Cybersecurity at the University of Melbourne
Ranked eighth in the world for graduate employability*, the University of Melbourne is the institution of choice for more than 11,000 engineering and IT students from over 100 countries around the world.
As our connectivity and reliance on networks increases, ensuring the safety and security of our networked infrastructure is a growing concern.
Cyber security professionals focus on creating new technologies to improve existing security and minimise vulnerability in design systems. It’s a multidisciplinary field; those that work in cybersecurity come from a variety of different backgrounds including law, psychology, computer science and business.
If you have an interest in cybersecurity, you can choose to study the Cybersecurity specialisation in the Master of Information Technology or the Master of Software Engineering. This specialisation is identical in both degrees and students will complement their study with core and elective subjects that belong to their degree.
Whilst the above degrees have a strong technical emphasis, if you prefer to learn cybersecurity with a business and analytics focus, you may choose the Master of Information Systems.
Cybersecurity through Master of Information Technology: the technical and planning side
If you want to develop new technologies to improve existing security technologies, you’re best suited to the Master of Information Technology (MIT) program. This involves system design, programming new technologies and cryptology. Students are taught how to design systems and technologies to not have vulnerabilities and how to detect if someone is misbehaving. If you’re interested in this side of cybersecurity you need a strong programming and mathematical understanding, which the MIT provides.
Cybersecurity through Master of Software Engineering: the technical and implementation side
If you want to delve deeper into the process of developing secure systems and be involved in their complete life cycle from conception to deployment, the Master of Software Engineering may be the right course for you. Students have the chance to explore and discover how to create new technologies, to improve security and minimise vulnerabilities in design systems. Topics covered include cryptography, security analytics, software testing and high integrity systems. Graduates will have technical skills and the ability to apply engineering principles to solving real-world problems.
The Master of Software Engineering is accredited by Engineers Australia and EUR-ACE. On completion of this course, students can choose to work in Australia or overseas.
Cybersecurity through Master of Information Systems: the business and governance side
All security issues have a human element. These professionals use higher order analytical skills to develop and manage risk assessments to different cybersecurity threats, governance strategy and culture to ensure the security of a system. These professionals also set out how to respond appropriately and who is accountable if there is a breach.
For example, if there is a breach in a software system:
MIT graduates would be looking into how the system is designed to allow such a breach and how to redesign or develop new technologies to prevent similar breaches in the future.
Master of Information Systems (MIS) graduates would be interested in analysing if the breach was due to vulnerabilities in human nature or business practices. Was there a malicious attack or was the breach caused by a misunderstanding in the requirements of the systems? The MIS student would also be looking into the appropriate response to the breach, who needs to be notified and what are the lines of accountability?
Why study cybersecurity at Melbourne?
We have research breadth and depth in cybersecurity, reflected in our teaching offerings. We make sure students understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity more broadly, as well as going deep into their specific area of cybersecurity so that students are employable in the future and their skills are still relevant in 20 years’ time.
We are one of only two universities in Australia that have been approved by the Federal Government as Academic Centres of Cyber Security Excellence (ACCSE), established with an aim to:
- Help build Australia’s capability in cyber security by encouraging more students to undertake studies in cyber security.
- Increase the number of highly skilled post-graduates with the job ready skills needed to work in Australian business and government to tackle emerging cyber security challenges.
- Provide support for research that addresses key cyber security challenges confronting the nation.
We are informing the future of cybersecurity through strong partnerships with government and industry.
We offer a unique MIS subject on information security consulting that has been co-taught with Deloitte for the last 10 years. This subject has a business focus, teaching you how to write policy on cybersecurity and how to do a risk assessment. We have very strong partnerships with consulting firms.
*QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2023
Related topics
Master of Information Technology Master of Information Systems