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Issue 5.0

03 September 2020

Certified Master’s in Cyber Security

Certification of Integrated Master’s Degrees in Computer Science for Cyber Security

Call for Applications

Closing Date: 18 December 2020, 16:00

Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 10 November 2020, 16:00

Briefing Session for Applicants: 22 September 2020, 14:30 (All potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend)

© Crown Copyright 2020, The National Cyber Security Centre

[email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Document History

Issue Date Comment

1.0 18 August 2015 First issue

2.0 01 September 2016 Second issue

3.0 14 December 2017 Third issue

4.0 07 February 2019 Fourth issue

4.1 26 March 2019 References to Security Discipline replaced by Skills Group in CySec 1 and Table 3.1

5.0 03 September 2020 All references to Skills Groups replaced by Cyber Security Body of Knowledge

Table of Contents Introduction and background ................................................................................................................................................. 5

UK National Cyber Security Strategy............................................................................................................................. 5

Aims, benefits and vision of certified Integrated Master’s in cyber security ............................................................... 5

Scope of this call for applications ........................................................................................................................................... 6

Terminology used in this call ........................................................................................................................................ 6

2.1.1 Cyber Security ........................................................................................................................................................... 6

2.1.2 Level and credit ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

2.1.3 Integrated Master’s degrees .................................................................................................................................... 6

Integrated Master’s – different structures ................................................................................................................... 7

In scope ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

2.3.1 Computer science requirements .............................................................................................................................. 8

2.3.2 Full certification ........................................................................................................................................................ 9

2.3.3 Provisional certification ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Out of scope .................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Eligibility ............................................................................................................................................................................... 10

How to apply ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Submitting applications .............................................................................................................................................. 11

Briefing session ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

Points of clarification .................................................................................................................................................. 11

Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Assessment Process .................................................................................................................................................... 12

Scoring ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Moving forwards .................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Key dates ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13

After the assessment process ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Successful applications ............................................................................................................................................... 13

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Unsuccessful applications ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Applications with a borderline fail .............................................................................................................................. 13

APPENDIX A: REQUIRED STRUCTURE OF APPLICATION ............................................................................................................... 14

HEI’s letter of support for the application (up to two sides of A4) ...................................................................................... 15

Signed letter of support for both full and provisional applications ............................................................................ 15

For provisional applications ........................................................................................................................................ 15

Description of the applicant (for both full and provisional applications, up to 7 sides of A4, excluding CVs) ..................... 16

Team ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Recent investments .................................................................................................................................................... 16

External linkages ......................................................................................................................................................... 16

Review and update process ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................................... 16

CVs and personal statements ..................................................................................................................................... 16

Criteria to be applied .................................................................................................................................................. 16

Description of the Integrated Master’s degree (for both full and provisional applications, up to 15 sides of A4, excluding

module descriptions) .................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Description of the degree ........................................................................................................................................... 17

Number of taught credits that can be mapped to computer science Subject Areas .................................................. 17

Detailed coverage of the computer science Subject Areas ........................................................................................ 17

Computer science module descriptions ..................................................................................................................... 17

Professional Knowledge and Skills .............................................................................................................................. 18

Criteria to be applied. ................................................................................................................................................. 24

3.6.1 Description of the degree ....................................................................................................................................... 24

3.6.2 Number of taught credits that can be mapped computer science Subject Areas .................................................. 24

3.6.3 Detailed coverage of the computer science Subject Areas .................................................................................... 24

3.6.4 Computer science module descriptions ................................................................................................................. 24

3.6.5 Professional Knowledge and Skills.......................................................................................................................... 24

Assessment materials (up to five sides of A4, excluding copies of examination papers etc.) ............................................. 25

Approach to assessment for both full and provisional applications ........................................................................... 25

4.1.1 Approach to assessment ........................................................................................................................................ 25

4.1.2 Marking .................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Examination papers .................................................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.1 Provisional application ........................................................................................................................................... 25

4.2.2 Full application ....................................................................................................................................................... 25

External examiner’s report – full application only ...................................................................................................... 25


4.4.1 For both full and provisional applications .............................................................................................................. 25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

4.4.2 For full certification only ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Individual projects and dissertations (up to five sides of A4, excluding list of dissertation titles and copies of

dissertations) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 26

Applications for both full and provisional certification .............................................................................................. 26

5.1.1 Level and credit value ............................................................................................................................................. 26

5.1.2 Guidance to students ............................................................................................................................................. 26

5.1.3 Allocation of dissertation topics ............................................................................................................................. 26

5.1.4 Scope of dissertation topics ................................................................................................................................... 26

5.1.5 Monitoring of students’ progress ........................................................................................................................... 26

5.1.6 Assessment of dissertations ................................................................................................................................... 26

Dissertations – for full certification only ..................................................................................................................... 26

5.2.1 List of dissertation topics ........................................................................................................................................ 26

5.2.2 Example dissertations ............................................................................................................................................. 26

5.2.3 Marks for example dissertations ............................................................................................................................ 26


5.3.1 Applications for both full and provisional certification .......................................................................................... 27

5.3.2 Applications for full certification only .................................................................................................................... 27

Student numbers and grades awarded – applications for full certification only (up to five sides of A4) ............................ 28

Student entry data ...................................................................................................................................................... 28

Student exit data ........................................................................................................................................................ 29

Student satisfaction .................................................................................................................................................... 30


APPENDIX B: TOPICS TO BE COVERED IN INTEGRATED MASTER’S DEGREES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR CYBER SECURITY ..... 31

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Computer Science Subject Areas .......................................................................................................................................... 32

Professional Knowledge and Skills ....................................................................................................................................... 38

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INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Introduction and background

UK National Cyber Security Strategy

Section 7 (‘Develop’) of the UK National Cyber Security

Strategy (2016-2021)1 states that

the UK requires more talented and qualified

cyber security professionals

Objective 7.1 is

to ensure the sustained supply of the best

possible home-grown cyber security talent

Working in partnership over the past few years, the

Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS),

Cabinet Office (CO), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have

initiated a number of programmes across academia

designed to address the knowledge, skills and capability

requirements for cyber security in Objective 7.14,

including:

• Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security

Research2

• Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security

Education3

• Academic Research Institutes in Cyber Security4

• Centres for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security

Research5 6 7 8

As part of this strategy, the NCSC initiated a programme

to certify postgraduate Master’s and undergraduate

degrees in cyber security subjects taught at UK Higher

Education Institutions (HEIs)9.

1 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567242/national_cyber_security_strategy_2016.pdf 2 https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/academic-centres-excellence-cyber-security-research 3 https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ace-cse-recognition-call 4 https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/research-and-academia

Aims, benefits and vision of certified Integrated

Master’s in cyber security

The overall aim is to identify and recognise Integrated

Master’s degrees run by UK HEIs that provide well-

defined and appropriate content and that are delivered to

an appropriate standard.

