Cyber Security

Overview

Course Details

The Cyber Security MSc course at the University of Southampton is a topic of critical importance to commercial and academic organisations, as well as to governments and their citizens. The MSc Cyber Security programme from University of Southampton, primarily aimed as a broadening qualification for computer science graduates, offers a multi-disciplinary perspective to the subject, giving students an excellent basis for a future career in the cyber security field.

There is currently a worldwide shortage of skilled practitioners in cyber security. In the UK, the National Audit Office recently named "addressing the UK's current and future ICT and cyber security skills gap" as a "key challenge", whilst at a time when cybercrime “as-a-service” is on a steep rise, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skill calls for companies to make of cyber security a Board level responsibility.

Key Facts

• Southampton University has pioneered many of the most important advances in computer science and web technology of the past 10 years
• We have been ranked in the UK top ten for Computer Sciences for over ten years by the Guardian University Guide 
• We are ranked second in the UK’s prestigious Russell Group for graduate prospects in Computer Science by the Complete University Guide 
• We are one of only 14 universities recognised as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research by the UK Government and our academics have played a leading role in establishing a European Data Science Academy

Career Opportunities

This programme provides an excellent platform for either immediate employment in the cyber security field or further research in industry or academia. Our graduates should not only understand technical aspects of cyber security, but also the broader context in which these sit.

Students should be able to seek careers in:

• Established companies designing and marketing specific off-the-shelf security products (anti-viruses, anti-spam, software analysers, firewalls, etc.)
• Emerging cyber security professions embedded in companies and business of any sort. These include the expert figures required as companies are urged to take responsibility for the analysis of their cyber-threats and the design of their cyber-defences
• A growing range of cyber security consultancy companies who study and analyse trends in cyber security and who provide advice to a wide range of clients
• Professions for which cyber security plays a key role, and for which understanding the broader context is becoming increasingly important, e.g. the military, intelligence agencies, and crime prevention and investigation
• Government departments, e.g. in the UK the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BiS), who provide analysis and strategy advice for the UK and its businesses

Academic possibilities include further study towards a Ph.D. qualification, or research assistant positions undertaking cyber security related research.