OVERVIEW

The PGDip in Cybersecurity Management programme will prepare a broad range of graduates for roles as cybersecurity professionals with leadership responsibilities within industry. This programme is a 60 credit programme and it can be progressed to the MSc in Cybersecurity Management with a 30 credit research project after the PGDip is completed.

This programme will be delivered 100% online, over two academic years with the majority of modules delivered during the evening using the state of the art eLearning platform at Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork. Further information can be found in the online schedule. This newly developed programme is from the same expert team of lecturers and industry professionals who have delivered Ireland's leading technical MSc in Cybersecurity programme.

This programme is targeted at Business, Humanities and Arts graduates who would like to move into roles with cybersecurity responsibilities. The programme is also suitable for those from technical backgrounds who would like to develop the management skills necessary to move into a leadership role in cybersecurity.

WHAT IS A CYBERSECURITY MANAGER?

Cybersecurity managers must ensure that the risk to information assets is minimised by implementing well designed security measures. They are responsible for staying abreast of the threat landscape to prevent (and design policy to respond to) malicious actors. They implement cybersecurity management frameworks and ensure that all employees and vendors operate within these frameworks. They advise and guide their business on national, EU and international laws for dealing with personal data, credit card information, health care data and other personally identifiable information. They have governance responsibilities ensuring cyber risks are identified and quantified according to well defined metrics and implement systems that mitigate these risks. Cybersecurity managers also need to have the digital skills in enterprise security architecture to work with teams in procuring and developing IT systems, the transversal skills to determine what risks/vulnerabilities/attacks these systems identify/detect/prevent, the management skills to be capable of prioritising cybersecurity resources and will have leadership skills in working with diverse teams. In order to perform the role required learners will undertake a series of modules designed to develop these skills.

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​, ​VMware​, ​Johnson Controls​, ​Keeper Security​, ​McAfee​, ​McKesson​, ​Nuix​, Qualcomm​, ​SmartTech​, ​Solarwinds​, ​Sonicwall​, ​Sophos​, ​TransUnion​, ​Trend Micro​, ​UTRC​. These companies currently operate across a diverse range of sectors such as banking, IoT, Telcom, 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.

At present, there is 0% unemployment reported in cyber security roles worldwide, with 3.5 million unfilled jobs predicted by 2021, 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 and places clear emphasis on the need for a ready supply of talent to ensure that our data centres which house a large proportion of Europe's data (approx. 30%), businesses (SMEs to large multinationals) and critical infrastructure are protected. This supply of talent is necessary as it is our best defence in an increasingly complex threat landscape with: the emergence of ubiquitous computing networks i.e. IoT and industry 4.0; and professional cybercriminals who make it their business to cause havoc to our citizens, businesses and society and profit from such activities through ransomware and other forms of attack. 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.

STAGES

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

The PGDip in Cybersecurity Management 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 Management, and who, after some time, decides that (s)he wishes to complete the MSc, has the option of completing the 30-credit project and then presenting themselves for the MSc in Cybersecurity Management.

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.