The anticipated key benefits of the certified Integrated

Master’s programme include:

• providing guidance to prospective students and

employers on the content and quality of

Integrated Master’s degrees

• providing Integrated Master’s students who have

completed their certified degree with an

additional form of recognition – i.e., that they

have successfully completed an NCSC-certified

degree

• helping to further enhance the quality, focus and

relevance of Integrated Master’s degrees

• helping universities with certified Integrated

Master’s degrees to attract additional numbers /

higher quality students both from the UK and

abroad

• helping employers (in industry, government and

academia) during the recruitment process to

better understand, and distinguish between, the

Integrated Master’s qualifications of job

applicants

5 https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-teaching/departments-and-schools/information-security/studying-here/centre-for-doctoral-training-in-cyber-security-for-the-everyday 6 https://www.cybersecurity.ox.ac.uk/education/cdt 7 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/computer-science/study/postgraduate-research/centre-doctoral-training-cybersecurity 8 https://www.bristol.ac.uk/cdt/cyber-security/ 9 https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/higher-education

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567242/national_cyber_security_strategy_2016.pdf


https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/academic-centres-excellence-cyber-security-research

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/academic-centres-excellence-cyber-security-research

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ace-cse-recognition-call

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/research-and-academia

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/research-and-academia

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-teaching/departments-and-schools/information-security/studying-here/centre-for-doctoral-training-in-cyber-security-for-the-everyday



https://www.cybersecurity.ox.ac.uk/education/cdt

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/computer-science/study/postgraduate-research/centre-doctoral-training-cybersecurity

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/computer-science/study/postgraduate-research/centre-doctoral-training-cybersecurity

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/cdt/cyber-security/

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/education-skills/higher-education

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SCOPE

Scope of this call for applications This call is for the certification of Integrated Master’s

degrees with Honours that are addressing underpinning

computer science for cyber security.

This call is for Integrated Master’s degrees (including

distance learning degrees) delivered, examined and

awarded in the UK by UK HEIs.

There are two types of certification: ‘Full Certification’ and

‘Provisional Certification’. Certifications of individual

Integrated Master’s degrees by the NCSC will be subject

to a set of terms and conditions (T&Cs).

Terminology used in this call

2.1.1 Cyber Security

The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-202110

describes cyber security as ‘the protection of information

systems (hardware, software and associated

infrastructure), the data on them, and the services they

provide, from unauthorised access, harm or misuse. This

includes harm caused intentionally by the operator of the

system, or accidentally, as a result of failing to follow

security procedures.’

This call’s use of the term cyber security is consistent with

this definition. However, it should be recognised that

there are many definitions of cyber security and a succinct

definition will always be rather abstract. That is why we

take the Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK)11 to

define the discipline of cyber security, its boundaries and

its dependencies and relationships with regards to other

disciplines.

2.1.2 Level and credit

Throughout this document, the terms ‘level’ and ‘credit’

are taken from the Higher Education Credit Framework

for England12. If an HEI uses a different framework, it

should describe what it uses and map its framework to

10 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567242/national_cyber_security_strategy_2016.pdf 11 https://www.cybok.org 12 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-framework.pdf?sfvrsn=940bf781_12 13 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-higher-education-in-england-an-introduction.pdf 14 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/master's-degree-characteristics-

the QAA framework. One credit is assumed to require a

nominal 10 hours of work by a student13.

2.1.3 Integrated Master’s degrees

The QAA describes Integrated Master’s degrees as

follows14:

Integrated Master's degrees are common in

science, mathematics and engineering but are also

used in other subjects and delivered through a

course that combines study at the level of a

Bachelor's degree with Honours with study at

Master's level during the latter stages of the

course. As such, a student usually graduates with a

Master's degree after a continuous four-year (or

five-year in Scotland) course of study. If a work

placement is included, the time taken to complete

the course may be extended.

The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Computing

states15 16:

Integrated Master’s degrees (MComp, MEng

and MSci) include the outcomes of Bachelor's

degrees with Honours and go beyond them to

provide a greater range and depth of specialist

knowledge, often within a research and

industrial environment, as well as a broader

and more general academic base. Such

programmes provide a foundation for

leadership. Integrated Master’s programmes of

study are designed as an integrated whole from

entry to completion, although earlier parts may

be delivered in common with a parallel

Bachelor's degree with honours.

For the purposes of this call document, Integrated

Master’s degrees with Honours are assumed to typically

take four years of study (or equivalent for part-time

students) leading to the award of Master’s degrees such

as MComp, MEng, MSci, etc. Intermediate Bachelor’s

statement8019abbe03dc611ba4caff140043ed24.pdf?sfvrsn=86c5ca81_12#:~:text=7-,2.2%20Integrated%20master's%20degrees,latter%20stages%20of%20the%20course. 15 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-computing.pdf?sfvrsn=ef2c881_10 16 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-computing-(masters).pdf?sfvrsn=15f2c881_10



https://www.cybok.org/

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-framework.pdf?sfvrsn=940bf781_12


https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-higher-education-in-england-an-introduction.pdf

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-higher-education-in-england-an-introduction.pdf

https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/master's-degree-characteristics-statement8019abbe03dc611ba4caff140043ed24.pdf?sfvrsn=86c5ca81_12#:~:text=7-,2.2%20Integrated%20master's%20degrees,latter%20stages%20of%20the%20course.






https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-computing.pdf?sfvrsn=ef2c881_10



https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-computing-(masters).pdf?sfvrsn=15f2c881_10



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SCOPE

degrees are not awarded. Typically, Integrated Master’s

degrees comprise 480 credits with a minimum of 120

credits at level 7.

Typically for a 4-year Integrated Master’s: year 1 would be

at level 4; year 2 at level 5; year 3 at level 6; and year 4 at

level 7.

Integrated Master’s – different structures

The structure of Integrated Master’s degrees does vary

from university to university. By way of example only,

during the first three years students might undertake a

Bachelor’s level programme with the fourth year being at

Master’s level. Students would only be able to enter the

fourth year if they have achieved a good overall mark

during their first three years. In other Integrated Master’s

degrees, students might undertake a common

programme during the first two years before undertaking

Integrated Master’s modules during years 3 and 4. In

Scotland, Integrated Master’s degrees typically take 5

years. Some universities might offer 5-year Integrated

Master’s with one year spent working in industry.

Thus, in its application it is important that an HEI clearly

describes the structure of its Integrated Master’s degree.

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SCOPE

In scope

This call is open to Integrated Master’s degrees that meet the scope requirements below.

