MSc Advanced Computer Science with Cyber Security (January start)
ApplyKey facts
- Start date: January
- Study mode and duration: 12 months full-time
Study with us
MSc Advanced Computer Science with Cyber Security is ideal for computer science graduates, with or without industry experience, who are prepared to build a skill set suitable for a career in cyber security. Through this Masters degree, you'll:
- place yourself at the forefront of expertise when it comes to secure programming, networking, and system design
- Understand how to transform end-users into cyber security assets by understanding the central role of people in the cyber security landscape
- gain project-driven experience of tools and methods appropriate for understanding and addressing emerging cyber threats
The Place of Useful Learning
UK University of the Year
Daily Mail University of the Year Awards 2026
Scottish University of the Year
The Sunday Times' Good University Guide 2026
Why this course?
Our MSc in Advanced Computer Science with Cyber Security (January start) offers a balanced set of modules that cover the depth and breadth of the cybersecurity landscape, as well as relevant modules from computer science.
Our modules provide an understanding of both technological and sociological perspectives. You'll discover the roles of people, processes and technology - and how their interaction creates risks and vulnerabilities, as well as opportunities - to ensure individual and organisational cyber security.
The course will create new cyber security leaders capable of formulating their own abstractions, which enable them to manage conceptually the infinite range of attack vectors that increasingly sophisticated actors may attempt to exploit.
Students will take modules in threat modelling and secure programming, human-centric security, and network security, along with supporting modules from computer science, delivered by experts in these areas. This takes students and lecturers together on an adventure deep into specialised topics. Students will reflect on the bigger picture, appreciating how each skill set earned is just one perspective required to face the realities of mitigating cyber security-related challenges.
What you'll study
In MSc in Advanced Computer Science with Cyber Security (January start), you will study two 11-week semesters, each with four modules.
Each module typically has four contact hours per week, comprising lectures, laboratory practicals, tutorials, and seminars. Additional study time is required to enhance and apply your understanding of the topics covered through further reading, self-directed study, and assignments.
In the summer, between June and August, you’ll undertake an in-depth three-month research project in the form of an MSc dissertation.
During this course, you will accumulate knowledge to address cyber security challenges at the level of applications, networks, and people who use them. During the two taught semesters, you will hone skills in the areas of:
- Human Centered Security, underscoring that security problems cannot be solved by technological solutions alone, and that we can measure how best to transform people in the chain from security problems to security assets
- Information Security & Networking, covering the essential core knowledge and practicalities of securing networked systems, by the end of which students will have mastered a range of tools for testing networks for vulnerabilities
- Security by Design, introducing students to methods that can mitigate cyber threats in protocols and programs at design time, by employing advanced techniques developed by security and programming language researchers
Facilities
The course will involve some extensive laboratory-based instruction and student work. The Department of Computer & Information Sciences utilises its own specialist laboratories to provide students with practical, hands-on experience.
The University library also has a sufficient body of resources to support this course.
Guest lectures
Our MSc Cyber Security programme enriches learning through guest lectures by leading national and international cyber security experts, both from industry and academia, offering students cutting-edge industry insights and exposure to pioneering research in the field.
Chat to a student ambassador
Want to know more about what it’s like to be a Science student at the University of Strathclyde? A selection of our current students are here to help!
Our Unibuddy ambassadors can answer all your questions about courses and studying at Strathclyde and offer insight into their experiences of life in Glasgow and Scotland.
Compulsory
Research Methods (10 credits)
This module prepares you for your individual 60 credit research project. During this module you prepare your research proposal.
Human-Centred Security (20 credits)
This class will enhance the security offering by increasing students' awareness of human-centred security design.
Elective
You must pick at least 30 credits.
Game Theory & Multi-Agent Systems (10 credits)
This module will enable you to become familiar with the mathematical theory of games and the ways in which it is applied to the study of multi-agent systems and in machine learning.
Vulnerability Assessment & Security Testing (20 credits)
This module enables you to find and exploit flaws in both software and live systems and report those flaws to clients.
Advanced Security-by-Design (20 credits)
This module gives you hands-on-experience using advanced tooling to formally certify at design time that threats are mitigated in code.
Research Topics in Cyber Security (10 credits)
This module enables you to engage directly with the research literature, particularly surrounding human-centred security, building important skills for lifelong learning and dissemination.
Research project (60 credits)
You'll undertake an individual project under supervision, which should contain an element of original research. The project will be cyber security based. A variety of project types are possible. Where software is developed, assessment will include production of developed code, supporting written documentation, and practical demonstration.
You'll select 20 or 30 credits of elective modules, depending on how many credits you have opted for in Semester 1. For example, students selecting Vulnerability Assessment & Security Testing and Advanced Security-by-Design in Semester 1 will select 20 credits from the elective list.
Compulsory
Security Protocols & Threat Models (20 credits)
This module will help you understand how vulnerabilities in systems can arise due to the design of protocols and formal mechanism for ensuring these vulnerabilities cannot arise.
