University College Dublin Launches MSc in Cybersecurity

University College Dublin has launched a new Masters in Cybersecurity. The new course is supported by funding from Ireland’s Higher Education Authority funded Human Capital Initiative, through the Advance Centre. Single modules from the new programme will also be available through the Advance Centre as micro-credentials.

Head of UCD School of Computer Science, Assoc. Prof. Chris Bleakley commented “As a School, we have a reputation for excellence and expertise in digital forensic and cybercrime investigation education. We also have a long track record for high quality research in the area. Additionally, the School hosts the UCD Centre for Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Investigation. We are delighted to now launch an education programme focused on the needs of software developers and IT professionals who wish to up-skill and specialise in cybersecurity. There is a global shortage of experts in this field and there are outstanding career opportunities for those with the right skills.”

The development of the programme was guided by extensive consultation with law enforcement and industry. It will be taught by a team of seven UCD academics with deep domain knowledge in cybersecurity, drawn from the UCD School of Computer Science and the UCD Sutherland School of Law, coupled with guest lecturers from industry.

The new Masters is offered part-time over 2 years in a blended learning format to make it accessible to full-time workers. It is aimed at executives, software developers and IT / technical professionals who wish to acquire knowledge and skills so as to equip themselves better for their current role or to open up new career opportunities.

The course is also open to recent computer science graduates who want to earn a qualification that will help them to secure an entry level role in cybersecurity.

For those with an interest in pursuing research in the field, there is the possibility of undertaking a professional or academic research project as part of their Masters. This project could be related to a cybersecurity project in the workplace.

The curriculum is aligned with the ACM/IEEE/AIS SIGSEC/IFIP Cybersecurity Curricular Guidelines so as to prepare students for a variety of roles, including managerial roles.

The new MSc complements UCD’s existing MSc in Forensic Computing and Cybercrime Investigation (FCCI) which is offered to staff working in law enforcement. The FCCI Masters has been running for 16 years and has over 1,300 graduates from 70 countries.

The MSc in Cybersecurity is now receiving applications and the first cohort of students will start in September 2022.

https://www.ucd.ie/courses/msc-cybersecurity

There will be a free webinar on Tuesday 28 June 2022 when some of the faculty teaching the new programme will talk about their modules and the Course Director will give an overview of the programme. Learn more and register here.