2.3.1 Computer science requirements

Requirements Description

ComSci 1 Across levels 4 to 7, there must be a minimum of 330 taught computer science credits

ComSci 2 Across levels 4 to 7, there must be a minimum of 300 taught computer science credits that can be mapped to the

Computer Science Subject Areas shown in Appendix B

ComSci 3 The computer science taught credits must provide coverage of Subject Areas 1 to 15 shown in Appendix B in good

breadth and depth, at the levels indicated in Appendix B

ComSci 4 Students must undertake an individual project and dissertation at level 6 or 7 accounting for between 20 and 50 credits

which is relevant to cyber security and within the scope of the Computer Science Subject Areas 10-16

Table 1: Computer science requirements

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SCOPE

If the number of credits associated with the individual

project and dissertation at level 6 or 7 is less than 20 then

an HEI will need to clarify how students are able to gain

sufficient understanding and experience of undertaking

individual project work. If the number of credits

associated with the individual project and dissertation at

level 6 or 7 is greater than 50 then an HEI will need to

justify the value of having such a large individual project

and dissertation.

2.3.2 Full certification

To be in scope, applications for full certification require

the following three requirements to be met:

i. a cohort of students to have successfully

completed the Integrated Master’s degree in

academic year 2019-20

ii. the external examiner’s report to be available

for academic year 2019-2017

iii. the Integrated Master’s degree to be running in


2.3.3 Provisional certification

To be in scope, applications for provisional certification

must meet one of the requirements i, ii and iii below:

i. the Integrated Master’s degree is running in

academic year 2020-21, though a cohort of

students did not complete the degree in


ii. the new/revised Integrated Master’s degree has

not yet started but will start by (up to and

including) October 2022

iii. although the Integrated Master’s degree meets

the requirements for full certification, an HEI

may if it so wishes apply for provisional

certification

17 Where the external examiner’s report for 2019-20 is not available by the submission deadline, please provide the most recent report and the

Out of scope

The following degrees are out of scope:

• postgraduate Master’s degrees that typically

take one year of study (or equivalent for part-

time students) – these are addressed in other

calls

• Integrated Master’s degrees that do not have the

required computer science and cyber security

content

• Integrated Master’s degrees that are planned to

start later than October 2022

HEI’s response. Please state when the 2019-20 report and response will be available and submit them as soon as they are available.

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ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility This call is open to all officially recognised bodies listed at https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-

recognised/recognised-bodies.

Applicants should note that there will be no funding associated with successful certification of Master’s degrees.

https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/recognised-bodies

https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/recognised-bodies

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HOW TO APPLY

How to apply

Submitting applications

All applicants intending to apply for certification must

register an expression of interest by 16:00 on 10

November 2020 by emailing

[email protected]. Applications from

HEIs that have not registered by this date will not be

accepted. Applicants should indicate whether they intend

to apply for full or provisional certification.

Applications should be emailed to

[email protected] by 16:00 on 18

December 2020. The NCSC will email applicants to

confirm receipt of applications.

Please put ‘Int Master’s CSforCS application – <Name of

your HEI><Email n of m>’ on the subject line.

Applications should be sent as one pdf file that does not

exceed 15MB, and should be structured to follow the

guidance in Appendix A. Please use bookmarks and page

numbers to aid navigation through the document. Please

name the file as follows: <Name of your

HEI><Certification A or B >. If multiple files need to be

sent, please email the NCSC ahead of the deadline to

discuss this.

Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that any

application that they submit reaches the NCSC and for all

costs related to, or connected with, the preparation of

their applications. Nothing in this call for applications

document, including any documents annexed to it or

otherwise made available (including information or

statements made verbally) as part of the application

process, shall constitute a contract between the NCSC and

applicants or potential applicants (whether express or

implied).

Briefing session

The NCSC intends to hold a briefing session for applicants

at 14:30 on 22 September 2020. The session will take

place remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to

attend, please email [email protected]

by 16:00 on 21 September 2020. All potential applicants

are strongly encouraged to attend. In particular:

• HEIs intending to renew their certification

• HEIs that were unsuccessful in previous

applications and that have not attended a recent

individual feedback session with the NCSC

• HEIs that have not previously applied

• HEIs that have not previously attended a briefing

session

Experience shows that applications from those HEIs that

have attended a briefing session tend to contain fewer

mistakes and are less likely to be ruled out on grounds of

non-compliance with the process.

Points of clarification

Call documents and a list of points of clarification regarding the application process will be maintained at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ncsc-degree-certification-call-new-applicants-0. Applicants are advised to check this web page regularly

for any updates to the application process or changes to

this call document, such changes to be made at the

absolute discretion of the NCSC and without notice.

Applicants are welcome to contact the NCSC before 16:00

on 04 December 2020 to discuss any questions or areas of

concern they might have. Please contact the NCSC at

[email protected] .

mailto:[email protected]



https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ncsc-degree-certification-call-new-applicants-0

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ncsc-degree-certification-call-new-applicants-0


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ASSESSMENT

Assessment Applications within scope will be assessed by an

assessment panel that will include representatives from

the NCSC, wider government, industry and academia.

Each application will be read and scored independently by

a minimum of three members of the assessment panel.

Assessment Process

Applications must be submitted in full by the deadline.

At the assessment panel each application will be assessed

within the five areas shown below, and further described

in Appendix A, against the set of assessment criteria also

shown in Appendix A:

• Description of the applicant

• Description of the Integrated Master’s degree

• Assessment materials

• Individual projects and dissertations

• Student numbers and grades awarded

(applications for full certification only)

The HEI’s letter of support for the application is not

scored but must be included in the application.

Scoring

At the assessment panel meeting, panel members will

present their scores and the rationale for their scores. The

assessment panel will agree a consensus score for each

section of each application. The panel’s decision is final.

There is no maximum number of successful applications

for certification. In terms of providing evidence to meet

the assessment criteria, each scored section of each

application will be marked using the scale shown in Table

2 below. Each section must achieve a threshold score of 3.

If an application includes a letter of support and the

consensus score is at threshold or above in each scored

section, then the application will be deemed to be

successful overall.

Score Meaning

0 No response or no response capable of assessment has been submitted, or the response

does not address the criteria of the requirement.

1 The response meets some but not a majority of the requirement and/or insufficient

evidence is provided to substantiate the response. There are significant deficiencies in the

response.

2 The response meets the majority but not all of the requirement and there are minor

deficiencies in how the application addresses the remaining criteria. For those parts of the

requirement that are met, sufficient evidence to substantiate the response is provided.

3

(pass mark)

The response meets the requirement in full and is supported by evidence that substantiates

the response. All the criteria of the requirement are satisfactorily covered by the response.

