Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust MSc

Our societies are critically dependent on computer software. Electronic systems are everywhere, and governments, financial and transport organisations, or telecommunication companies all possess and manage huge amounts of sensitive information concerning all of our everyday activities.

With the emergence of new systems and services, every aspect of our life is relying on / is recorded by some computerised system, such as:

• electronic IDs and passports
• electronic payment systems and loyalty schemes
• electronic tickets
• telecommunication systems

As such, we have been witnessing a significant increase in attacks targeting computing infrastructure.

Cyber security and privacy is the study of the computational principles, methods and mechanisms for safe-guarding these sensitive applications. Graduates of the programme will learn how to evaluate, design, and implement secure and trustworthy systems in complex distributed systems.

Many research areas have tackled parts of this problem – students on this degree will experience training from academic experts in a uniquely broad combination of theory and practice:

• Secure Software
• Cryptography
• Secure Hardware
• Verification
• Post Quantum
• Data Privacy
• Usability
• Fintech
• Health
• Smart Contracts
• Distributed Ledgers
• Privacy Preserving Data Mining

The overall programme delivers intellectual and practical experience in all aspects of cyber security, privacy, and trust, such as:

• dealing with real-world applications
• applying and extending state-of-the-art defence mechanisms
• engineering end-to-end secure and trustworthy systems
• communicating results through oral and written reports

Reputation

The University of Edinburgh consistently ranks top 30 globally for Computer Science.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked our School 1st in the UK for research power in Computer Science and Informatics. This means you will learn from experts at the forefront of their fields, undertaking cutting-edge research in a wide range of areas.

Environment

You will be part of a large, vibrant department with around 1,750 students across undergraduate, master’s and research programmes and 150 academic staff.

You will study in the heart of Edinburgh city centre, regularly voted as one of the most desirable places to live in the world, and one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech hubs.

Accreditation

This is one of the few cyber security masters degrees in the UK that is fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ.

In order to attain NCSC certification, you will have to choose 100 credits from specific course combinations.

• Find out about NCSC-certified degrees

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in informatics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, electrical engineering, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, psychology, or another quantitative discipline.

Entry to this programme is competitive. A typical offer will normally require a UK first class honours degree.

You should have experience of computer programming equivalent to an introductory programming course and have completed the equivalent of 60 SCQF credits or 30 ECTS credits of mathematics during your degree that have typically covered the following subjects/topics: calculus (differentiation and integration), linear algebra (vectors and multi-dimensional matrices), discrete mathematics and mathematical reasoning (e.g. induction and reasoning, graph theoretic models, proofs), and probability (concepts in discrete and continuous probabilities, Markov chains etc.).

Students from China

This degree is Band B.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

This degree will put you at the cutting edge of the field of cyber security, privacy, and trust, opening a host of opportunities in the commercial sector, public and academic sectors.

Graduates will have the necessary background to keep up with developments in cyber security, both in research and engineering.

A National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) fully certified degree is a highly valued qualification. It gives employers reassurance in the recruitment of skilled staff, particularly in government and the private sector.

Typical areas to pursue a career include:

• Security Analyst
• Security Architect
• Security Engineer
• Security Administrator
• Cyber Risk Analyst
• Cryptographer
• Cryptanalyst
• Security Consultant
• Security Auditor
• Secure Software Developer
• Penetration Tester
• Ethical Hacker
• Security Researcher (in academia or industry)
• security officers of various kinds in government and public sector positions

There are well established career development paths and certification schemes including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) run by ISC2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium).

There is a new UK government-sponsored initiative delivering a new Cyber Security Body of Knowledge which is intended to describe curricula frameworks for the future, to inform and underpin education and professional training for the cyber security sector.

• Cyber Security Body of Knowledge

Start-ups and spinouts

The University of Edinburgh has a long track record of start up companies and innovations, including key players in the industry set up by Informatics master’s alumni:

• FanDuel, a unicorn company
• Robotical
• RISE Nutrition
• Carbon Glance
• Predictiva

Edinburgh Innovations – start-up opportunities

We have fantastic resources through the University’s commercialisation service, Edinburgh Innovations, to help you successfully nurture your entrepreneurial ideas and launch your own enterprise.

• Edinburgh Innovations

Career development through societies

Our active student societies, such as CompSoc and Hoppers, offer skills building, networking and industry events.

Recent speakers include:

• Spotify
• Amazon
• Meta

Find out more about CompSoc and Hoppers:

• CompSoc
• Hoppers

Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service plays an essential part in your wider student experience at the University, providing:

• tailored advice
• individual guidance and personal assistance
• internships and networking opportunities (with employers from local organisations to top multinationals)
• Events such as the annual Careers in Tech and Data Fair, giving you opportunities to meet recruiters actively looking to recruit our students
• access to the experience of our worldwide alumni network

We invest in your future beyond the end of your degree. Studying at the University of Edinburgh will lay the foundations for your future success, whatever shape that takes.

• Careers Service
• Flagship Events – Careers Service

Hear from our Alumni

• Alumni Perspectives