Legal, Ethical & Professional Issues for the Information Society (10 credits)
This module aims to ensure that you're aware of the legal, social, ethical and professional issues commensurate with the practice of Information Systems Engineering.
Elective
You must pick at least 20 or 30 credits.
Advanced Topics in Software Engineering (20 credits)
This module aims to introduce you to a selection of recent advances in software engineering, along with some of the challenges and outstanding problems. The current focus of the module is on the use of AI-based techniques to address significant software engineering problems and to put these into practice on real problems and evaluate their effectiveness.
Designing Usable Systems (20 credits)
In this module, you'll develop a research-level understanding of the design and evaluation of interactive systems and interfaces for newly emerging technologies and computing domains, such as ubiquitous and mobile computing, universal access, domain-specific applications (e.g. older adults, education, health, children).
Concepts & theories of Sustainable Development (10 credits)
The class offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. You will firstly be introduced to the history and concepts of sustainable development before critically exploring the key global challenges through the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic).
Content will focus on current progress across planetary boundaries, social progress and effective measures of economic development. Using this understanding, the class will undertake hands-on tasks and familiarisation with tools to evaluate potential solutions to global challenges through a sustainability lens.
Learning & teaching
Classes are delivered via lectures, labs, and online material. In some classes, students will work in small groups. They will engage in hands-on exercises within computer laboratories, receiving support from both a lecturer and lab assistants. For both lectures and labs, instructional and support materials will be placed on our virtual learning environment, MyPlace, for 24/7 student access.
Assessment
The course is strategically structured to ensure a balanced assessment throughout the two taught semesters. Each semester incorporates diverse study modes. Specifically, modules with a human-centric focus rely heavily on in-class presentations for assessment, while technical modules emphasise an end-of-semester examination. The remaining modules incorporate ongoing assessment through practical laboratory exercises.
International students
We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.
Entry requirements
| Academic requirements | Applicants require, at a minimum, a second-class (2:2) Honours degree or international equivalent in computer science or a closely related discipline. Significant programming experience is required, for example:
Several modules will use Python. If you come from a closely related subject, you would be expected to have experience in the following areas:
|
|---|---|
| English language requirements | You must have an English language minimum score of IELTS 6.0 (with no component below 5.5). We offer comprehensive English language courses for students whose IELTS scores are below 6.0. Please see English Language Teaching for full details. As a university, we now accept many more English language tests other than IELTS for overseas applicants, for example, TOEFL and PTE Cambridge. View the full list of accepted English language tests. |
Fees & funding
All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.
Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.
All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.
Annual revision of fees
Students on programmes of study of more than one year should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.
| Scotland | £11,900 |
|---|---|
| England, Wales & Northern Ireland | £11,900 |
| Republic of Ireland |
If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process. |
| International | £30,250 |
| Available scholarships | Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities. |
| Additional costs | If you are an international student, you may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information. |
Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.
How can I fund my course?
Scottish postgraduate students
Scottish postgraduate students may be able to apply for support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). The support is in the form of a tuition fee loan and for eligible students, a living cost loan. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from England
Students ordinarily resident in England may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance England. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from Wales
Students ordinarily resident in Wales may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance Wales. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Students coming from Northern Ireland
Postgraduate students who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland may be able to apply for support from Student Finance Northern Ireland. The support is a tuition fee loan of up to £5,500. Find out more about the support and how to apply.
Don’t forget to check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
International students
We've a large range of scholarships available to help you fund your studies. Check our scholarship search for more help with fees and funding.
Careers
The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals has never been greater. Organisations across all sectors—particularly finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure—rely on cybersecurity specialists to protect their systems, data, and reputation.
Today, most medium to large enterprises maintain dedicated cybersecurity teams, making this one of the fastest-growing and most secure career paths in the digital economy.
Our MSc in Cyber Security is designed to prepare you for these opportunities. You will gain both the technical expertise and the strategic understanding that employers are looking for, supported by the University’s award-winning Careers Service, which offers tailored, industry-specific sessions to help you plan your professional trajectory. You will also have access to the annual IT Careers Fair, where leading employers connect with our students for internships and graduate roles.
For those with a passion for research, the MSc also serves as an ideal foundation for doctoral studies. Throughout the programme, you will engage deeply with lecturers’ areas of expertise, developing your dissertation into work that can lead to meaningful and publishable outcomes. Students interested in pursuing a PhD in Cyber Security will receive dedicated mentoring and guidance on developing research proposals, identifying supervisors, and building an academic career.
Glasgow is Scotland's biggest & most cosmopolitan city
Our campus is based right in the very heart of Glasgow. We're in the city centre, next to the Merchant City, both of which are great locations for sightseeing, shopping and socialising alongside your studies.
Apply
Start date: Jan 2026
Advanced Computer Science with Cyber Security (January intake)
Have you considered?
We've a range of postgraduate taught and Masters courses similar to this one which may also be of interest.