BSc in Cyber Security
While cyber security is an interdisciplinary course of study including aspects of law, policy, human factors, ethics, and risk management, it is fundamentally a computing based discipline. As such, academic programs in cyber security are both informed by the interdisciplinary content, and driven by the needs and perspectives of the computing discipline that forms the programmatic foundation. In this new programme, the 4 first semesters are exactly the same as our existing BSc in CS. Indeed, students will take the basic courses of CS including programming and data structures, database systems, Operating systems, Networking, algorithms, software engineering, and basic math courses. In the next 4 semesters, 9 new courses will be introduced and which are related to the specialisation Cyber Security.
Any company using computers is at risk of cyberattacks. Graduates in cybersecurity will earn knowledge and skills that will help them achieve various job roles in the cybersecurity industry such as: Security Analyst; Security Architect; Security Engineer; Security Consultant; Security Systems Administrator; Network Security Engineer/ Analyst; Risk/ Vulnerability Analyst; Computer Forensic Analyst; Computer Network Defender; Computer Network Defence Analyst; Web Application Security Engineer; Forensic Analyst; Digital Forensic Examiner.
The generic attributes and skills that graduates are expected to develop during their undergraduate studies are:
- Ethics – The graduates have developed awareness and holistic understanding of their role as responsible citizens in an increasingly globalised context.
- Critical thinking and problem solving – The graduates are able to engage real-world problems in a theoretically informed, rigorous, and questioning manner. They are able to devise solutions, select the most appropriate one, implement it, and reflect on its performance.
- Creative thinking – The graduates are able to think laterally and develop creative ideas.
- Individual and team work – The graduates have the capability to work effectively alone or in a team, to be self-directed, and to show independent judgment.
- Communication – The graduates are effective communicators, using oral, written, and electronic communication skills. They can interact confidently in a variety of settings, with a range of people from both genders, individually and in team situations, from peers to the wider community.
- Life-long-learning – The graduates appreciate that learning is continuous and have the ability to continue learning throughout life. They have developed a variety of approaches to learning, including self-directed, collaborative and self-reflective processes.
Graduates from the BSc in International Business & Service Management will also have developed the following programme-specific attributes and skills:
Knowledge and understanding of computer science – Graduates have gained a broad and sound knowledge in mathematics, computer science and business, enabling them to understand the phenomena characteristic to computer science and its applications in the information technology and business world; in particular, the graduates have gained the ability to look at computer science challenges from both the technical and the business perspectives, and they can adapt quickly to the continuous changes in the computer science field.
Computer science analysis and modelling – Graduates are able to identify, formulate and solve problems particular to computer science with full knowledge of the limitations of computation; in particular, they have the capacity to select from alternative solutions to problems; graduates are also able to analyse products, processes and methods used in their discipline based on scientific facts; they know how to select suitable methods of analysing, modelling, simulating and optimising and apply them with a high degree of competence.
Software design – Graduates have developed the ability to design computer programs or processes according to specified requirements; they have developed a practically oriented understanding of software design methods and the ability to apply them in a competent manner; in particular, they have knowledge of and practical experience with several computer programming languages and they can plan and carry out software projects.
Investigations and assessment – Graduates are able to carry out literature research and know how to use scientific databases and other sources of information for their work; in particular, they have developed the skills to identify and employ suitable software tools for their work and pursue in- depth work in a self-elected application domain.
Computer science practice – Graduates have developed the ability to deal with the different kinds of challenges that may appear in the design, development and implementation of computer science applications, including software design and development, data and communication technology, usability and security engineering, and management challenges of large software systems; graduates are able to plan, control and monitor IT applications and to develop and operate computer systems and equipment; they are also able to independently consolidate the knowledge gained and are aware of the non- technical (e.g., ethical) effects of IT activities.
Knowledge and understanding of Cyber Security : Graduates have demonstrated an understanding of the main principles of Cyber Security and have also demonstrated the ability to evaluate the security needs of an organization and assess its cybersecurity risks.
Cyber Security practice: Graduates are able to apply a critical understanding of essential concepts, principles and practices of cyber security, and critically evaluate the results to justify the selection and use of tools and techniques to protect the organization from cyber risks and attacks.
The Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security is an eight semester programme which requires four years of study.
In this new programme, the 4 first semesters are exactly the same as our existing BSc in CS. Indeed, students will take the basic courses of CS including programming and data structures, database systems, Operating systems, Networking, algorithms, software engineering, and basic math courses. In the next 4 semesters, 9 new courses will be introduced and which are related to the specialisation Cyber Security. In the final year, the students are required to do an internship in a company and to write a Bachelor Thesis.