Course summary

Our advanced, four-year MSci degree with a dedicated information security pathway is designed to give you the knowledge, skills and practical experience to pursue a high level career. It offers a thorough grounding in computer science as a whole, as well as an in-depth study of the latest trends and technologies in the exciting and rapidly developing world of information security. You will have the chance to showcase your abilities in an extended final year project on an information security topic, and this programme is particularly recommended for students who want to go on to postgraduate study or a high-level technical career. It will also give you a competitive edge over graduates from standard three-year BSc programmes. The creation, transmission and storage of huge volumes of electronic data is one of the defining features of our age. It brings us untold benefits but it also exposes businesses, governments and individuals to repeated threats. On this programme you will develop all the skills you need to pursue a career in computing, and the knowledge and practical experience to manage and improve the smooth running and security of systems, applications and organisations. You will learn from leading researchers in the field, covering topics such as cryptography, computer security and fraud detection. All this will be underpinned by a solid grounding in the fundamentals of computing and all the essentials of application development. From the outset you will be experimenting with programming games, robots, Gadgeteer kits, Subversion, JUnit testing, Scrum-based Agile software and more, in our well-equipped laboratories. Alongside our core modules you will have the flexibility to choose from a range of optional courses. There is also the possibility of transferring onto our five-year, year in industry programme subject to good academic progress. We are a highly respected, research-focused department with a friendly approach and award-winning teaching. We offer a summer work placement programme and a dedicated personal adviser to guide you through your studies. You will also be welcome to join our thriving Computing Society. We are one of only seven departments in the UK to hold the Athena SWAN bronze award for our commitment to increasing female participation in computer science. Both the BSc and the MSci have received provisional certification by GCHQ (full certification will be received when the first cohorts graduate). Our Information Security Group (ISG) is a world-leading interdisciplinary research centre, and an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR). We sponsor the Cyber Security Challenge, a series of national online competitions that test the cyber security abilities of teams from all walks of life. You will have access to our virtualisation software for experimenting with network security settings and ideas, as well as to our Penetration Testing Laboratory and industry-sponsored Smart Card Centre.