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CYBERSURE Master’s programme in Cybersecurity and Assurance (120 ECTS) is a two-year engineering programme which provides students with foundations and hands-on training on state-of-the-art technologies and approaches to information security and assurance. Students study at two partner universities and, at completion, receive two officially recognized M.Sc. degrees.

CYBERSURE aims to educate professional engineers who are able to take on the most demanding R&D tasks and drive the development of future products and services. More specifically, the learning outcomes are the following:

1. Students have solid theoretical and practical knowledge within information security in general and within cybersecurity, assurance and compliance more specifically.
2. Students demonstrate the ability to systematically apply knowledge to analyze cybersecurity challenges, design secure cryptographic systems, identify vulnerabilities, and implement effective security measures.
3. Students have solid knowledge of cybersecurity, cryptology, formal methods, provable security, mathematical foundations, network security, digital forensics, incident response,
   governance and regulations, compliance and audit, ethics, ethical hacking and penetration testing, threat modeling and risk management, cloud computing as well as Operational Technology (OT) and IoT security.
4. Students have in-depth knowledge of their chosen specialization area and can apply it to solving technical and scientific problems. They are able to contribute to the knowledge and practices in their field.
5. Students have software development skills and other technical and professional skills that enable them to take responsible roles in an industrial research and development environment, and they are qualified to further pursue doctoral studies in academia.

The CYBERSURE programmes enable students to understand foundations and obtain hands-on training on state-of-the-art technologies and approaches to information security and assurance. In particular, these include cryptography, security analysis and threat management, as well as security strategies and operations. Students can specialize in distributed systems security,networks and systems security, advanced cybersecurity and software assurance, cryptography, big data security or security engineering. The studies are closely linked with research and prepare graduates for industrial R&D jobs on the global job market, including security engineering and consulting, various expert roles as well as doctoral studies.

The 120 ECTS credits will be divided into two blocks: two semesters of courses (60 ECTS) will be provided by the entry university NTNU. During the first year at NTNU the students will develop skills, understanding and knowledge related to technologies, security threats and risks, assurance and compliance, and security strategies and operations.

For the second year, the students move to their exit university where they are able to specialize (30 ECTS) in distributed systems security (Aalto University), networks and systems security (KTH), security engineering (TU Graz), advanced cybersecurity and software assurance (DTU), cryptography (UT) or big data security (EURECOM. The final project, the Master’s thesis, is written under the supervision and co-supervision of the second-year university and NTNU. The thesis is usually written in a research and development project either in industry or in academia.

Learning methods

Engineers must be able to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world engineering tasks. Therefore, the programme combines theoretical studies with integrated hand-on exercises and projects where the new knowledge is applied. Much of the students’ time is spent on group and individual assignments that train problem solving, research, and advanced engineering skills. In particular, the graduates will be able to apply state-of-the-art security technologies to new products and services, perform threat analysis and apply assurance methologies. Therefore, the studies include related tasks in each semester. Throughout the programme, students gain experience of collaboration in multicultural teams. In the courses that involve classroom teaching, it takes varied forms from traditional lectures and exercise sessions to discussion of group projects and student presentations. The studies include opportunities for networking with local and European companies. Many of the teachers have industry background, and our partner companies contribute to some courses and projects. The programme includes a summer internship in industry or academic research, and a majority of the master’s thesis projects are done in industry.

Specializations and mobility

The programme starts with a common year at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Norway, which lays the foundations of knowledge cybersecurity and assurance. For the second year, the students continue to their specialization at another partner university.

The first year of the programme (60 ECTS) covers fundamental concepts, methods and latest technologies for cybersecurity and assurance, cryptography, security analysis and risk assessment and management, and security strategies and operations. The regular courses at NTNU comprise 37.5 ECTS of mandatory courses and 22.5 ECTS of elective courses. The summer school provides 2.5 ECTS. The first-year curriculum offers many elective courses to accommodate students from diverse backgrounds and provide challenges for those seeking advanced courses. Students can switch to more advanced courses if they already possess equivalent knowledge. At the start of the first year, each student creates a personal study plan with the help of programme professors, ensuring the course selection meets their needs. This study plan can be adjusted before each semester.

Studies at Aalto University 30 ECTS

Studies at Aalto University 30 ECTS and Master's Thesis 30 ECTS 

Studies at partner university 30 ECTS
•    Distributed Systems Security, Aalto University Finland, 30 ECTS
•    Networks and systems security, KTH Sweden, 30 ECTS
•    Security Engineering, TU Graz Austria, 30 ECTS
•    Advanced Cybersecurity and Software Assurance, DTU Denmark, 30 ECTS
•    Cryptography, UT Estonia, 30 ECTS
•    Big Data Security, EURECOM France, 30 ECTS

The 2nd year at Aalto University focuses on distributed systems security and offers a balanced mix of system security, formal verification and cryptography. In the 3rd semester, there will be 4 mandatory courses: Platform Security, Network Security, Cryptography and Academic Communication - an advanced communication course in English.  Students who have excellent proficiency in academic English may choose 3 ECTS credits of Finnish or Swedish courses instead. 

Students should choose enough optional courses from the list below to meet the required number of credits for the second year. Students are advised to review their course selection with the programme staff to ensure that it matches their prior knowledge and personal learning goals. Those who have previously taken similar courses can be given permission to take a more advanced course instead Other Master-level courses on relevant topics may be included with prior agreement of the programme staff. 
 

Programme director: Chris Brzuska

**The course codes may have additional numbers in the end. Search for these courses with the general code in Sisu.

You can find Aalto course descriptions . In your study plan, choose the course and click the course code or search courses by code or name. Learning environments are found through search or after registration in "My own courses".

Compulsory language studies  
If you have completed your bachelor’s degree outside of Finland, you are required to complete only 3 ECTS in one foreign language (including both oral (o) and written (w) proficiency). Students, whose language of education is not Finnish or Swedish, may alternatively complete an elementary course in Finnish or in Swedish. The courses in national languages can be at any level on CEFR scale. In CYBERSURE programme, you can choose to take LC-1310 Academic Communication for MSc Students (3 ECTS) or Finnish/Swedish course.

If you have completed your bachelor's degree in Finland (in Aalto or in another higher education institute), you have fulfilled the compulsory language requirements in the respective degree or received the exemption. You do not need to complete language studies in the master's degree.

If your language of education is Finnish or Swedish and you have completed your bachelor’s degree outside of Finland, you must

• demonstrate proficiency in national languages by writing the maturity test in your language of education (Finnish or Swedish) and complete the language proficiency tests (2 ECTS) in the other national language. Read more about the language of education here. You may also apply for an exemption of demonstrating proficiency in national languages.
• complete 3 ECTS in one foreign language (including both oral (o) and written (w) proficiency).
  
  Language studies are agreed in the personal study plan (HOPS). Language center offers the language studies.

Master's Thesis 30 ECTS

The final semester of the CYBERSURE programme is dedicated to the Master’s thesis (30 ECTS), which is supervised by professors from one or multiple partner universities of the Cybersure programme. The thesis is usually written in a research and development project either in industry or in academia.