Information Security: Cybersecurity Technologies

Place of Study: Russia, Cyprus
Outcome (diploma or credits): Master of Science (ITMO University), Master of Science (University of Nicosia)
Duration: 2 years (120 credits), including 1-2 semesters at the University of Nicosia
Language: English
Application Deadline: 09 August 2021
Admission Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in IT or equivalent with good/excellent grades (at least 4.0 out of 5); upper-intermediate level of English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE A, CAE)*
Tuition Fee: 7,500 euros per year

Please note that obtaining an invitation and a visa will take at least a month. We ask you to apply for the Master’s program before July 15, 2021, in order to take the entrance exams and receive your documents in due time.

Program description

The Information Security Master’s program focuses on training highly qualified professionals in cyber security and comprises seven specializations, two of which are taught in English, including the Cybersecurity Technologies double-degree track. The students have an excellent opportunity to learn from top-ranked professionals ready to share their experience in the field of information security from both ITMO University and University of Nicosia.

Career options

The graduates may hold such positions as information security experts, information security auditors and analysts, heads and deputy directors for information security. The industry’s demand for experts in this field is very high and it is expected to grow in the future.

The graduates are ready to start a wide range of IT careers, such as information security auditors and defense analysts, managerial positions in the IT companies or government sector. During the studies, soft-skills, key professional and research skills are developed, helping the graduates to start their own projects or continue study to earn a doctoral degree.

The program:

covers a set of problems related to ensuring the information security of various objects: computer systems, cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, etc;
advances students’ knowledge in computer science and expands it with knowledge of a wide range of cybersecurity technologies;
prepares professionals to assume cybersecurity leadership roles in IT industry companies, government agencies, and scientific organizations;
aims to develop the learning outcomes related to the real-world tasks and to provide skills for identification of potential vulnerabilities of computer systems and deploy key technologies to defend and countermeasure attacks, and to ensure the security of modern computer systems and cybersecurity systems.

The program’s curriculum comprises such disciplines as Cryptography, Ethical Hacking, Network Security, Cybersecurity Threat Assessment and Vulnerabilities Identification (Web, Networks, Operating Systems), Cloud Computing, and IoT Security, as well as research internships which allow the students to obtain leadership and research skills that help them to become open-minded specialists and highly successful inventors.

Program contents

1st semester (at the University of Nicosia)

Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things	10 ECTS
Cryptography and Network Security	10 ECTS
Distributed Systems	10 ECTS

2nd semester (at the University of Nicosia)

Research Seminars and Methodology	4 ECTS
Cyber Warfare	10 ECTS
Project in Cyber Security	6 ECTS
Cloud Computing	10 ECTS

3rd semester (at ITMO University)

Foreign Language in Professional Activity	4 ECTS
Softs Skills Electives	4 ECTS
Data Processing and Analysis (online)	3 ECTS
Applied Artificial Intelligence (online)	3 ECTS
Ethical Hacking	7 ECTS
Fundamentals of Computer Virology	4 ECTS
Network Security Foundations	3 ECTS
Network Security and Defense Technologies	3 ECTS
Mobile Systems Security	3 ECTS

4th semester (at ITMO University)

Tech Project Internship	15 ECTS
Senior Internship	9 ECTS
Thesis Preparation and Defense	6 ECTS

* The applicants are required to pass the entrance examination successfully. Please be informed that the double-degree option will be available only to the most successful students on a competitive basis.

The list of entrance examination questions

The required English proficiency level:

IELTS (Academic IELTS only): 6.5, and 5.5 for Writing

TOEFL:
IBT (Internet-based Test): 92, and 22 for Writing
PBT (Paper-based Test): 580, and 4.0 for Writing
PDT (Paper-Delivered Test) Reading 22, Listening 22, and Writing 24

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE A): 62, and 54 for Writing

Cambridge English Qualification (CEA):
C1 Advanced (former name Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, CAE): A,B or C
C2 Proficiency (former name Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, CPE): A,B,C or Level C1

Student review

Want to know more? Read the stories of international students at the Information Security program to learn more about the major and their experiences:

Jorge Medina, Colombia

"I have always been interested in computer security, and this program focuses on training professionals in cybersecurity.

Here students acquire competencies in different topics and issues of information security

and other promising fields of science and technology, multi-agent systems, cryptosystems, and intelligent systems."

Jorge Medina, a student of the Information Security program

Shahzad Ahmed, Pakistan

"Digital technologies are growing rapidly, and the safety and security of these technologies is the primary pillar.

I’ve learned a lot of new things in the two years of the program – communication skills, public speaking, negotiation skills,

blog writing, the art of thinking, Russian language, and a lot more."

Shahzad Ahmed, a student of the Information Security program

Mahdi Akhlaqi, Afghanistan

"ITMO provides high-quality education and research,

which has led it to be one of the most popular and high-ranked universities in Russia and the world."

Mahdi Akhlaqi, a student of the Information Security program

How to apply?

To apply, please follow our step-by-step application guide.

Want to enroll at ITMO without entrance examinations or tuition fees? Learn more about our contests and competitions that will give you this amazing opportunity!

Contact

International Admission Office
international@itmo.ru

Dr. Alisa Vorobeva, Faculty of Secure Information Technologies
vorobeva@itmo.ru