MSc Cyber Security

Year of Entry 2025/26
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MSc

Cyber Security

Part-time Computing

Develop your skills and academic knowledge in the growing field of cyber security through academic teaching, industry input and practical skills development.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: £10,620 for the course

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    2 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    City Campus

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2025


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.

Accredited by
  • National Cyber Security Centre

This course is fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre NCSC-certified degrees - NCSC.GOV.UK



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How you learn

Your lecturer's view

Watch course leader Sina Pournouri talk about this course.

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.

Our award-winning lecturers have years of professional experience in different sectors of the events industry. They’re actively involved in applied and impactful research. So, you’ll be able to understand the latest trends in events and leisure management and apply your knowledge to the design and delivery of live events – all making you stand out to employers.

You can learn more about our students’ work and experiences on our Instagram account.

You develop your skills through a combination of seminars and workshops, by attending lectures and by completing projects. International and national field trips, site visits and work with external organisations enhance your engagement and understanding of the complexities and challenges of operating in the international events and leisure industry.

Other methods used include:

  • Lectures, seminars and workshops
  • Problem solving exercises
  • Case studies
  • Individual and group presentations
  • Directed learning activities         
  • Industry guest speakers, field trips and site visits
  • Attending or volunteering at live events and festivals
  • Independent study and group work

You’ll develop an in-depth knowledge of the events industry – such as experience design and the latest trends and issues in events and leisure management. You’ll gain strong foundations in core business management skills – such as marketing and strategy. With these, you’ll develop into a career-ready and well-rounded events and leisure professional. 

We believe you learn best when you engage with the industry and sector first-hand. You’ll gain a rich and well-developed understanding of the complexities, challenges and rewards of operating in the global events industry.

Course support

  • Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.
  • Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars, and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.
  • Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects and networking opportunities.

Course leaders and tutors

Sina Pournouri
Sina Pournouri
Lecturer in Cyber Security

Staff profile for Sina Pournouri, Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University

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 


City Campus map
Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

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Adsetts library

Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Equipment 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

This course is not open to international students who require a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK. If you are an international applicant but do not require a Tier 4 (General) student visa, email our Admissions Team to find out whether you’re eligible to apply.


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.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Hacking Techniques And Countermeasures
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Information Security Concepts And Principles
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Research Principles And Practice
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Computer Forensics, Investigation And Response
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Systems And Application Security
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Dissertation ( Cyber And Networks)
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Research Principles And Practice
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Standard Based Security Audit And Assessment
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Web-Based Applications And E-Commerce Security
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Hacking Techniques And Countermeasures
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Information Security Management
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £10,620 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.

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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

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

You apply for this course via our online application form.

Apply for September 2024

You can also use the application form above to apply for future years of entry.

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Accommodation

We guarantee to find you an affordable place to live that’s close to campus and comes with all bills included

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Employment

95% of our UK graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (2020/21 Graduate Outcomes Survey)

Where next?

Find out more about Sheffield Hallam's postgraduate opportunities and community.

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You can chat to teaching and admissions staff, view our facilities and learn more about your funding options.

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Information for international students including entry requirements by country and funding.

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