PMAPCSCT - MSc Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology

The MSc in Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology offers a distinctive and timely opportunity for graduates aiming to specialize in both cloud and cyber security, two areas of critical importance in today's digital environment. Currently, no other university in London offers a programme that combines these domains into a single MSc, making this course uniquely positioned to address emerging industry needs.

The curriculum is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of cloud infrastructure and computer network security, covering key areas such as performance reliability, security protocols, fault and configuration management, and accounting practices. This integrated approach will equip students with advanced skills relevant to the evolving demands of cloud-based environments. Graduates will gain the ability to design and implement secure cloud architectures, identify and mitigate threats, apply robust security controls, and ensure system resilience.

While many MSc programmes focus solely on cyber security, this course uniquely incorporates both cyber and cloud technologies, making London Met one of the first institutions in the capital to offer this combined specialization. The course was developed in consultation with the Industry Liaison Group (ILG), whose members include professionals from cybersecurity, cloud computing, and IT consultancy sectors. Their input shaped both the structure and content of the programme, ensuring alignment with industry expectations and a strong balance between theoretical grounding and practical application. Their endorsement affirms the relevance of the course and its capacity to produce graduates with the skills employers require.

In addition to technical knowledge, the course places emphasis on professional competencies and a deeper understanding of ethical and environmental considerations. London Met is well-positioned to deliver this programme, supported by industry-standard equipment (e.g., Cisco and Palo Alto) and a dedicated team of experts. The university will also pursue accreditation from bodies such as the IET/BCS and certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), ensuring that graduates meet recognized industry standards.

The principal aims of the course are structured to achieve several key objectives:

• To enable graduates with backgrounds in networking, system administration, or cloud computing to develop a comprehensive understanding of computer system security and operations.
• Students will be provided with access to and exposure to the most current methodologies and development techniques prevalent in the field.
• To equip students with the skills necessary to adapt and learn new technologies and practices as the computer industry evolves over time, ensuring their relevance and competitiveness in their careers.
• The course incorporates highly demanded technical and management security technologies, trends, and policies to ensure learners are well-prepared for the dynamic and fast-moving sector.
• Through hands-on experience with Cisco and Palo Alto hardware and software, closely aligned with industrial practice, students can anticipate excellent employment prospects upon graduation.
• Students will have the opportunity to obtain vendor qualifications from Cisco to Palo Alto through London Met’s Network Academy, enhancing their credentials and marketability.
• Dedicated laboratories and servers equipped with industry-standard hardware and software ensures students have the necessary tools and resources for effective learning and practical application.
• This course caters to learners seeking professional development or those aiming to enhance their professional standing through continued education, offering a pathway for both career advancement and personal growth

This MSc course with balanced theory and hands-on practice prepares motivated and academically minded graduates for employment or research for MPhil/PhD. The MSc project titles are continuously updated in consultation with our industrial partners to reflect recent technological advances and increase employability opportunities for our graduates. The teaching and assessment related activities for this course are delivered over 30 weeks of formal scheduled contact time. Modules are mainly delivered through a combination of lectures (1 hour/ week), tutorials/lab-based workshop (2 hours/ week) sessions, and blended learning. Teaching materials such as lecture notes and other support learning materials are accessible via the university VLE network (e.g. Ultra WebLearn, Blackboard) and School’s network facilities (e.g. web server). Appropriate blended learning approaches and technologies, such as the University’s VLE, and specialized engineering labs are used to facilitate and support student learning to: (i) deliver course, (ii) content, (iii) encourage active learning, (iv) provide formative and summative assessments, and prompt feedback, & (v) enhance student engagement and learning experience.

The curriculum is supported by specialized laboratories. Throughout the prescribed modules, students will dedicate a significant portion of their time within these laboratories. This hands-on experience affords them the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge gained in lectures and seminars to practical scenarios using industry-standard simulation packages. These simulations enable them to delve into assignments pertaining to cloud and cyber security, encompassing investigation, design, implementation, and testing, either individually or collaboratively within groups.

Moreover, students will be exposed to avenues for skill enhancement sought after by employers within the industry. Additionally, the course is designed to foster the development of interpersonal, teamwork, and engineering competencies, while also nurturing commercial acumen, ethical awareness, and environmental consciousness.

The new MSc course exemplifies the University’s strategy for learning, teaching, and assessment by providing a student-centered, practical-oriented, and varied learning experience that prepares students for the challenges and opportunities in cloud and cyber security.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

LO1. Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model and solve complex problems, while discussing the limitations of the chosen methods.

LO2. Critically evaluate technical literature and sources of information to address complex problems, considering professional, legal, social, cultural, and ethical issues, as well as the societal and environmental impact.

LO3. Specify, design, construct, test, and document reliable, secure, and user-centred computer-based systems, incorporating societal, business, customer, and regulatory needs.

LO4. Analyse and develop solutions to security challenges, evaluating systems for quality attribute and trade-offs while minimizing adverse environmental and societal impacts.

LO5. Apply leading-edge security techniques and critically address current challenges in cybersecurity, including evaluating and improving the security of systems.

