OVERVIEW

The Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Cybersecurity programme will prepare a broad range of graduates for roles as cybersecurity professionals. This programme is a 60 credit programme and it can be progressed to the 90 Credit MSc in Cybersecurity with a 30 credit research project after the PGDip is completed.

The PGDip programme will be delivered 100% online, over three Semesters or 1.5 years. The modules are delivered during the evening using the state of the art eLearning platform at Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork and all lectures are recorded so students can view them at any time.  Labs are hosted 24/7 on MTU's world class private cloud infrastructure and on CyberRange. During the programme, students will be immersed in a broad set of modules in the area of Cybersecurity covering Offensive Security, Network Security & Forensics, Security Risk and Compliance, Incident Response & Digital Forensics, Scripting for Cybersecurity and Applied Cryptography.

This programme is targeted at graduates who have a strong technical background. Most students will have a level 8 Bachelors in Computer Science, but every applicant is individually assessed.

The programme was developed in conjunction with the local Cybersecurity industry, many of whom were invited to a meeting in MTU, where a proposed draft of the programme was discussed. The programme is technical in nature, and hands-on skills are emphasised.

The graduates from the Masters and PostGraduate Diploma in Cybersecurity are in very high demand. There are over 1 Million open positions in Cybersecurity worldwide that are not being filled because the experts do not exist, and the expanding Cybersecurity industry here in Ireland needs graduates to fill vacant roles.

IRELAND'S CYBERSECURITY CAPITAL

Cork and Ireland is currently positioning itself as a cybersecurity centre of excellence and is home to some of the leading cybersecurity companies such as AlienVault, Cylance, eSentire, FireEye, Forcepoint,GetVisibility,IBM,Broadcom,Johnson Controls, Keeper Security, McAfee,McKesson,  Nuix, Qualcomm, SmartTech, Solarwinds, Sonicwall, Sophos, TransUnion, Trend Micro andd UTRC. These companies currently operate across a diverse range of sectors such as banking, IoT, Telcomms, engineering and automotive and require a workforce with a broad range of cybersecurity skills to contribute to various roles within their respective organisations. However, the challenge is that there is a dire shortage of cybersecurity professionals which is placing our digital economy at risk because we do not have enough skilled personnel to protect, respond and mitigate against security threats and breaches.
In addition, here at MTU Cork, we host both Cyber Ireland and Cyber Skills, both of which are a testament to the expertise in Cybersecurity that resides at MTU Cork.

At present, there is almost no unemployment reported in cyber security roles worldwide, with over 1 million unfilled jobs world wide, resulting in increasing global competition for talent and investment. Ireland’s national cyber security strategy, published in Dec 2019, clearly states the urgency in addressing this critical skill shortage in this field. This supply of talent is necessary as it is our best defence in an increasingly complex threat landscape. Conservative estimates show cybercriminal revenues at $1.5-3 Trillion (Europol) or significantly larger than the global illicit drug trade. By developing a steady supply of skilled cybersecurity professionals, Ireland will be able maintain its reputation as a safe place in doing digital business which is necessary to continue to attract investment from some of the world's largest technology firms and grow a burgeoning start-up scene.

MODULES

The following are the modules that you will study on the programme:

Mandatory Modules:

• Offensive Security  (COMP9050) (10 credits)
• Network Security & Forensics  (COMP9046)   (10 credits)
• Security Risk and Compliance  (COMP9079) (10 credits)
• Incident Response & Digital Forensics (COMP9038)  (10 credits)
• Scripting for Cybersecurity  (COMP9053)  (5 credits)
• Applied Cryptography (COMP9012) (5 credits)

In addition, students choose 10 credits of electives.

The proposed electives are as follows. (All are 5 credit modules)

• Malware Investigations  (COMP9047)
• Malware Reverse Engineering (COMP9048)
• Threat Intelligence  (COMP9051)
• Cloud Security Architecting  (CYBR9023)
• Fraud & Anomaly Detection  (COMP9071)
• Distributed Ledger Technology  (COMP9072)

We cannot guarantee which of these electives will run – it depends on numbers and resources.

STAGES

Postgraduate Diploma of Science (PGDip) in Cybersecurity (60 ECTS)

The PGDip in Cybersecurity is a 60 credit programme, consisting of 60 credits worth of taught modules. This programme lasts for 16 months.

A student who receives a PGDip in Cybersecurity, and who decides that (s)he wishes to complete the MSc in Cybersecurity, has the option of paying for and completing the 30-credit project and then presenting themselves for the MSc in Cybersecurity.

DURATION AND DELIVERY

16 months (3 semesters) is the minimum duration to complete. The learning will be delivered online primarily during the evening using Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork state of the art eLearning platform.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

ABOUT THE​ DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Department of Computer Science at MTU Cork is one of the largest Computer Science departments in Ireland. We offer a range of modern undergraduate programmes and a host of opportunities at master’s degree and at PhD level. Our industry engaged programmes match the needs of our economy and have an excellent reputation for producing the most employable computer science graduates in the region. These highly skilled graduates are in huge demand and contribute significantly to the development of the region. As technology plays a greater role in our society the growth in the demand for these graduates will continue year after year.