Are you interested in a career in IT security? Our MSc in Cloud and Network Security is designed to provide the advanced skills and knowledge needed for a career in computer management, or for a leading technical or managerial role in a data dependent organisation.

Key information

Award:

MSc

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

1 year

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

To be confirmed

Course Details

The MSc in Cloud and Network Security offers graduates with a background in networking, system administration or cloud computing the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of security and operations of computer systems.

You’ll have the opportunity to study the latest methodologies and development techniques and develop a detailed understanding of computer operating systems, virtualisation and networking. We’ll support you as you acquire the capacity to adapt and learn new skills ready to respond as the computer industry evolves throughout your career.

The programme has been designed collaboratively with industrial partners, giving you to the chance to equip yourself with professional skills, and understand the ethical and environmental issues you’ll encounter in your professional life.

You’ll also be encouraged to prepare for your postgraduate career with coursework based on a series of realistic scenarios covering technical issues, proposals and reports.

PLEASE NOTE: If you start this programme in January then the course duration is 18 months.

Highlights

We continually monitor and update the content of our MSc programmes so they offer the best preparation for the employment marketplace.
Our teaching staff all have comprehensive industry experience, enabling them to offer practical insights to students grappling with real-world problems.
During the course, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to scale from small infrastructure to major cloud infrastructure applications.
We take pride in our approach to our students, taking time to give all individuals the help and support they need to succeed.
Our commitment to provide the best possible learning environments has seen us make significant investments in our IT facilities.

Key Features

Free or significantly reduced software available to our students from our educational partners including RedHat, Fedora, Adobe and Microsoft.
Access to vendor qualifications from Cisco and RedHat through our unique access to the RedHat academy.
You’ll have access to our server architecture, enabling you to develop your cloud computing skills both on and off campus.
Industry partners provide relevant, up-to-date input to our teaching and live student projects.
Our MSc programme is supported by dedicated laboratories, servers and end hosts with industry-standard hardware and software.
Our lecturers take time to build strong personal relationships with all students, enabling questions to be answered quickly and easily.

You should have a UK Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.
If you have non-traditional entry qualifications and relevant experience, or a suitable portfolio of work that we consider a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course, then we will be happy to consider your application.
We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Computer networks underpin almost every aspect of modern business. Their successful management and oversight is crucial to a company's success and those who can fulfil this role are highly sought-after by industry. This course is for those wishing to pursue a career in the network or cyber security industry, or to take a leading technical or managerial role in a data dependent organisation.

This course covers some of the security issues that fixed and wireless networks are subject to, and some of the solutions used to address them. Some of the key employability skills that you can acquire include team work, time management, analysing and solving problems, retrieval of information and communication skills.

It’s important to remember that the field of cloud computing and network security changes very rapidly. There will be new developments, languages and devices being adopted throughout your career. Learning how to learn is the most important skill you can acquire.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduates from this course could pursue the more traditional routes of network/internet security, network development, and technical support. Other possible routes include network engineering, management, telecommunications engineering, and crime and computer forensics.

As a result of the skills developed through this course, graduates will be able to seek more senior managerial roles within the IT sector, and there are also a wide range of other opportunities within the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Another possible course of action for graduates is to pursue further study in a specialist field or in research at doctorate level. If doctorate level study is of interest to you, please discuss this with our tutors as we may be able to support your aspirations by supervising you at PhD level.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping stone to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

Information management
Digital communications
Mobile communications
Cybersecurity
Teaching and education
Consultancy
Research and development
Software project management
Commerce
Electrical engineering
Quality management
Public Services and local government
Self-employment

Course fees

Home Fees	Year of study		Total
Entry year	2021/22	2022/23
2021	£6,840	-	£6,840

International	Year of study		Total
Entry year	2021/22	2022/23
2021	£12,450	-	£12,450

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2021-2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our 2020 Master's Bursaries.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

Call Admissions

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

This course is not currently accepting online applications

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

We use a blend of learning and teaching methods to give you the best possible chance of success. During your studies, you’ll be expected to take part in lectures, seminars, tutorials and critiques. You’ll also experience laboratory and workshop sessions, as well as undertake self-directed learning, e-learning, and online sessions.

You’ll have the chance to acquire and enhance your practical skills through technical introductions and support, workshop sessions, demonstrations, and activity-based assignments.

We’ll provide regular written feedback on your work, with assessments normally completed by the end of each module. Assessment is varied and can include methods such as assignments, projects, exams, and presentations. Most of your overall grade will be based on coursework.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Masters Project
Advanced Cloud Penetration Testing and Forensics
Global Infrastructure
Development and Operations
Research Methods

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 81%, Practical exams 9%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 83%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 17%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.