4 The response meets, and in some places exceeds, the requirement. The response is backed

up by substantial and convincing evidence.

Table 2: Scoring scale used to assess applications.

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MOVING FORWARDS

Moving forwards

Key dates

Call issued 07 September 2020

Briefing session registration 21 September 2020

Briefing session 22 September 2020

Deadline for expressions of interest

10 November 2020, 16:00

Deadline for applications 18 December 2020, 16:00

Assessment of applications January – February 2020

Announcement of results March 2020

After the assessment process

All applicants will be notified individually whether their

applications have been successful.

Successful applications

Successful full applications will be awarded ‘Certified’

status for a period of five years, subject to the HEI

agreeing the T&Cs that will document the ongoing

requirements for the HEI and the NCSC.

Successful provisional applications will be awarded

‘Provisional Certification’ status. This will be conditional

on the applicant agreeing the T&Cs associated with

provisional applications, which will include a limit on the

length of time a ‘Provisional Certification’ status can be

held without obtaining full certification.

The T&Cs describe the terms of use of the branding

associated with certification such as in

advertising/promotional material and the award

documents given to students who have successfully

completed the degree.

The T&Cs also describe the ongoing requirements that the

HEI must satisfy in order for the certification to remain

valid.

Unsuccessful applications

Applications that are not successful in this call will be

given written feedback and offered a face-to-face

feedback session.

Applications with a borderline fail

If an application is a ‘borderline’ fail, then at the

discretion of the assessment panel the HEI may be

contacted by the NCSC after the panel meeting and given

the opportunity to re-submit a revised version of the

relevant section(s). The HEI will need to confirm that no

changes have occurred that would affect the other

sections of the application. The assessment panel will only

assess the re-submitted section(s) and assume that the

scores for the other sections from the previous

submission still stand. However, it must be stressed that

the HEI will need to liaise with the NCSC and obtain the

NCSC’s approval if it wishes to only submit a revised

version of the unsuccessful section(s).

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APPENDIX A: REQUIRED STRUCTURE OF APPLICATION

APPENDIX A: REQUIRED STRUCTURE OF APPLICATION

This appendix provides details of the information that applicants should provide with their application for full or provisional certification along with the criteria that will be applied.

Applicants should refer to section 2.3.22 that describes the requirements for an application for full certification to be in scope, and to section 2.3.33 that describes the requirements for an application for provisional certification to be in scope.

Please note that an HEI should submit one application per Integrated Master’s degree against this call. An HEI can submit more than one Integrated Master’s degree for certification against this call if the HEI believes that more than one of its Integrated Master’s degrees meet the criteria below.

Documents should be in pdf format, no larger than 15MB, with the font size no smaller than 10pt. Unless specifically asked

for, additional pages and other material in addition to that outlined below will not be read and will not therefore form part of

the assessment for certification. All information provided will be treated confidentially and used only for the purposes of

assessing applications.

Applications should be well signposted, using bookmarks, page numbers, hyperlinks, headers and footers. They should

contain a contents page and should follow the headings structure of the call document.

Each application for full certification should comprise the following six sections:

1. ‘Institution’s letter of support for the application’ (up to two sides of A4).

2. ‘Description of the applicant’ (up to seven sides of A4, excluding CVs).

3. ‘Description of the Integrated Master’s degree’ (up to fifteen sides of A4, excluding the module descriptions).

4. ‘Assessment materials’ (up to five sides of A4, excluding copies of examination papers, copies of information provided for coursework and copy of external examiner’s report).

5. ‘Individual projects and dissertations’ (up to five sides of A4, excluding list of dissertation titles and copies of dissertations).

6. ‘Student numbers and grades awarded’ (up to five sides of A4).

Each application for provisional certification should comprise the following five sections:

1. ‘Institution’s letter of support for the application’ (up to two sides of A4).

2. ‘Description of the applicant’ (up to seven sides of A4, excluding CVs).

3. ‘Description of the Integrated Master’s degree’ (up to fifteen sides of A4, excluding the module descriptions).

4. ‘Assessment materials’ (up to five sides of A4, excluding copies of examination papers and copies of information provided for coursework).

5. ‘Individual projects and dissertations’ (up to five sides of A4)

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APPENDIX A: LETTER OF SUPPORT

HEI’s letter of support for the application

(up to two sides of A4)

Signed letter of support for both full and

provisional applications

Please provide a signed letter from the Vice Chancellor (or

equivalent) showing support for the HEI’s application to

have an Integrated Master’s degree considered for

certification by the NCSC.

The letter of support is not scored but applicants may

want to consider using it as an opportunity for the HEI’s

senior management to:

• demonstrate commitment to the Integrated

Master’s programme specifically and cyber

security more generally

• highlight recent HEI investment in the area and

any future planned investment

• describe the importance of the area in the HEI’s

future strategy, etc.

• outline how Covid-19 is impacting the HEI

generally and the Integrated Master’s degree

specifically along with the steps being taken by

the HEI to deal with the issues being raised

For provisional applications

For those Integrated Master’s degrees that have not yet

started, it is important that the HEI confirms the start

date for the Integrated Master’s degree and that the

degree will start by (up to and including) October 2022.

For those Integrated Master’s degrees that meet the

requirements for full certification to be applied for, it is

important that the HEI confirms that it has chosen to

submit an application for provisional certification and also

provides its reasons for making a provisional application.

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APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT

Description of the applicant (for both full

and provisional applications, up to 7 sides

of A4, excluding CVs)

Team

Please provide the names and structure of the

department(s)/group(s)/school(s) responsible for the

Integrated Master’s degree together with the names,

seniority and roles of the members of staff responsible for

delivering the degree content, setting and marking

examinations, supervising dissertations, etc.

Please provide a diagram that clearly shows the roles and

responsibilities of team members.

Where there is a core team delivering the Integrated

Master’s, it may be helpful to clearly separate the core

team from ‘associate’ members of the team. Please

describe briefly how the team functions as a cohesive

unit.

Recent investments

Please describe any recent investments from the HEI,

government, industry etc. in the groups running the

Integrated Master’s degree programme.

External linkages

Please describe any external linkages that add value to

the Integrated Master’s degree, and the impact these

bring to the degree programme: e.g., visiting lecturers

with specialist knowledge from other academic

departments, government or industry; projects

suggested, and monitored, by industry; etc.

Review and update process

Please describe the process used to review and renew the

course content to keep it up to date, for example: how

often is the course content reviewed, by whom, and what

external advice is taken (e.g., industrial advisory boards).

Facilities

Please describe the facilities available to Integrated

Master’s students in general and those dedicated to

students undertaking the Integrated Master’s degree

specifically, for example: computer laboratories,

dedicated equipment, library (access to textbooks), on-

line journal subscription (for research dissertations), etc.

