Cyber Security

Overview

Security of our systems is one of the most challenging topics of our time. There is an international consensus that in order to respond to the number and sophistication of threats that we face, the level of security skills we have needs to be increased.

The Cyber Security course from University of York  emphasises important technical material that will help you make effective cyber security decisions, and addresses issues such as: identity; trust and reputation; cryptography; network security; malware and intrusion detection; risk management; and the development of high-assurance systems.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in industry or government, this course will provide you with a broad education in cyber security, which will allow you to make technically informed principled decisions.

This course will also prepare you if you are seeking a research career in cyber security; a research skills module is a mandatory part of the course.

The first half of the course is taken up by taught modules. Each module comprises a mix of lectures, problem classes and practical classes, plus personal study time. In the second half of the course, you will undertake an individual research project under the supervision of a member of staff.

Careers and skills

This course will prepare you for a career in the field of cyber security. It will also equip you with the relevant skills to undertake further research in the area.

Previous graduates have gone on to technical roles, such as malware analysis, security design, penetration testing and broader roles such as risk assessment, security planning, or security consultancy. Some previous students have returned to their home countries to teach security, and others have gone on to study for a PhD.

Some of our part-time students who are already working in defence, technical security, forensics, commerce and system administration have used the course to specialise in a particular area or further their careers.

Career opportunities

• counter-terrorism
• cryptography
• cyber and digital forensics
• development and code analysis
• incident response
• intelligence operations
• law, legalities and compliance
• network security
• penetration testing
• policy and strategy
• research and new developments
• secure software
• security architecture
• security auditing
• vulnerability assessment.

Accreditation

The University of York is one of only a few universities in the UK to have received full certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) for its MSc in Cyber Security.