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Postgraduate MSc
Cyber Security
Develop a deep understanding of cyber security to help prevent the risk of cyber-attacks, enhancing your career potential in industry, on this distance learning course.
Course Overview
-
L27 -
Distance Learning -
Full-Time -
1 Year -
18 Sep 2023
Use your background degree or equivalent background in IT to develop your ability to implement cyber security mechanisms into any business or organisation.
As part of this course, you’ll:
- Develop in-demand practical skills in cyber security
- Study key topics you’ll need working in industry such as authentication, access control, malware, vulnerabilities, secure coding, sandboxing, virtualisation, vulnerability assessment, Unix security, and ethical hacking and penetration testing techniques
- Learn via distance learning through short, recorded lectures, lab and support documents with clear guidance, illustrative screen shots, and audio recordings
Teaching and learning
You’ll learn via oVirt, an online virtualised computer suite. This utilises a novel system, “Hacktivity”, developed in house, which automatically generates unique virtual machines for each student providing individualised security/hacking challenges and environments.
You’ll work through security labs with automated chatbots (our Hackerbot system) that present hacking and defensive challenges. Hackerbots will carry out real security attacks on the network against your VMs for defensive and investigation tasks. Completing tasks will reward you with “flags” for capture the flag (CTF) based assessments and hacking competitions.
Cyber security and digital forensics
If you already have an understanding of cyber security from an undergraduate degree, we offer MSc Cyber Security & Digital Forensics which will enable you to specialise in the field.
Why study Cyber Security at Leeds Beckett University...
- Distance learning course – allowing study from anywhere in the world
- Professionally accredited – by the British Computer Society and provisionally certified by National Cyber Security Centre
- Access to specialist software – including Hacktivity and Hackerbot to enable you to put your knowledge into practice
Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Computing, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our University English language requirements.
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Computing, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our University English language requirements.
International baccalaureate
IELTS
IELTS 6.5 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Mature Applicants:
Our university welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. If you have recent relevant work experience and/or professional qualifications, we may be able to consider you for entry through our ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ policy. Please ensure that you list both your qualifications and relevant work experience in your application.
All applicants should meet our standard entry requirements of GCSE grade C in English language and, where specified, Maths. Alternative qualifications such as functional skills are accepted in lieu of GCSEs for most courses.
Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through a number of modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to the specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.
Our silver status in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework, reflects our commitment to deliver high-quality teaching, learning and outcomes for our students.
Teaching & Learning
Distance learning
We understand that full-time study does not suit everyone. That’s why we offer courses which give you the opportunity to decide where, when and how you can get involved in learning. Studying a distance learning course offers the convenience and flexibility to make education work for you. Whether you’d like to fit your studies around childcare, develop your skills while working or, quite simply, want to learn from the comfort of your own home, we can help you gain a qualification at a time and pace that suits your lifestyle.
Like our students on campus, you’ll have the same excellent teaching and learning resources, however you’ll find these online instead of a lecture theatre. Not only are all the modules taught online, but you’ll also have access to an online community and more than 140,000 books and journals in our online library.
Technical requirements for distance learning study are detailed in the full guide. Visit our distance learning website for more information.
Overall workload
Each module on our distance learning courses is individually designed to maximise your learning so study requirements will vary. As a general guideline, you’ll need to allocate around 10 hours per week to complete each module, plus a further five hours for additional reading and assignments. However, this may vary depending on the module. Teaching and learning will be delivered using a range of interactive resources. This typically includes audio and video content, group discussions, reflective exercises, quizzes, online reading and much more. All these resources are delivered through our Virtual Learning Environment and can be accessed at a time and place that suits you.
What you'll learn
This module will develop your critical awareness of cyber security through the perspective of offensive security. You’ll gain an understanding of the motives and methods of hackers, and the steps a hacker undertakes, and you’ll learn to apply these same techniques to perform ethical hacking and penetration testing to test the security of systems. You’ll also critically explore ethics and privacy in the context of cyber security.
