Recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as a Gold-awarded Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education
No prior cyber security experience required
Top 150 for Computer Science and Information Systems, QS World University Rankings 2025
This online programme offers a choice of three start dates each year: September, January and May. The next available start date is January 2026.
The online MSc Cyber Security is a specialised, application-focused programme ideal for anyone who is interested in joining the field of cyber security. This multidisciplinary programme is open to graduates from any discipline (technical or non-technical), as well as those with relevant experience or expertise. Designed for working professionals, this 28-month, part-time cyber security master’s degree programme empowers you to develop foundational cyber security skills while balancing your personal and professional obligations.
As cyber threats evolve, organisations need professionals who can navigate complex security challenges with confidence. This programme meets that demand by equipping you with the practical skills you need to help protect communities and systems from harm. You can expect to develop skills in the following key areas:
You’ll also develop your research skills, apply your newly acquired knowledge and gain hands-on experience in a final dissertation project that you’ll present to your academic supervisor and an industry or research partner.
Students of the online MSc Cyber Security programme will graduate prepared to protect organisations from ever-evolving digital threats with relevant industry insights and hands-on training in secure systems, risk management, incident response, digital forensics and cyber conflict. With its uniquely holistic approach, this online cyber security master’s degree programme empowers graduates to pursue diverse opportunities in cyber security – whether by advancing in your current role or transitioning into a new career.
The online MSc Cyber Security programme is for anyone with a keen interest in cyber security and a motivation to master the fundamentals, whether to strengthen the security of your organisation, community or the broader digital landscape. Given its 100% online format, the programme is ideally suited to working professionals seeking a flexible study programme that equips them to advance in a current cyber security role or transition into a new career.
The MSc Cyber Security is open to graduates from any subject discipline, as well as those with relevant experience or expertise. No prior cyber security experience is required – just the ambition to succeed at a globally recognised School of Computing and Communications (SCC).
The MSc Cyber Security prepares students to graduate with the industry insights and practical skills required to protect organisations from contemporary cyber threats, making you an invaluable asset in any industry where cyber security is paramount. The programme is suited to both aspiring and practising cyber security professionals, empowering you to advance in your current role or pursue a new career pathway altogether.
Upon successful completion of the programme, graduates may pursue potential roles in the following business areas:
Academic requirements
A 2:2 Honours degree (UK or equivalent) in any subject with marks consistently at 2:2 level throughout undergraduate studies. Non-standard applicants (those holding professional qualifications or relevant work experience) may also be considered on a case-by-case basis. If your experience or background is non-standard, we may request an interview at our discretion before making a decision on your application. International applicants can review qualifying entry requirements here.
English language requirements
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.
If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.
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Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Cyber Security (Online) MSc is divided into six modules worth 20 credits each and a dissertation project worth 60 credits, amounting to a total of 180 credits. The programme is structured across the following modules:
This module examines the emergence of cyber conflict and cooperation in an era defined by digital technologies. You will develop your understanding of cyber operations within the international system, exploring strategic debates around offensive and defensive capabilities. You will be introduced to the emerging criminal markets in cyberspace, focusing on theories of cybercrime, the tools and methods used by criminal actors and responses by law enforcement agencies. You will develop an understanding of international cooperation with regard to cyber security, including national strategy and policy formation. This module is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on political science, behavioural science, criminology, sociology and law to equip you with skills in cyber security strategy and policy.
This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts of information security and cyber security. You will be introduced to the concepts of data protection, privacy and identity management, focusing on access control systems and policies as key components of identity and access management (IAM) systems. You will be introduced to security models for the development of secure systems and policies. Additionally, you will explore cryptographic schemes for ensuring data confidentiality, integrity and authenticity, and how these techniques support secure communications and IAM systems.
This module provides an exploration of the principles and practices that are essential for managing cyber risks and threats in modern organisations. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of cyber risk management and the cyber threat intelligence process. The module covers quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis and assessment for risk and intelligence, and how the two inform each other to help organisations manage cyber risks, develop organisational strategies and allocate resources to provide the best protection possible. You will be introduced to the key frameworks, standards and legislation that drive global cyber-risk governance.
This module introduces you to the principles and techniques of incident management, including the investigation of incidents and digital forensics. You will learn to identify security incidents, trace attacks and reconstruct events, using data collected from network and system activities. Additionally, you will conduct digital forensics to capture and preserve evidence, so as to analyse them and identify security breaches. You will develop a basic understanding of applying forensic techniques in different scenarios and how to interpret evidence.
The Implementation element of the dissertation will cover the execution of methods, production of results, the writing of a detailed discussion of the results, and synthesis into an overall dissertation, followed by the presentation of the results to the academic supervisor and industry or research partner.
As part of the master’s programme, you will engage in a project that results in a dissertation. On completion, you are expected to be able to make value judgments relating to technologies and applications, and to justify these to peers and academic staff. The topic of the project will vary from student to student, but will be at a level commensurate with knowledge gained throughout the module. The dissertation is divided into two distinct parts: the Foundations element and the Implementation element. The Foundations element will cover requirements capture, basic specification, and literature review, facilitating the formulation of a detailed project plan and discussions on anticipated findings.
This module introduces the fundamental concepts and practices of secure systems and equips you with the knowledge required to design, develop and maintain them. You will explore secure development practices and the application of security controls for mitigating threats and vulnerabilities. You will develop an understanding of developing solutions that align with security requirements, designing and implementing secure systems and network architectures, and understand how communication among computer systems can be secured.
This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of security assurance – the processes and practices that are used to provide confidence in the effectiveness of security measures. You will learn about the skills required to identify and address vulnerabilities in systems infrastructures through both theoretical and practical sessions. You will be introduced to techniques used to conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, and take part in simulated exercises designed to refine your skills in identifying and mitigating security weaknesses. By the end of the course, you will understand the frameworks and methodologies used to test the security of systems through the application of best practices to test and improve the security posture of systems.
| Fee per 20-credit taught module | £1,440 |
|---|---|
| Fee per 20-credit project foundations module | £1,440 |
| Fee for 40-credit project dissertation module | £2,880 |
| Indicative total programme fee | £12,960 |
The tuition fee applies to both home and international students. The fees shown are reviewed annually and are subject to increases in future years.
Where local regulations require sales tax to be applied, it will be added to the tuition fee at the statutory rate and confirmed after application. There is no application fee for this programme. View further information about fees and funding for online students.
Lancaster University alumni are eligible for the Alumni Loyalty Scholarship, a 10% tuition fee discount that can be applied to the online MSc Cyber Security programme.
The UK government offers a number of loans to UK and some EU national students wishing to study for a Master's degree.
Master's Loan
The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
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