Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today on the presentation for the MSc Cyber Security. I am Dr Maria Papadaki the program lead.
Before I tell you about the program I would like to give you a bit of background about myself and my profile. I have been working cyber security for more than 20 years now and in academia for about 15. My research interests started from intrusion detection and response, looking at ways of automating analysis and threat hunting and responding to intrusions but more recent research has also included cyber defence, insider threats, user authentication biometrics, cyber security training and awareness as well as usable security technology.
An important question to ask is why does cyber security matter? Why should it matter to you? Well there is actually a well recognized shortage of cyber security professionals and there is a real need in the market for people with the right background so according to the Earst and Young global information security survey more than half of organizations report the lack of cyber of skilled resources as the main obstacles towards addressing cyber security. The UK's national audit office has estimated it would take approximately 20 years to bridge this gap but actually if we look at more recent findings and surveys we realize that this gap is not bridging at all is actually widening. So according to the Enterprise Security Group more than half of organizations even in 2018 and 2019 are reporting a problematic shortage of cyber security skills. So globally we can see that there the number of cyber security professionals is increasing over time and there is an urgent need for this gap to be filled and this is what we try to achieve with our MSc Cyber Security course. We try to produce professionals, cyber security professionals with theoretical and technical background that will be able to tackle modern security problems and this could encompass various areas computer security, network security, privacy, human aspect security, legal aspects of security, ethical hacking and so on.
The program is supported by a large number of cyber security faculty members who are research active and through our research and our activities and our network we have established various links with companies local but also global companies as well. Examples include Derby Police, City Council and various security and forensic SMEs, other examples include Cisco, Kaspersky, Crowdstrike; for example through our collaboration with Crowdstrike we have proposed various PhD and MSc projects. Through our collaboration with Kaspersky we have given the opportunity to our students to participate in webinars but also online certifications.
Apart from that it's important to mention the on campus cyber security and forensic labs which are actually not available only to our on-campus students so they even online students have access, remote access to our specialized software and hardware facilities. So how does online study work? You can consider that for every two credit modules correspond to 10 units of work. Each module studies a subject and typically modules, taught modules consist of 20 credits but for each unit you'll be looking at a particular aspect of the module. You'll be engaging in readings, online materials, actually a rich collection of materials including videos, activities, practical theoretical activities, formative assessment opportunities, online discussions with peers, with online tutors, the module tutor and eventually throughout all of these activities you will be eventually expected to produce a summative assessment. This is the part the summative assessment is the element that will get assessed marked and will provide a mark for this particular module. So a typical assessment will be an assignment consisting of three to four thousand words or equivalent work of that.
By the end of the course you will have a very good understanding of critical concepts such as cryptography, network security, software vulnerabilities, human aspects of security, penetration testing, cyber security management and all of these are really critical and will put you in your good standing to be able to apply relevant methodologies for the design and analysis of security systems. So how does the study apparently look like for the standard route which applies to most of the cases and we have three intakes in September, January and May, the course duration is approximately two to three years. So a typical pattern will include the following, it's important to note here that every academic year consists of three trimesters and the expectation in the standard route is that students will be studying one module per trimester okay so typically in year one a student will be completing 60 credits, in year two 60 credits and in the final year they'll be doing the research project worth of 60 credits so depending on the intake for example they could be studying Network Security, Emerging in the first trimester. In the second term so they could be studying state-of-the-art Emerging Issues and Research Methods in Computer Technologies. It could be studying cryptography that's the Advanced Security Protocols. In the second year they could be studying Security Attacks and Countermeasures, this is penetration testing and ethical hacking. Enterprise Security Management very important module because it actually ties everything together and provides important methodologies but also looking at Human and Legal Aspects of Cyber Security and after the end of the top modules in year one and year two, the order in which you take this module is not really important but what is important is that at the end after you complete all the top modules then you'll be able to undertake the research project, the MSc project which is a very substantial element worth of 60 credits and because we recognize that online studies are designed to accommodate your lifestyle and your career paths along the way and we appreciate that some students will have more time available at their disposal and they will be able to study at an accelerated route. So there is this flexibility that allows students to be able to study two credits at a given trimester and in the accelerated route students will be able to complete the whole of the top modules in year one so they will be starting it at each trimester two modules for example in trimester one it could be Network Security, security attacks and countermeasures. In the second trimester it could be Emerging Computer Technologies and Research Methods, Advanced Security Protocols and in the third trimester Enterprise Security Management and Human and Legal Aspects of Cyber Security. So at the end of the first year they will have completed all top grades all 120 credits leaving year two for the research project.
