Cybersecurity Postgraduate Programme
Cybersecurity has broad coverage in terms of subject matter and application domains. To provide adequate protection it is necessary to know what you are protecting and the impacts (risks) of data breaches and other undesirable outcomes.
Protection in computing systems relies heavily on the use of cypher codes that ensure confidentiality and secrecy of protected information. This is referred to as encryption, which in computer systems employs advanced mathematical techniques to make decryption very difficult (ideally impossible). Encryption tools can be software or hardware derived and when used together with other blocking and securing methods on a computer system, they can provide a suite of tools to minimize the possibility of unauthorized computer access or denial. For these tools to be effective it is necessary for the users, operators and managers to follow robust security policies and procedures. Furthermore, the degree of security measures that need be applied is highly application dependent. Therefore, effective cybersecurity protections requires tools and techniques that cross the technical disciplines of computer networks, operating systems, electronic engineering, and mathematics together with the human related disciplines of management, training, privacy protection, standardization, system assurance policies and procedures. Not all cybersecurity personnel need be expert in all these topics but they benefit from a broad understanding of Information Assurance and a comprehensive understanding of the technological limitations and application of cybersecurity tools.
The most appropriate level to comprehend these topics is at the postgraduate Programme level. The proposed courses will lead to a well-regarded Postgraduate diploma in Cybersecurity. The term cybersecurity is well understood by industry and the wider community. This degree will lead directly to many information security jobs or be a supplement to other computing positions, to include: Chief Information Officer (CIO); Cybersecurity Consultant; Operations and Security Manager; Incident and Threat Manager; Systems Architect; Computer Forensic Analyst, and; Security Risk Assessor.
Consult the USP Handbook for the latest list of degrees.