Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £10,310 for the course
International/EU: £17,205 per year -
How long will I study?
1 Year
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Where will I study?
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When do I start?
September 2024
Course summary
- Develop the knowledge, understanding and skills you need to work as a computing security professional.
- Explore a range of cutting-edge systems, tools and techniques.
- Appreciate the role information security has in an organisation and how it can be implemented and managed.
- Attain useful certification for your career by undertaking the BSI ISO 27001 Lead Auditor exam
This course is ideal if you are already working on an IT environment, or wish to specialise in information security. You'll learn through academic teaching, industry input and practical skills development — and prepare for a range of exciting IT roles.
Come to an open day
Find out more at our postgraduate open days. Book now for your place.
How you learn
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.
This course combines a sound theoretical grounding with useful practical work. Industry input is central to the course, as is self-reflection and professional development.
You learn through
- tutorials
- workshops
- problem-solving activities
- practical projects
- team work
- reports
- demonstrations
- discussions
- presentations
- structured walk-throughs
- phase tests
This course is delivered face-to-face over three semesters - teaching is scheduled based on the length of your course and the academic calendar.
Course leaders and tutors
Sina Pournouri
Lecturer in Cyber SecurityStaff profile for Sina Pournouri, Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
Your lecturer's view
Watch course leader Sina Pournouri talk about this course.
Applied learning
Learning and teaching involves lectures, seminars and practical tutorial sessions in small groups. You will learn about complex networks, systems and applications. This will help you to develop practical experience and expand on the effective and appropriate communication skills required to be a security professional. The four main focuses of the course are information security management, ethical hacking, system hardening and computer forensics.
Networking opportunities
Due to our strong ties with industry we regularly have guest speakers. Recent speakers have included industry professionals from Mozilla, South Yorkshire Police, RSA and Blackberry. In 2014 Sheffield Hallam University hosted the North of England's first Ethical Hacking Conference, which is now an annual event.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in
- strategy and policy
- information technology
- forensics (computer, mobile and network analyst)
- computer security incident response (CSIRT)
- disaster recovery
- incident and risk management
- business continuity
- secure coding
- software design and development
- applications development
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for
- HSBC
- Citrix
- Price Waterhouse Coopers
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
On this course you work with
- the BlackBoard Virtual Learning Environment
- industry standard specialist computing hardware, tools and applications
- four specialist labs for cyber security, digital forensics and computer networking
Entry requirements
All students
You need
• a good level of general education with good analytical skills
• an ambition to develop to a high level in the area of information security
• a degree 2.2 or above in computing or a closely-related discipline. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more
We will consider your application if you cannot meet the above criteria but have at least one year-s direct work experience in information security or a closely related discipline.
You can apply for prior certificated credit or prior experiential credit for the course if it is appropriate. We consider any professional certification of a suitable level and other criteria related to your application. In some cases we may ask you to take an entrance exam.
Overseas applicants from countries whose first language is not English must normally produce evidence of competence in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 with 5.5 in all skills (or equivalent) is the standard for non-native speakers of English. If your English language skill is currently below an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English level.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
Final year
Compulsory modules
Dissertation ( Cyber And Networks)
Hacking Techniques And Countermeasures
Information Security Concepts And Principles
Information Security Management
Network Security
Research Principles And Practice
Standard Based Security Audit And Assessment
Web-Based Applications And E-Commerce Security
Elective modules
Computer Forensics, Investigation And Response
Systems And Application Security
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2024/25 is £10,310 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2024/25 is £17,205 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time.
Postgraduate student loans
Up to £11,222 available for Home students on most masters courses.
Additional course costs
This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
Additional costs for Computing courses (PDF, 330.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