And this is just an example of some of the tutorials, the practical activities that you will be undertaking. For example you could use mimikaz to obtain Windows passwords hashes and you could also be using another product to then crack these encrypted passwords.
At the end of the masters program there could be new career opportunities. You could choose to study further for example pursue a PhD in cyber security and there will be lots of research active faculty members willing to support you through this process but you can also take advantage of the management and leadership skills that you could gain through studying at masters level and pursue a management career in cyber security. Typically our graduates will pursue careers such as chief information security officer, forensic analyst, security analyst, penetration tester. In some cases they could also go on to become secure software developers, security consultants, security engineers. And our student body is truly global for example in the last year some of our students came from Kenya, Germany, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Qatar, India and of course the UK and whether you're based in Derby, UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, anywhere in the world, the virtual campus is designed to support you through your studies and enable your progression. And how can this work? Some good tips include creating a space to study allocating time. Approximately 20 hours per week for study and engage regularly. Engaging, interacting with your peers, your online community, academics, online tutors, engaging with the assignments early on, progressing through your career goals. I am sure that you will have a very positive experience. Your online community will be very important to support you through your studies. So for every module you will be interacting synchronously and in live sessions or using blackboard collaborate so that could be one to three times per module and this could be typically used to provide additional support for assessment but also to clarify any misunderstandings, any questions about the topic that you are studying. You also have a synchronous forum so discussion forums. You be exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, supporting each other, asking questions, having frequently asked questions, cafe forums and so on to be able to strengthen, solidify your understanding and progress through the topic. There will also be additional support virtual meetings telephone meetings but also email is a main mechanism forum to be able to receive updates, communication with regards to your studies and the additional support is there. The academic support could consist of the program lead. The program lead is the person that designs the program, the modules the learning outcomes, what is expected for a student as part of this program but also module leaders and module tutors who are responsible to design the assessments, to support students to progress through the module content, the assessments, clarify any mis-understandings and the personal academic tutor is usually the first point of call, the person that can be the person who answers most of the questions or directs you to the relevant services within the university. Apart from the academic support there's a wide range of supporting facilities. So you have the online learning advisors for non-academic issues. You also have student wellbeing, library, careers, Union of Students, a wide variety of student services designed to support you throughout your studies and for the different life events that could affect your studies as well but also there is a lot of software facilities as we discussed previously. In addition to these you will also be able to have a Microsoft Office licenses, cloud storage and of course the student portal and the virtual learning environment that we have already. A very important resource is the electronic library. This is available to online students as well as on campus students and through our subscriptions, our students are able to access journals, conference publications, books that will help them to solidify their understanding explore, pursue their interests and also inform their assessments with the state of the art. And even though you've studied online you will have the opportunity to celebrate your achievement of your graduation on campus in Derby alongside our other online students. These bi-annual events are incredibly popular and they are well attended every year. To find out more information about your next steps in your application process, I would suggest that you look at our online resources for entry criteria, course fees, payment plans and intake dates. We are looking for computer graduates BSc or BEng with 50% and above but also individual cases will be examined for people with professional background who might not necessarily meet this criteria. Please get in touch and we'll be more than happy to help you and support you through your application process.
We hope to hear from you and will be more than happy to answer any questions for UDOL entries at derby.ac.uk and support you through your application process.