LO6. Develop a critical understanding of regulatory and practical issues related to cloud and cybersecurity, including compliance and best practices.

LO7. Plan and manage complex projects to deliver secure computing systems within constraints such as requirements, timelines, and budgets.

LO8. Identify and critically evaluate risks, safety, and security aspects involved in deploying computing systems within various contexts.

LO9. Conduct research and apply established techniques of inquiry to generate and interpret knowledge in cybersecurity and cloud technologies.

LO10. Communicate effectively on complex technical matters with both technical and non-technical audiences, using appropriate methods and evaluating their effectiveness.

LO11. Function effectively as an individual contributor or as a leader within a team, fostering collaboration and achieving project objectives.

ULO. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive,collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

The course design refers to Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)’s Subject Benchmark Statements in Engineering set out in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/sbs/sbs-engineering-23.pdf?sfvrsn=7c71a881_4

The assessment structure for this course is carefully designed to cultivate expertise in cloud and cyber security, while also fostering essential professional transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and decision-making. Through a diverse range of assessment methods including group projects, individual submissions, examinations, theoretical tasks, and lab-based exercises, students are equipped with skills highly valued in the industry.

Moreover, alongside earning an MSc degree, students can acquire additional professionalcertifications from Cisco and Palo Alto, enriching their credentials and enhancing their employability.

Furthermore, our academic staff are dedicated to the continuous improvement of teaching quality. All staff have attained or are pursuing a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, demonstrating their commitment to excellence in learning and teaching. As part of this commitment, we actively engage in research to explore innovative and effective teaching methodologies. For instance, our assessment strategies incorporate regular formative and summative feedback mechanisms, ensuring students receive timely input to enhance their learning outcomes.

Exceptionally talented students may be invited to join and contribute to research and enterprise activities within the school’s research centers. In addition, students possessing extensive industrial experience and/or relevant professional qualifications may be given the opportunity to teach within the school. Some interested students may be offered the chance to serve as student coaches in the school’s undergraduate courses.

Part-time students may select one or two modules per semester. The following is an example:

Year 1 (Semester 1/ Autumn): Research Methods, Digital Forensics

Year 1 (Semester 2 / Spring): Harding Network Infrastructure, Securing Auditing and Penetration Testing

Year 2 (Semester 1/ Autumn): Cloud Technology

Year 2 (Semester 2 / Spring): Cloud Cybersecurity (Palo Alto)

Year 2 (Summer): MSc Project

• To obtain the degree award of MSc Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology the students need to complete successfully all 6 taught modules and the MSc project module (a minimum of 180 credits with a minimum mark of 50%).
• Completing all six taught modules (a minimum of 120 taught credits excluding the Project with a minimum mark of 50%.) included in the course curriculum entitles the students to the PGDip MSc Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology award.
• Completing the three CT modules (a minimum of 60 taught credits excluding the Project with a minimum mark of 50%) from the curriculum entitles the students to the PGCert Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology award.

The MSc award is categorized into the following specific grades with due consideration to borderline cases as per university regulations:

MSc with Distinction: This award is achieved by a student gaining an overall average mark on the programme of study of 70% and above.

MSc with Merit: This award is achieved by a student who has an overall average mark on the programme of study between 60% and 69.99%.

MSc: This award is achieved by a student gaining an overall mark in the programme of study between 50% and 59.99%.

All modules consist of lectures (1 hour) followed immediately by small-group tutorials, laboratory workshops, and individual and group case studies (2 hours). These post-lecture activities are integral to the student's learning journey as they provide opportunities for reflection. During these sessions, students are encouraged to engage in reflective practices by keeping a logbook for their workshops. This logbook should include comprehensive accounts of the problems encountered, the methodsemployed to solve them, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. Through this process, students can deepen their understanding, identify areas for improvement, and actively contribute to their own learning and development.

Output standards set out by Engineering Council’s UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) (4th ed) ensuring threshold academic standard.

https://www.engc.org.uk/media/3410/ahep-fourth-edition.pdf

There is a wide range of career opportunities in the Computing & IT sector and related industries. This course will prepare you for roles as a technical security specialist together with a range of technical development and implementation roles. Students will also have the potential to develop into security consultancy and technical management roles. Some graduates choose to venture into other sectors – such as project management or financial forecasting – where they are likely to be equally successful in gaining employment because of the transferable skills gained on the course. Other graduates go on to study for a PhD.

Upon graduating with the MSc in Applied Cyber Security and Cloud Technology, you will have access to a wide range of career opportunities in both technical and managerial roles within the rapidly growing fields of cyber security and cloud computing.

For those seeking further academic advancement, the MSc also serves as a solid foundation for pursuing advanced research degrees, including MPhil and PhD studies.

You will be required to have:

• a 2:2 UK degree (or equivalent) in Computer Networking, Cyber Security, Computer Security, Computer Science, Computing, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• applicants with relevant professional experience will also be considered.
• GCSE in English Language and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or above (equivalent)

If you require a student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.