Master's Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology: Cyber Security

General Requirement

You are an eligible applicant for Master’s degree studies if

• you have a nationally recognized first cycle degree – normally a Bachelor’s degree – from an accredited institution of higher education,
• your degree corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (European credits) or to three years of full-time study,
• your degree is in a relevant field for the Master’s degree programme that you’re applying to. Please check the section on track-specific admission requirements for detailed degree requirements.

Language Requirements

Applicants must have excellent English language skills and a certificate that proves those skills. You can indicate your language skills by taking one of the internationally recognized English language tests. 

Applicants must reach the minimum required test results to be considered eligible to the University of Turku. No exceptions will be made. Read more about the language requirements here.

Study right

It is not possible to have more than one Bachelor’s or Master’s study right at the same Faculty. Therefore, when accepting an offered study place, the student will lose any previous BSc. or MSc. study right at the Faculty of Technology at the University of Turku.

Before you start preparing your application, always read the full admission requirements on the application portal Studyinfo.fi

The applicant’s previous degree on the basis of which s/he is seeking admission to the Master’s Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology must be in a relevant field of study. Relevant fields of previous studies for the Cyber Security specialisation track are:

• Communication and Network Systems
• Software Engineering
• Computer Science
• Computer Technology
• Information Technology
• Other relevant fields of studies where sufficient knowledge of computer network technology, programming, and mathematics is achieved.

In addition to the education diploma and language certificate, you should include testimonials of any relevant work experience in your application. Here you can see the programme-specific questions on the application form.

You may apply to one specialisation track offered in the Master’s Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology.

Annually 55 students are admitted to the Master's Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology. The decision of admission will be based on:

• the relevance of the applicant’s awarded degree(s)
• the amount, relevance, and grades of the courses in the degree(s)
• the language test result (see Language requirements)
• the motivation letter
• the possible answers to the optional questions included in the application
• the possible relevant work experience
• the possible interview.

Please tell in the motivation letter why you are applying to the Master's Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology at the University of Turku, and especially why you are applying to the chosen track.

It is possible to have only one Bachelor’s or Master’s study right at the Faculty of Technology. Therefore, when accepting an offered study place, the student will lose any previous BSc. or MSc. study right at the same faculty.

A. Advanced-level studies in the major subject 50 ECTS
B. Thematic module or minor subject 20-25 ECTS
C. Elective studies 15-20 ECTS
D. Master of Science in Technology thesis 30 ECTS

The Cyber Security specialisation track focuses on security technologies for networked systems and applications of the communication-intensive future based on research. The technological topics covered include system and network security, security of communication systems and applications, and security in system design. The education is based on current cyber security research and includes also hands-on modules on state-of-the art vendor systems from our industrial partners. Students obtain profound and substantial education and expertise in the field of secure networked systems. Cyber security is approached in a multi-disciplinary fashion with compulsory studies also on cryptographics and management aspects of cyber security.

In the Master's thesis, the student must prove his/her ability to do scientific work, master research methods, knowledge of the research field, and skills in scientific writing.  In writing the Master’s thesis, the student needs to apply their technological skills, abilities, and expertise into identifying an engineering problem, studying its relevance to the field, proposing and designing a solution to the problem, testing and analysing the solution, and evaluating its usefulness. The thesis is often commissioned by a company, which means that an efficient and capable student could be directly employed by the commissioning company, which could lead to a successful career in the industry. On the other hand, a scholarly-oriented student might choose a thesis topic relating to the research conducted by a research group at the University and apply for the position of the doctoral candidate upon completion of an academically distinguished Master’s thesis.

Topics of recently completed Master’s theses include:

• Mitigating Modern Organization-Wide Network Threats and Data Leakages

• Evaluation of Machine Learning Classifiers for Mobile Network Intrusion Detection Systems

• Software Based Malware Analysis and Mitigation in Virtual Machines

• Frequent Attack Dictionary Decision Tree Method for Advanced Signature-Based Intrusion Detection

• Security requirements in tradable IoT ecosystems

• An Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Framework for Online Investigations

• Applying Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model to Improve Information Security Policy Compliance among Employees

• Experimental Penetration Testing Teaching and Learning for High School Students Using Cloud Computing

• Access Control Process for a SaaS Provider

• A SystemC Simulator for Secure Data Transfer in Healthcare Internet of Things

The employment percentage of those holding an M.Sc.(Tech.) degree is high in Finland. The Master's degree from the Cyber Security specialisation track covers different topical areas of information security and the benefits from co-operation with companies in the region especially in terms of the optional Capstone projects and internships. Based on the choices made in the personal study plan and the resulting expertise profile of each student, successful career paths in the IT sector as information security experts and leaders are achievable in the Turku area as well as other regions in Finland and globally.

The expertise profile may lead to a career title of e.g.

• network security specialist,
• information security specialist,
• security manager,
• chief information officer, or
• cryptography engineer.

The information-intensive industry has become one of the most important business sectors in Finland, and in the information society, information has become one of the most relevant products. In Europe, ICT has a critical role in improving the profitability of the business sector and in responding to the needs of the society.

Securing the business sector and its products is vital in the modern era. In addition to pursuing careers in the IT industry as cyber security specialists and experts, graduates of the Programme are also eligible to apply for PhD studies.
 

Master's Degree (Technology) provides eligibility for scientific postgraduate degree studies. Postgraduate degrees are doctoral and licentiate degrees. Degrees can be completed within the University of Turku Graduate School.