CVs and personal statements

For each member of staff named above please provide a

tailored CV (up to 2 sides of A4 in length). This should

contain:

• a personal statement of experience and

expertise in computer science and/or a personal

statement of experience and expertise in cyber

security using the CyBOK Knowledge Areas (KAs)

as a framework

• details of academic background

• details of computer science and/or cyber-

security related employment

• contribution to computer science and/or cyber

security at the HEI

• computer science and/or cyber-security related

and other esteem indicators – e.g., editorships,

invited talks, membership of national and

international advisory groups

• computer science and/or cyber-security

knowledge and expertise indicators, such as

recent publications, work with

industry/government, research activities

• any other information that might be relevant in

demonstrating computer science and/or cyber

security expertise

CVs should go in an appendix to section 2.

Criteria to be applied

i. There must be a coherent team responsible for

delivering the Integrated Master’s, with clear

roles and responsibilities.

ii. The team members delivering the modules,

setting the examinations and marking papers

must have the appropriate technical knowledge

and skills.

iii. The team must be well supported by the HEI. It

would be desirable to see that the Integrated

Master’s degree programme has valuable

external linkages.

iv. There should be a well-defined process for

keeping the Integrated Master’s degree up to

date that takes account of appropriate internal

and external advice.

v. Students undertaking the Integrated Master’s

should have access to well-equipped modern

computer laboratories with easy access to

information on the latest developments in

computer science and cyber security.

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APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTION OF INTEGRATED MASTER’S DEGREE

Description of the Integrated Master’s

degree (for both full and provisional

applications, up to 15 sides of A4, excluding

module descriptions)

Description of the degree

a. Please provide a high-level description of the

Integrated Master’s degree. This should include:

• the name of the degree and the specific

degree awarded (e.g., MComp, MEng,

MSc etc.)

• the start date of the degree

• the number of academic years the

degree has been running and whether it

is being run in academic year 2020-21

b. Please confirm that the degree satisfies the QAA

qualification framework for Integrated Masters.

In particular:

• minimum of 480 credits across levels 4

to 7

• minimum of 120 credits at level 7

• 1 credit equating to a nominal 10 hours

of work by a student

c. Please provide a description of how the

Integrated Master’s degree is delivered, for

example:

• the UK campuses at which delivery takes

place18

• the use of online learning materials

particularly in relation to issues arising

from Covid-19

• if applicable, whether the degree is

offered on a part-time basis and a

description of how the degree is

structured to accommodate part-time

students

d. Please provide a description of the overall aims

of the degree.

18 Certification is only available for delivery at UK campuses.

e. Please describe how the Integrated Master’s is of

value to students, employers and the academic

community.

Number of taught credits that can be mapped to

computer science Subject Areas

a. Please provide Tables 3.1a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h that

show for each taught compulsory and optional

module the number of credits allocated to the

computer science Subject Areas19.

b. Please provide Table 3.2 that summarises the

number of taught credits allocated to computer

science to meet the requirements for ComSci 1

and ComSci 2 (section 2.3.1). Please use the final

column in Table 3.2 to record where, for

example, the choice of optional modules has a

bearing on meeting the requirements for the

number of credits.

Detailed coverage of the computer science

Subject Areas

a. Following the example row provided, please

complete Table 3.3 showing topic coverage in

the Integrated Master’s is achieved (requirement

ComSci 3) by both the taught modules and the

associated assessments. The assessments should

show good broad coverage of the Indicative

Topics, but it is to be expected that some of

those taught may not be assessed.

b. To help the Assessment Panel assess coverage of

Subject Areas, please indicate whether a module

significantly or partially covers the topics within a

given Subject Area (e.g. based upon the

Indicative Topics listed, or others that you

consider relevant to the Subject Area and which

are apparent from your supplied module

descriptions).

Computer science module descriptions

In an appendix to this section, please include a module

description for each module that addresses a computer

science Subject Area in Table 3.3.

At the beginning of each module description, please

provide a table that lists the Subject Areas that the

19 Please do not include projects or dissertations in these tables.

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module covers along with brief justifications for why this

is the case.

The module descriptions should provide good evidence of

the Subject Areas and Indicative Topics coverage claimed

in Table 3.3.

Professional Knowledge and Skills

Please describe how the areas in Professional Knowledge

and Skills (Appendix B, section 3) are addressed in the

Integrated Master’s degree. By way of example, describe

how team-working, communication skills, professional

ethics, etc. are covered within the degree programme as a

whole. It is not a requirement to have a separate

dedicated module covering Professional Knowledge and

Skills.

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Name of compulsory module20 21 Member(s) of staff

delivering module

Number of credits Subject Area(s) covered Number of Credits addressing Subject Area(s)22

Module 1

…

Module f

Total number of compulsory

credits

Table 3.1a: Level 4 compulsory taught modules.

20 Please only include taught modules in this table and do not include projects or dissertations. 21 To help assessors please use short meaningful names (e.g., NetSec) rather than course codes (e.g. YY6203A) for module names. 22 If there are not any, please state ‘None’

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Name of compulsory module Member(s) of staff

delivering module

Number of credits Subject Area(s) covered Number of Credits addressing Subject Area(s)

Module 1

…

Module f

Total number of optional credits

to be taken at level 4

Table 3.1b: Level 4 optonal taught modules

Please provide equivalent tables for:

• Level 5: Tables 3.1c, d

• Level 6: Tables 3.1e, f

• Level 7: Tables 3.1g, h

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Requirements (section 2.3.1) Number of credits in Integrated Master’s If applicable, additional information including

comments on choice of optional modules required

ComSci 1:

• across levels 4 to 7 there must be a minimum of 330

taught computer science credits

ComSci 2:

• across levels 4 to 7 there must be a minimum of 300

taught computer science credits that can be mapped to

the computer science Subject Areas

Table 3.2: Table showing the number of credits in the Integrated Master’s in relation to the first two of the certification requiremnts.

