Advanced Topics in Cyber Security Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course covers advanced topics in cybersecurity. In this comprehensive study of advanced cybersecurity, various aspects are covered: it encompasses ethical principles and codes of good practice for cyber security professionals, quantitative and qualitative risk management theory involving stakeholders, alignment of cyber security with business aims, security risk assessments for complex systems, and proposing relevant remediation strategies. The course also focuses on understanding your organisation’s cybersecurity policies, identifying and addressing weaknesses in IT systems, scrutinising security performance using diverse cybersecurity tools and techniques, and effectively communicating and recommending improvements, including suggesting new policies. Moreover, the course will prepare you to plan for the technical implementation of security infrastructures and designs while identifying potential dangers, diagnosing and addressing complicated cybersecurity risks, problems, and escalations such as security incidents, and recommending business recovery solutions.

This course enables the learners to gain knowledge and advance their skills in Cybersecurity via a work-based practical assignment and a written report.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and a range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, and discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

This is an e-learning course, taught throughout the year. This course can be offered as a standalone short course.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include:

• On-line learning
• On-line discussion groups
• On-line assessment

Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Learners are also expected to manage their self-directed learning and independent study in support of the course.

The course learning and teaching hours will be structured as follows:

• Off-the-job learning and teaching (12 days x 7 hours) = 84 hours
• On-the-job learning (24 days x 7 hours) = 168 hours (e.g. 2 days per week for 12 weeks)
• Independent study (4 hours per week) = 48 hours

Workplace assignments (see below) will be completed as part of on-the-job learning.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 300

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Cranor, L.F. and Garfinkel, S., (2005) Security and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People can Use, Beijing: Farnham: O’Reilly
• Pfleeger, C.P., (2007), Security in Computing, Harlow: Prentice Hall
• Calder, A., (2020), Cyber Security : Essential principles to secure your organisation, Safari, an O’Reilly Media Company. IT Governance Publishing 2020.
• Oakley, Butler, M., York, W., Puckett, M., & Sewell, J. L. (2022). Theoretical cybersecurity : principles and advanced concepts. Apress L. P.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below is used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Cyber security
• Business strategy and cybersecurity
• Cyber risk assessment, threats and solutions

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