UEA’s MSc course in Cyber Security has been officially recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), run by GCHQ, as a key centre in developing cyber security experts of the future.
Part of the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ), the NCSC helps protect the UK's critical services from cyber-attacks, manages major incidents, and improves the underlying security of the UK Internet through technological improvement and advice to citizens and organisations. When incidents do occur, the NCSC provides effective incident response to minimise harm to the UK, helps with recovery, and learns lessons for the future.
As such, it is the foremost authority in the UK on cyber security and the NCSC certification for UEA’s MSc course is recognition that students on the course receive the best and most up to date training in the field.
Gerard Parr, Head of UEA’s School of Computing Sciences, said: “The demands for skilled graduates in cyber security continues to grow significantly nationally and internationally with an expanding role in every facet of our society, industry and government.
“The importance and impact of cyber-attack resilience has seen a major increase with the ever-expanding number of devices and services connected to the internet.”
Dr Oliver Buckley, Course Director, said: “Our MSc Cyber Security has been designed to provide its students with an excellent grounding with the core skills, knowledge and experience that will make them valuable cyber security professionals.”
In an ever more digitalised world, cyber security has never been so important and there has never been such an urgent need for cyber security experts. It’s estimated £11m has been lost in COVID-19 related cyber scams since January 2020, due to increased dependency on online shopping and ecommerce.
Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, said: “Offering a certified degree helps prospective students make more informed choices for future career prospects in cyber security.
“I am delighted UEA’s MSc in Cyber Security is now certified by the NCSC. Employers can rest assured that graduates will be well-taught and have industry valued skills.”
Cyber security attacks can take many forms and guises, such as a fake email containing a dangerous link from a supposedly trusted source. Often the aim of computer hackers is to take control of a device, allowing them to steal data and access passwords, giving them access to things such as online banking.
Students on the course learn about network security, how to develop secure software alongside the ethical, legislative and human elements of cyber security. Testing systems for cyber-robustness is also a key part of the course.
Cyber security is defined by as the protection of internet connected systems, the data on them, and the services they provide from unauthorised access, harm or misuse.
Historically, UEA’s cyber security students have benefitted from presentations from experts at organisations such as BT, Aviva, Siemens, IBM, the police and the National Grid, covering a wide-range of topics including cyber-crime, measuring and managing risk and system penetration testing.
For further information on UEA’s Cyber Security MSc course, or to find out more about the School of Computing Sciences as a whole, please visit the UEA website.
Alternatively, contact Dr Oliver Buckley, MSc Cyber Security Course Director, at O.Buckley@uea.ac.uk.