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Computer Science Subject Area and

level at which it should be covered

Level at

which it is

covered

Indicative Topics Module(s) providing

significant coverage

Module(s) providing partial

coverage

Assessment

By way of example only

1. Algorithms and Complexity (4/5) 4

basic analysis CS123 CS123 Exam

algorithmic strategies CS123 CS123 Exam

fundamental data structures + algorithms CS123 CS123 Exam

basic automata, computability and

complexity

CS123 CS124 CS123 Exam

2. Architecture and Organisation (4/5)

3. Discrete Structures (4/5)

4. Programming Languages (4-6)

5. Software Development Fundamentals

(4/5)

6. Software Engineering (5/6)

7. Systems Fundamentals (4/5)

8. Human-Computer Interaction (4/5)

9. Information Management (4/5)

10. Security Fundamentals (4/5)

11. Operating Systems (4-6)

Table 3.4:Module coverage of the computer science Subject Areas – requirement ComSci 3

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Computer Science Subject Area and

level at which it should be covered

Level at

which it is

covered

Indicative Topics Module(s) providing

significant coverage

Module(s) providing partial

coverage

Assessment

12. Networks (4-6)

13. Secure Programming (5/6)

14. Low level Techniques and Tools (5/6)

15. Systems Programming (5/6)

16. Embedded Systems (5/6)

Table 3.4 (continued):Module coverage of the computer science Subject Areas – requirement ComSci 3

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Criteria to be applied.

3.6.1 Description of the degree

i. The degree must satisfy the QAA qualification

framework for Integrated Master’s. In particular:

• minimum of 480 credits across levels 4 to 7

• minimum of 120 credits at level 7

• 1 credit equating to a nominal 10 hours of

work by a student

ii. The ways in which the Master’s is delivered

should be clear and appropriate. It should be

clear which UK campuses deliver the Master’s

and how on-line teaching is being used to deal

with the issues around Covid-19.

iii. If offered as a part-time Integrated Master’s,

part-time students should cover the same

breadth and depth of content as full-time

students

iv. For full Certification:

• the degree must have had a cohort of

students successfully complete the

degree in academic year 2019-2020 and

it must be currently active in academic

year 2020-2021.

For provisional Certification:

• new/revised Integrated Master’s

degrees that have not yet started must

start by (up to and including) October

2022.

v. The overall aims of the degree must be clearly

articulated, coherent and appropriate for an

Integrated Master’s in Computer Science for

Cyber Security.

vi. The Integrated Master’s must be of value to

students, employers, and the academic

community.

3.6.2 Number of taught credits that can be mapped

computer science Subject Areas

vii. The completed Tables 3.1a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h and

Table 3.2 must show that the requirements of

ComSci 1 and ComSci 2 are met.

3.6.3 Detailed coverage of the computer science

Subject Areas

viii. Table 3.3 must show that requirement ComSci 3

is met.

ix. Table 3.3 must show that where coverage of a

Subject Area is claimed there should be (an)

associated assessment(s), and this is consistent

with the information on assessments shown in

section 4 of this appendix.

3.6.4 Computer science module descriptions

x. The module descriptions should provide good

evidence of the Subject Areas and Indicative

Topics coverage claimed in Table 3.3.

3.6.5 Professional Knowledge and Skills

xi. The Integrated Master’s degree should address

the requirements for Professional Knowledge

and Skills.

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APPENDIX A: ASSESSMENT MATERIALS

Assessment materials (up to five sides of

A4, excluding copies of examination papers

etc.)

Approach to assessment for both full and

provisional applications

4.1.1 Approach to assessment

Please describe the overall approach to assessment of the

taught modules on the Integrated Master’s degree. This

should include:

• assessment methodology

• marking scheme

• the pass mark for individual modules and the

taught part of the degree overall

4.1.2 Marking

Please describe how the overall mark for the degree as a

whole is worked out from the taught component and the

individual project and dissertation. Please describe the

mark required to achieve first, 2.i, 2.ii, 3rd (or equivalent)

of the overall degree.

Examination papers

4.2.1 Provisional application

For each of the modules identified in section 3 that

addresses a computer science Subject Area, please

describe the process (to be) used for assessment (e.g.,

examination, coursework, practical exercises, etc.). Please

provide a copy of examination paper(s) that students

have sat or specimen paper(s) of the examinations they

will sit. For assessed coursework, please provide copies of

all assignments (to be) provided to students. For each

assessed coursework please also provide a specific,

tailored, marking scheme, or a narrative explaining what

the marker would expect a student to provide in a good

response. This information should be placed in an

appendix to section 4.

4.2.2 Full application

For academic year 2019-2020, for each of the modules

identified in section 3 that addresses a computer science

Subject Area, please describe the process used for

assessment (e.g., examination, coursework, practical

23 Where the external examiner’s report for 2019-20 is not available by the submission deadline, please provide the most recent report and the

exercises, etc.). Please provide a copy of the examination

paper(s) that students sat. For assessed coursework,

please provide copies of all assignments provided to

students. For each assessed coursework please also

provide a specific, tailored, marking scheme, or a

narrative explaining what the marker would expect a

student to provide in a good response. This information

should be placed in an appendix to section 4.

External examiner’s report – full application only

For academic year 2019-2020, please provide a copy of

the external examiner’s report23. Please describe the

process for engagement with the external examiner.

Please describe the technical background and experience

of the external examiner.

For academic year 2019-2020, please provide a copy of

the HEI’s response to the external examiner’s report and

any follow-up actions that have been undertaken in

response to the report.


4.4.1 For both full and provisional applications

i. The overall approach to the assessment of the

taught component to the Integrated Master’s

must be clear and coherent. The marking scheme

must make it clear what students have to

demonstrate in their work in order to be

awarded the relevant marks/grades.

ii. The examination and assessment process must

rigorously test students’ understanding and

critical analysis of the computer science Subject

Areas shown in Appendix B.

4.4.2 For full certification only

iii. The external examiner should have the

appropriate technical background and their

report must provide a positive picture of the

Integrated Master’s degree under assessment.

iv. The progress to any follow-on actions suggested

by the external examiner should be made clear.

HEI’s response. Please state when the 2019-20 report and response will be available and submit them as soon as they are available.

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APPENDIX A: INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND DISSERTATIONS

Individual projects and dissertations (up to

five sides of A4, excluding list of

dissertation titles and copies of

dissertations)

Applications for both full and provisional

certification

5.1.1 Level and credit value

Please confirm the level and credit value of the individual

project and dissertation. If the credit value is less than 20

credits, please describe how students are able to gain

sufficient understanding and experience of undertaking

individual project work. If the credit value is more than 50

credits, please clarify the value of having such a large

individual project and dissertation.

5.1.2 Guidance to students

Please describe the guidance the HEI provides, or will

provide, to Integrated Master’s students before they

embark on their projects, for example: research methods,

undertaking literature reviews, etc.

5.1.3 Allocation of dissertation topics

Please describe the process for allocation of dissertation

topics to students, for example:

• is it up to students to come up with topic ideas?

• do members of staff identify possible topics?

• does the HEI have links with industry partners

who suggest topics?

5.1.4 Scope of dissertation topics

Please describe the process for ensuring:

• that students are supervised by appropriately

knowledgeable personnel

• that dissertation topics are within the scope of

Subject Areas 10 to 16 and relevant to cyber

security

5.1.5 Monitoring of students’ progress

Please describe the process for monitoring the progress of

students on their dissertations.

