Cyber Security degree – MSc – Bath Spa University Skip to main content

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MSc Cyber Security
School/s
Bath School of Design
Campus or location
Newton Park
Course length
One year full-time or two years part-time.

Entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our postgraduate programmes.

See "What we look for in potential students" for more information.

Learn how to make operational level decisions on cyber security that protect modern businesses.

  • Understand the scope of the cyber security threat landscape – from actors to tools and techniques.
  • Design and develop governance and risk compliance structures that enable businesses to operate securely and efficiently.
  • Develop strategies for maintaining operational resilience to keep organisations moving in the face of cyber attack.

The UK is a globally leading digital economy, yet its prosperity is reliant upon an ability to secure businesses, data and networks from cyber threats. Costs of cyber security failure are substantial for companies and nation states, with often hidden consequences for wider society. To manage risk, the cyber sector needs rational and resilient people that hold an industry-informed, holistic understanding of current issues and future directions of travel.

This Cyber Security course focuses on the operational level decisions that business and public sector leaders need to make in order to develop, monitor and evaluate cost effective cyber risk management strategies. You’ll learn to formulate digital-era leadership techniques that deliver genuine business benefits.

What you'll learn

Overview

MSc Cyber Security has been designed in collaboration with some of the UK’s cyber business leaders. We prioritise the ‘complete picture’ to give you the insight and toolkit needed to make effective operation decisions that protect organisations at risk of cyber attack.

You begin by building knowledge of the fundamentals of cyber security before examining existing and emerging defence and offense strategies. Equipped with a good understanding of vulnerabilities and attack vectors, you then explore how to build an active cyber defence armoury. Modules on law and regulation, systems of governance, operational resilience and risk assessment provide the conceptual context needed to engage the practical realities of cyber security management.

Course structure

Cyber Security Bootcamp offers a holistic perspective of cyber security. You’ll learn about threat detection and prevention strategies, risk management, investigative tools, and the way in which each are leveraged by organisations to secure operations and minimise disruption.

Critical Vulnerability Analysis exposes specific strategies for evaluating and reporting, for example, structural vulnerabilities and inadequate cybersecurity safeguards. Business preparations that include a degree of penetration testing are examined.

Business Security Architecture aims to develop your understanding of how to define an appropriate security architecture for a business. You also learn about established architectures, trade-offs between security and business functionality, and strategies of information governance.

Offensive and Defensive Cyber Operations aims to provide you with an in-depth understanding of the techniques used in computer and network defence. As cyber defenders you learn about the strategies and technical skills to protect and harden cyber systems such as collecting appropriate data through logging, detecting persistent hacking attempts, and responding to intrusions.

Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) is about learning to define the relevant CNI for your country and analyse its potential impact on a chosen business or sector. You explore the unique operational resilience challenges and the emerging industry and government standards for that sector. Protecting CNI is of developing concern that is rising up the national risk registers internationally. An understanding of this topic is therefore a key part of a cyber security professionals knowledge base.

Cyber War is about who the threat actors currently are, and who they may be in the near future. It examines how attackers identify targets of opportunity and how they work to disrupt them. Across the module you analyse case studies of past cyberwars with a view to understanding their motivations, attack strategies and impacts.

Dissertation: taking into account relevant theories, practice and organisational contexts, you first identify a target for enquiry in agreement with your supervisor. Following approval of your plan, you proceed to conduct the research, evaluate data, and articulate findings and recommendations in the form of an academic report. The final stage of your dissertation is a viva in which you defend your arguments.

Course modules

This course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the programme document for more details on which modules are core, required or optional.

  • Cyber Security Bootcamp
  • Business Security Architecture
  • Critical Vulnerability Analysis
  • Offensive and Defensive Cyber Operations
  • Critical National Infrastructure
  • Cyber War
  • Dissertation
How will I be assessed?

You're assessed by a combination of reports, presentations, and set exercises. Tasks such as table top scenarios and cyber wargames give assessment a real-world edge, while providing insight into practical methods of communicating complex cyber security topics to key stakeholders.

How will I be taught?

Teaching methods include lectures, seminars and discussion forums alongside a wide range of practical activities such as scenario simulations that require continual action. Our learning methods are designed not only to help you build critical knowledge, but also to cultivate the interpersonal skills and disposition you need to operate effectively as a future cyber security leader.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

Opportunities

Work placements, industry links and internships

In addition to the teaching staff discussing their research and practise in cyber security, the course engages guest lecturers to offer additional insight into the active edge of the subject.

Students have benefitted from guest talks from government, industry, the public sector and local cyber security companies. These included recognised specialists from the UK and the USA in social engineering, the insider threat, the Dark Web, the Cyber Cold War, running a cyber security business, and pentesters.

Careers

For graduates of Computing disciplines, MSc Cyber Security supports entry into a range of IT roles where cyber security is an integral component but not necessarily an entire responsibility. You’ll be able to demonstrate your value to a range of companies quickly, and later build on the management skills gained during your study to compete for more senior positions.

For those already employed in the IT field, this Cyber Security Master's provides opportunities for professional upskilling. The programme helps improve your prospects of transitioning to cyber security roles and decision-making positions. The knowledge you gain on the course will in addition help you increase your profile within your company, while benefiting the teams you work within.

Cyber security career roles include, but are not limited to:

  • Cyber Security Analyst
  • Cyber Security Specialist
  • Network Intrusion Analyst
  • Targeted Attack Specialist
  • Security Management
  • Data Protection Officer
  • Threat Intelligence Analyst.

Adobe Creative Campus

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.   

Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

You'll have access to our:

Fees

Please note: Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland are not generally eligible for the UK (Home) fee status. Please refer to the international student rate. Irish citizens and those granted Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are eligible for UK (Home) fee status. There are also other circumstances where this may apply: See UKCISA for more information.

UK students full time
Course fees
2023/24 entry £8,430
2024/25 entry Published Jan 2024
2026/27 entry Published Jan 2025
UK students part time

Fees shown below are for part time study over two years, although some courses may be available over longer periods.

2023/24 Entry

Course fees
Year 1 £4,215
Year 2 £4,215

2024/25 Entry

Course fees
Year 1 Published Jan 2024
Year 2 Published Jan 2025

2026/27 Entry

Course fees
Year 1 Published Jan 2025
Year 2 Published Jan 2026
International students full time
Course fees
2023/24 entry £16,305
2024/25 entry Published Jan 2024
2026/27 entry Published Jan 2025

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

We’re looking for motivated, inquisitive people that have a good baseline understanding of computing. You should have an agile mindset and a clear desire to pursue cyber security as a chosen career.

Typical offers

You should have a good honours degree in Computing or a related subject. However, we'll consider applications from you, without a relevant degree, if you're able to demonstrate that you have relevant skills in computing and a passion for the subject.

How do I apply?

Ready to apply? Please contact our Admissions service on +44 (0)1225 876 180 or admissions@bathspa.ac.uk in the first instance. 

Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.

Interview and portfolio guidance

Regularly following the security section of The Register is useful, as is membership of the British Computer Society. If you’re an international student or based overseas, web-based interviews may be offered.

Want to apply for this year? 

Many of our postgraduate courses have a limited number of student spaces. To avoid the disappointment of the course being full, we recommend that you apply now.

Late applications (generally those made after 31 July) will only be considered if places remain on the course.

Need more information or still have questions? Contact us to discuss your situation.

Course leader: John Curry
Email: j.curry@bathspa.ac.uk 

Website feedback to web@bathspa.ac.uk