This module will provide a comprehensive and accessible overview of security mechanisms, attacks and defences in modern web applications. You’ll cover the OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks extensively from a predominantly practical perspective to enable you to conduct security assessments of websites. It will also cover network security, such as the configuration of firewall rules and implementation of VPNs for network security.
Develop your knowledge and experience with security operations and incident management. You’ll learn security monitoring techniques to monitor networks and systems to detect signs of attack or compromise, methods for recovering and restoring from security breaches, and investigation methods to identify the specifics of what has occurred.
This module will enable you to develop your theoretical understanding and practical experience of systems security. You’ll conceptualise and implement important security principles, primitives and practices for providing security defences and you’ll cover security schemes and techniques for protecting and confining users, programs, and systems, both on devices and across networks, in depth. This includes operating systems security, using access controls and authentication schemes, including network-based authentication, virtualisation, and advanced sandboxing and containerisation techniques.
Gain a critical grounding in cyber security exploring a wide-view of cyber security landscapes. You'll use the Cyber Body of Knowledge (CyBOK) as an overview of the field of study, and to critically visualise how your studies will build your competencies. This module will cover fundamental topics such as: human and organisational aspects of cyber security, including how IT risk can be managed in an organisation. You'll extend your technical and applied knowledge around cryptography, to encrypt and hash data, and around security principles of infrastructure security, including network, hardware, and cyber-physical security.
This module aims to develop your awareness of the methods and skills which are required in order to successfully carry out masters-level research. You’ll reflect critically on your own development in the context of your chosen programme of study.
This module will provide you the opportunity to engage in masters-level research or advanced scholarship in a subject area that is of particular interest to you. You’ll carry out an in-depth research project, which will be discussed in a formal dissertation and viva.
Fees & Funding hellooo
£9,000
UK
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2023/24 is £9000. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
£9,000
International 2023
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2023/24 is £9000. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Fees & Funding
£9,000
For students entering in 2023
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2023/24 is £9000. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
Access to course resources, equipment and facilities, including:
- oVirt, an online virtualised computer suite that uses “Hacktivity”, a novel system developed in-house, to automatically generate unique virtual machines and provide you with individualised security and hacking challenges and environments.
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- If you choose to study via distance learning, you’ll need access to a computer, the internet, and any necessary course software. Visit the course Teaching & Learning 'Modules, Workload & More' section for more details.
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
£9,000
For students entering in 2023
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2023/24 is £9000. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Access to course resources, equipment and facilities, including:
- oVirt, an online virtualised computer suite that uses “Hacktivity”, a novel system developed in-house, to automatically generate unique virtual machines and provide you with individualised security and hacking challenges and environments.
Optional Costs
- If you choose to study via distance learning, you’ll need access to a computer, the internet, and any necessary course software. Visit the course Teaching & Learning 'Modules, Workload & More' section for more details.
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Your future in our hands
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a course. Take a look at the team you’ll be working with, employability statistics and career prospects to help make up your mind.
Career Prospects
This course will provide you with advanced knowledge in cyber security and will broaden your employability prospects within the IT industry. Possible career paths could include roles such as:
- Security architect
- Malware analyst
- Security analyst
- System/network/web/application penetration tester
- Security auditor
- CISO/ISO
- Director of security
- Incident responder
Security has wide reaching implications and these skills can benefit many other ICT roles including software developer/engineer, system administrator, network administrator and management positions.
Beckett Careers Team
Our careers service is not just there for undergraduates, we support our postgraduate taught and research students too.
Your postgraduate degree will boost your CV and help you stand out from the crowd. Whether you're just starting out on your chosen career path, changing careers or moving to the next level, we can provide you with expert advice and resources to help you take the next steps to achieving your goals.
Your Beckett experience
At Leeds Beckett your experience is important to us, find out more about what to expect from your time on this course and life at uni.
Experience Leeds Beckett
Our state-of-the-art facilities and learning environments give you everything you need to succeed – whether that’s completing your current studies or joining our cutting-edge research teams.
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