24 Where these classifications of dissertations are not used please refer to the grades that are used by the HEI.

5.1.6 Assessment of dissertations

Please describe the process for assessing dissertations.

Please provide a specific, tailored marking scheme for the

dissertations, clearly showing how grades are determined

for a first, 2:i, 2:ii etc24.. Please indicate whether this or

other similar guidance is provided to students.

Dissertations – for full certification only

5.2.1 List of dissertation topics

For each of academic years 2019-2020 and 2018-2019 (if

any), please provide a list of Integrated Master’s

dissertations undertaken by students. This should include

the dissertation title, a short (one paragraph) abstract, its

relevance to cyber security, and – if appropriate –

whether there was any external involvement in the

dissertation (e.g., from industry).

Where there were more than 20 students undertaking

dissertations in an academic year, please provide

information for a representative sample of 20

dissertations only.

5.2.2 Example dissertations

For academic year 2019-2020, please provide one

anonymised and representative copy of a dissertation for

each of25:

a. a dissertation that achieved a first

b. a dissertation that achieved a 2:i

c. a dissertation that achieved a 2:ii

d. a dissertation that achieved a third

If none in 2019-2020, try 2018-2019; if none, please

contact the NCSC ahead of the deadline for applications.

Dissertations should be placed in an appendix at the end

of the application and must be included in the email

submission.

5.2.3 Marks for example dissertations

For each of the dissertations in the previous section,

please provide:

a. the overall mark awarded

25 Where these classifications of dissertations are not used please refer to the grades that are used by the HEI.

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APPENDIX A: INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND DISSERTATIONS

b. the components of the overall mark, for example

marks awarded to:

• viva (including any demonstration)

• dissertation plan

• dissertation

c. key comments from the internal examiners

d. any additional information that you feel would

help the assessment panel as part of its job to

determine whether the grade awarded to each

dissertation is appropriate.


5.3.1 Applications for both full and provisional

certification

i. The individual project and dissertation should be

undertaken at level 6 or 7. If the number of

credits is less than 20, it should be clear that

students are still able to gain sufficient

understanding and experience of undertaking

individual project work. If the number of credits

is more than 50, then the value of having such a

large individual project should be clear.

ii. Students should be given appropriate guidance

and support before starting their research work.

iii. There needs to be a well-defined process for the

allocation of dissertation topics to students.

iv. There needs to be a well-defined process for

ensuring that dissertation topics are within the

scope of Subject Areas 10 to 16 and relevant to

cyber security.

v. There needs to be a well-defined process for

ensuring that students are supervised by

appropriately knowledgeable personnel.

vi. There needs to be a well-defined process for

monitoring the progress of students.

vii. There needs to be a well-defined and rigorous

process for the assessment of dissertations.

5.3.2 Applications for full certification only

viii. The list of dissertation topics must show that

dissertations topics are within the scope of

Subject Areas 10 to 16 and relevant to cyber

security.

ix. The grades awarded to the representative

dissertations should be appropriate and show no

evidence of regular over-grading.

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APPENDIX A: STUDENT NUMBERS AND GRADES ACHIEVED

Student numbers and grades awarded – applications for full certification only (up to five sides of A4)

Student entry data

Where the data are available, for each of academic years 2019-2020 and 2018-2019, please provide the information requested in Table 6.1. Please provide a separate table for each

academic year.

Entry

Requirements

Number of full-time

students in final year

Number of part-time

students in final year

Number of final year

students who gained

equivalent of 120 tariff

points or above at A Level

in 3 STEM subjects

Number of final year students who

gained equivalent of 2.i or above

at end of year prior to entry to

Integrated Master’s degree

Students with UK

nationality

Students with EU

nationality

Students without UK

or EU nationality

Table 6.1: Student entry data.

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Student exit data

For academic years 2019-2020 and 2018-2019, please provide the information requested in Table 6.2.

Academic year Number of students

scheduled to

complete Integrated

Master’s

Number

achieving first

overall

Number

achieving 2:i

overall

Number

achieving 2:ii

overall

Number

achieving third

Number

failing

Integrated

Master’s

Number

deferring for

additional

year(s)

Number with

other

outcomes (if

applicable)

2018 - 2019

2019 - 2020

Table 6.2: Student exit data

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Student satisfaction

Please provide the results of the National Student Survey

and any actions that have been taken by the HEI as a

result.


i. It would be expected that the majority of UK

students should have the equivalent of a tariff

points score of 120 points or above at A Level in

3 STEM subjects.

ii. It would be expected that the majority of EU

(excluding UK) and non-EU students have the

equivalent of a tariff points score of 120 points

or above at A Level in 3 STEM subjects.

iii. It would be expected that the majority of students

formally entering the Integrated Master’s degree

would have achieved a minimum of the equivalent

of a 2:i at level 5 or level 6.

iv. It would be expected that the distribution of

first, 2:i, 2:ii etc. achieved at Integrated Master’s

level should to some extent reflect the entry

qualifications of the student intake at A Level and

the grades achieved at level 5 or level 6. In this

regard, the external examiner’s report will be

referred to in case they have raised any concerns.

v. It would be expected that the percentage of

students failing or accepting a lesser qualification

should be low. In this regard, the external

examiner’s report will be referred to in case they

have raised any concerns.

vi. The HEI should encourage its students to

participate in the National Student Survey. The

results of the survey should paint a largely

positive picture of students’ learning experience

on the Integrated Master’s and the HEI should be

able to demonstrate progress on any key issues

raised.

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APPENDIX B

APPENDIX B: TOPICS TO BE COVERED IN INTEGRATED MASTER’S DEGREES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR

CYBER SECURITY

Introduction The tables in section 2 of this Appendix show the Subject Areas to be covered in Master’s degrees in Computer Science for

Cyber Security. The tables draw on the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curricula26 and the Academic Requirements for

Designation as a Centre of Excellence in Cyber Operations27.

The tables in section 2 show the computer science Subject Areas (numbered 1 to 16) and associated Indicative Topics that

would be expected to be covered in eligible Integrated Master’s degrees.

The Indicative Topic Coverage highlights examples of the specific topics that one would expect to see represented within the

syllabi of Integrated Master’s modules in order for broad coverage of the related computer science Subject Area to be

achieved. Given that they are indicative topics, programmes would not be required to cover all of them explicitly (and indeed

other topics may additionally be relevant), but in order to demonstrate that a Subject Area is satisfactorily addressed, it

needs to be clear that a good breadth and depth of the indicative (or other relevant) topics is covered. In addition, several of

the tables also include references to the CyBOK28 Knowledge Areas where additional information may be found on some of

the Indicative Topics.

