Master of Science - Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security

Provisionally certified by the National Cyber Security Centre - part of GCHQ - this Masters degree develops the skills and mind set needed to tackle the growing threat of computer hackers. Computer security is a growing concern for organisations of all sizes. This Masters will put students in the ideal position to pursue a successful and often lucrative career. It’s not unusual for the salaries of graduates from this programme to start at £35,000-£40,000. The industry is currently experiencing a major skills gap and global demand for ethical hackers is expected to rise to six million by 2019.

Abertay is the only university in the UK to offer a Masters programme in ethical hacking. They want to change the way students view cyber security to adopt an offensive approach. The best way to beat a hacker is to be able to think like one!  

Aimed at Computing/IT graduates, Abertay's MSc Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security covers a wide range of subjects, including penetration testing, digital forensics, information security management, Malware analysis, port scanning, buffer overflows and password cracking. Abertay's research-active teaching staff are at the forefront of new developments, allowing the programme to evolve to cover the latest techniques and guidelines.

There's an emerging job market for ethical hackers as companies become increasingly aware of security risks. Some large organizations employ security tested and others use contractors to audit their systems. Graduates can also set up their own companies offering ethical hacking services. Graduates from this programme will also be able to use their existing knowledge of programming, databases, networks or web development to find employment in these fields, with a deep understanding of security issues.