning experiences, you will gain the knowledge of how to identify and treat risk and create resilience Information Security plans and policies that will support the management and operations of the organisation.

Designed For

This course is designed for those wishing to develop their career, leading in the area of cyber security risk identification and resilience across a range of industries such as Tech, Automotive, Engineering, Business and Health.

Career Paths

  • Cyber Security
  • Utilities
  • Government
  • Cyber Risk Management
  • Project Manager

Skills taught

  • Cyber security
  • Risk identification
  • Planning and leadership skills. 
  • Presentation and communication skills.
  • Analytical skills.

cyber security student sitting at a computer completing course work

Course Highlights

Cyber University of the Year Winners

Winners of Cyber University of the Year at the National Cyber Awards in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022

Organisational Links

Real-world experience through our close connections with police, law enforcement, & private sector and have strong links with National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Thales, Airbus, Cyber Wales, The Royal Mint, Bridewell, to name just a few.

Standards of Excellence

The department was the first university in Wales to be awarded by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre a Gold Standard Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education.

Course Overview

You’ll learn in blocks of eight weeks at the first Academic Centre of Excellence to be awarded Gold by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – now one of only ten nationally. You’ll gain the very latest techniques from our cyber security professionals and industry partners – in practical workshops aligned to the NCSC’s Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK). You’ll then apply these skills to real-world problems, with the opportunity to work on projects with our industry partners.

Networking Technologies
Offer a well-rounded blend of technical, practical, and theoretical knowledge. Students will develop skills and knowledge in organisational structures and architectures, insights into operating systems' roles and functions, and awareness of Networking Technologies

Leadership and transformational change in a digital era
This module will delve into crucial topics such as Strategic Leadership, Risk and Change in IT, Digital Transformation, and the critical evaluation of Cyberlaw, Digital Legislation, and Regulatory Responsibilities.

Crisis and Operational Resilience
Students will develop knowledge in risk management, crisis management, and resilience in the realm of industrial security concerns and operational risks.

Protecting Critical National Infrastructure
This module will explore vital subjects including the contextualisation of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) within both public and private sectors, risk mitigation and resilience strategies pertinent to CNI, and the examination of IoT devices, IoT security, and associated mitigation techniques.

Legislation, Risk and Governance
This module to develop a critical understanding of UK and EU legislation and organisational responsibility in relation to Cyberspace and Information Technology. 

Security Management and Incident Response
Students will gain a very high level of understanding through critical discussion and analysis of the issues associated with Security Management and Incident Response management and demonstrate and evaluate a systematic understanding of the surrounding principles and practices and use simulation to put this into practice.

MSc Dissertation Project
All students complete their studies with a 60-credit individual dissertation project. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate independent thinking in the application of their computing and research skills to a complex problem.

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

You will spend between 12-16 hours each week on lectures, tutorials, and practical sessions. You will also spend around four hours per week, per module, on coursework, general reading, and other preparation.  You will work on a significant project which will allow you to develop and demonstrate data collection and analysis and to development management techniques.

 

Teaching staff

  • Dr Mamoun Qasem, Lecturer and Course Leader
  • Dr Kim Smith, Lecturer
  • Peter Eden, Senior Lecturer 
  • Dr Vijay Thayananthan, Senior Lecturer
  • Dr Richard Ward, Lecturer 
  • Dr Arun Kumar, Lecturer
  • Joshua Richards, Lecturer
  • Arun Kumar, Lecturer
  • Anthony Corner, Lecturer
  • Kim Smith, Lecturer

Placements

The University has excellent relationships with industry, with students undertaking placements with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Home Office Scientific Development Research Branch (London), GCHQ, Qinetiq, Cy4or, financial services, international banks, the Office for National Statistics, digital forensics companies and various government departments. We also have strong links with security agencies, incident response organisations handling cyber-attacks and local police forces.

Facilities

Our facilities are at the cutting edge of cyber education, meaning you’ll use the latest technologies and software in our high-spec labs. There’s a Secure Operations Centre (SOC), modelled on industry SOCs designed to provide managed support for. Our Digital Investigation Lab is typical of those used by law enforcement agencies and corporate organisations to analyse digital files and media in supporting corporate and criminal investigations. 

You can join the fight against cyber-crime in our National Cyber Security Academy and become part of that next generation of Cyber Security Experts. We use leading cyber software and include industry engagement within modules while also providing additional networking events to help support your learning.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Career opportunities are excellent – the demand for specialists in this area continues to rise as companies become increasingly dependent on computers and the internet. On graduation, you will be equipped for careers that require in-depth knowledge of technical security issues. 

With education to Masters level now the recognised professional level of competence, graduates will be better placed to pursue careers in industry, or continue their interest in computer systems security through a computing research degree or computing PhD.

Possible career paths

Potential roles include systems administrator, seurity penetration tester or information security consultant, and skills gained strongly relate to the roles of information security analyst and IT security co-ordinator.

Careers support

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate. 

This includes one-to-one appointments from faculty-based Career Advisors, in person, over the phone, or even Teams and through email via the “Ask the Question” service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

This course is aimed at graduates with a minimum 2:2 Honours degree or equivalent who would like to broaden their existing knowledge and open up a new career path.

Applications from engineering, IT, science, mathematics or business graduates in particular are welcomed.

All entrants must have strong numeracy and IT skills.

If an applicant does not meet the desired entry criteria, an interview should be offered with the Course leader.

 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,200

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

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Student Life
University of South Wales Newport Campus.
Newport Campus
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Related Courses

Applied Cyber Security - MSc Learn more
Computing and Information Systems - MSc Learn more

Next Steps

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