Throughout this document, the terms ‘level’ and ‘credit’ are taken from the Higher Education Credit Framework for

England29. If an HEI uses a different framework, it should describe what it uses and map its framework to the QAA

framework. Typically for a 4-year Integrated Master’s: year 1 would be at level 4; year 2 at level 5; year 3 at level 6; and year

4 at level 7.

In the tables in section 2, levels should be interpreted as follows:

• indicative level m/n – it would be expected that some coverage of the topics would take place at level m or level n

• indicative level m to n – it would be expected that some (more introductory) topics are covered at a lower level, m,

as well as coverage of more advanced topics at a higher level, n

Section 3 of this appendix provides examples of the Professional Knowledge and Skills that would be expected to be covered

in Integrated Master’s degrees.

26 ACM computer science curricula 2013: http://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations 27 National Centres of Excellence in Cyber Operations: https://www.nsa.gov/resources/students-educators/centers-academic-excellence/ 28 https://www.cybok.org 29 https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/academic-credit-framework.pdf?sfvrsn=940bf781_12

http://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations

https://www.nsa.gov/resources/students-educators/centers-academic-excellence/

https://www.cybok.org/


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APPENDIX B

Computer Science Subject Areas

Computer Science Subject Area Indicative

Level

Description Indicative Topic Coverage

1. Algorithms and Complexity 4/5 • defines the central concepts and skills required to

design, implement and analyse algorithms for

solving problems

• basic analysis

• algorithmic strategies

• fundamental data structures and algorithms

• basic automata, computability and complexity

2. Architecture and Organisation 4/5 • develops an understanding of the hardware

environment upon which all computing is based

and the interface it provides to higher software

layers

• digital logic and digital systems

• machine level representation of data

• assembly level machine organisation

• memory system organisation and architecture

• interfacing and communication

3. Discrete Structures 4/5 • provide a foundation for many areas of computing • sets, relations and functions

• basic logic

• proof techniques

• basics of counting

• graphs and trees

• discrete probability

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APPENDIX B


Level


4. Programming Languages 4-6 • are the medium through which programmers

precisely describe concepts, formulate algorithms,

and reason about solutions

• object-oriented programming

• functional programming

• event-driven and reactive programming

• type systems

• program representation

• language translation and execution

• syntax analysis

• compiler semantic analysis

• code generation

5. Software Development Fundamentals 4/5 • provides a foundation for other software-oriented

knowledge areas – programming languages,

algorithms and complexity, and software

engineering

• algorithms and design

• fundamental programming concepts

• fundamental data structures

• secure software development

• development methods

6. Software Engineering 5/6 • the application of theory, knowledge and practice

to effectively build reliable software systems that

meet the requirements of customers and users

• software processes

• software project management

• tools and environments

• requirements engineering

• software design

• software construction

• software verification and validation

• software evolution

• software reliability

• secure software development

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APPENDIX B


Level


7. System Fundamentals 4/5 • the underlying hardware and software

infrastructure upon which applications are

constructed is collectively described as ‘computer

systems’

• computational paradigms

• cross-layer communications

• state and state machines

• parallelism

• evaluation

• resource allocation and scheduling

• proximity

• virtualisation and isolation

• reliability through redundancy

8. Human-computer interaction 4/5 • concerned with designing interactions between

human activities and the computational systems

that support them

• foundations

• designing interaction

• programming interactive systems

• user-centred design and testing

• human factors and security

9. Information Management 4/5 • concerned with concepts ranging from the

capture and representation of information

through to effective access and data modelling

• information management concepts

• database systems

• data modelling

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APPENDIX B

Computer Science

Subject Area

Indicative

Level

Description Indicative Topic Coverage Relevant CyBOK Knowledge Areas

10. Security fundamentals 4/5 • provides the building blocks for

understanding the threats to

systems and the principles

underlying their security

• foundational concepts

• principles of secure design

• threats and attacks

• cryptography

• security architecture

• Introduction

• Risk Management and Governance

• Adversarial Behaviours

• Cryptography

• Law and Regulation

11. Operating Systems 4-6 • an OS defines an abstraction of

hardware and manages resource

sharing among a computer’s users

• OS principles

• concurrency and synchronisation

• processes and threads, process/thread management, synchronisation, inter-process communication

• scheduling and dispatch

• memory management

• security and protection

• file systems

• I/O system

• kernel security and reliability

• network file system

• network layer and transport layer protocols

• Windows kernel

• Linux kernel

• Operating Systems and Virtualisation

12. Networks 4-6 • the Internet and computer

networks are now ubiquitous and

fundamental to computer systems

• routing, network and application protocols

• network architectures

• network devices

• network security

• wireless network security

• network traffic analysis

• protocol analysis

• network mapping techniques

• Network Security

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APPENDIX B

Computer Science

Subject Area

Indicative

Level


13. Secure programming 5/6 • covers the potential vulnerabilities

that can arise in software

construction and the approaches

that can be used to develop

software that is more robust and

resilient to attack

• defensive programming

• memory corruption

• injection techniques

• privilege escalation

• user and kernel space vulnerabilities

• web applications

• static analysis

• application/system logic flaws

• compiler defences

• managed vs un-managed code

• Software Security

• Secure Software Lifecycle

• Operating Systems and Virtualisation

14. Low level techniques

and tools

5/6

• understanding the low-level

aspects of processors and code is

important for analysing security

vulnerabilities and malware

• assembly language programming

• machine-level instruction set and organisation

• compilers

• reverse engineering techniques

• reverse engineering for malware analysis

• reverse engineering communications

• de-obfuscation of obfuscated code

• common tools for reverse engineering

• anti-debugging mechanisms

• fuzzing

• Malware and Attack Technologies

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APPENDIX B

Computer Science

Subject Area

Indicative

Level


15. Systems programming 5/6 • covers development of the

underlying software upon which

computer systems are constructed

• advanced C programming

• kernel internals

• device drivers

• multi-threading

• file I/O

• process management

• file and directory management

• memory management

• signals

16. Embedded systems 5/6 • embedded systems are now found

in a great variety of application

domains

• hardware, design and fabrication

• software architectures

• programming and systems development

• security and reliability

• applications of embedded devices and systems

• hardware-debugging (JTAG, UART, etc)

• side-channel attacks and differential power analysis

• Hardware Security

• Cyber-Physical Systems

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APPENDIX B

Professional Knowledge and Skills The table below provides examples of the professional knowledge and skills that would be expected to be covered in

Integrated Master’s degrees.

Professional Knowledge and Skills

Written and oral communication

Working in teams

Ethics for the cyber security professional

Understanding intellectual property