Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust MSc

Level: Postgraduate taught

Subject: Computing and Informatics

Year of entry: 2026

Study options

Mode of study

On campus

Full-time
  • MSc | 1 year | Start date: September 2026
Part-time
  • MSc | up to 3 years | Start date: multiple dates

Key facts

School

School of Informatics

College

College of Science and Engineering

Programme website
Study location

Central Area

Accreditation

Not available

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About the degree programme

Our societies are critically dependent on computer software. Electronic systems are everywhere, and governments, financial and transport organisations, and telecommunication companies all possess and manage huge amounts of sensitive information concerning all of our everyday activities.

With the emergence of new systems and services, every aspect of our life relies on, or is recorded by, some computerised system, such as:

  • electronic IDs and passports
  • electronic payment systems and loyalty schemes
  • electronic tickets
  • telecommunication systems

As such, we have been witnessing a significant increase in attacks targeting computing infrastructure.

Cyber security and privacy is the study of the computational principles, methods and mechanisms for safeguarding these sensitive applications. Graduates of the programme will learn how to evaluate, design, and implement secure and trustworthy systems in complex distributed systems.

Many research areas have tackled parts of this problem – students on this degree will experience training from academic experts in a uniquely broad combination of theory and practice:

  • secure software
  • cryptography
  • secure hardware
  • verification
  • post quantum
  • data privacy
  • usability
  • fintech
  • health
  • smart contracts
  • distributed ledgers
  • privacy preserving data mining

The overall programme delivers intellectual and practical experience in all aspects of cyber security, privacy, and trust, such as:

  • dealing with real-world applications
  • applying and extending state-of-the-art defence mechanisms
  • engineering end-to-end secure and trustworthy systems
  • communicating results through oral and written reports

NCSC Certification

The Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust MSc is fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ. In order to attain NCSC certification, you will have to choose 100 credits from specific course combinations.

Reputation

The University of Edinburgh consistently ranks top 30 globally for Computer Science.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked our School 1st in the UK for research power in Computer Science and Informatics. This means you will learn from experts at the forefront of their fields, undertaking cutting-edge research in a wide range of areas.

Environment

You will be part of a large, vibrant department with around 1,750 students across undergraduate, masters and research programmes and 150 academic staff.

You will study in the heart of Edinburgh city centre, regularly voted as one of the most desirable places to live in the world, and one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech hubs.

Learn about the Cyber Security, Privacy & Trust MSc at the School of Informatics in this presentation delivered by Programme Director, Myrto Arapinis.

Study options

This programme can be studied full-time over 1 year or part-time for up to 3 years.

Part-time study

Those studying the two-year part-time option take half of the taught credits in their first year, and the other half in the second year, followed by full-time work on the final project in the summer at the end of the second year.

There is also a three-year part-time option which spreads the final project over a third year.

Both options require flexibility during the semesters: our large course offering means that taught courses have contact times at irregular hours throughout the whole week.

Programme benefits

  • Tailor your experience to your interests and be in control of your learning: choose from a wide range of courses, from the theoretical to those that let you apply what you learn.
  • Benefit from research-driven teaching by internationally leading academics.
  • Gain a globally recognised master's degree from a world-leading university.
  • Join an active student community. Student societies based in our School host industry events, monthly student tech meetups, regular workshops and hackathons.
  • Study in Edinburgh, a city regularly voted among the UK’s top student cities (Top 2 in the UK, QS Best Student Cities 2026).
  • We are the largest Informatics department in Europe. You will be part of a large, vibrant community of students and staff from over 100 countries.  

I thoroughly enjoyed studying Cyber Security at the University of Edinburgh, with a particular focus on cryptography and blockchain courses that challenged and inspired me. The combination of this coursework and my dissertation on a distributed voting protocol directly enabled me to secure a role at a cybersecurity startup shortly after graduating. Those foundations now guide my daily work, informing everything from security design to implementation and delivery.

Ábel Kocsis MSc Cyber Security Privacy and Trust, graduated 2021; Lead Developer at Custodiex
Abel Kocsis Profile Picture

Tuition fees

Tuition fees by award and duration

Tuition fees for full-time and part-time options are listed for one academic year.

Full-time
Part-time

Graduate discount

If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.

Find out how to receive your graduate discount

Deposit

If you receive an offer of admission you will need to pay a deposit to secure your place:

  • £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

How and when to pay the deposit

Costs

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that you might spend £1,167 to £2,330 per month if you are a single student.

Living costs include:

  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel, clothes, books and stationery
  • recreational costs (for example, TV subscriptions and social events)

Living costs

Accommodation costs depend on where you live while studying and the type of accommodation you choose.

University postgraduate accommodation options and costs

Funding opportunities

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money
    • taking out a loan
    • family support
  • personal savings
  • income from work
  • employer sponsorship
  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for other funding opportunities

You can find scholarships, bursaries and other funding you might be eligible for on our Scholarships and Student Funding site.

Postgraduate funding opportunities

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

Qualifications

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in informatics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, electrical engineering, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, psychology, or another quantitative discipline. 
 
Entry to this programme is competitive. A typical offer will normally require a UK first class honours degree.
 
You should have experience of computer programming equivalent to an introductory programming course and have completed the equivalent of 60 SCQF credits or 30 ECTS credits of mathematics during your degree that have typically covered the following subjects/topics: calculus (differentiation and integration), linear algebra (vectors and multi-dimensional matrices), discrete mathematics and mathematical reasoning (e.g. induction and reasoning, graph theoretic models, proofs), and probability (concepts in discrete and continuous probabilities, Markov chains etc.). 

International qualifications

To find international equivalent qualifications, select where you studied from the country or region list.

English language requirements

You must prove that your English language abilities are at a high enough level to study this degree programme.

This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals.

You can meet our English language requirements with one of the following:

  • an English language test
  • a degree that was taught and assessed in English
  • certain professional qualifications

English language tests we accept

We accept any of the following English language tests, at the specified grade or higher:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 8 with at least 7 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 155 with at least 145 in each component.
How old your English language tests can be
Tests no more than two years old

The following English language tests must be no more than two years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality:

  • IELTS Academic
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)
  • Trinity ISE
  • Oxford ELLT
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced
Tests no more than three and a half years old

All other English language tests must be no more than three and a half years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality.   

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration.

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English-speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

How old your degree can be

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts.

This time limit does not apply to your degree if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Find out about other English language qualifications we accept, including professional qualifications.

English language requirements

What you will study

The one-year degree consists of two components:

  1. Approximately seven months of taught courses in two semesters.
  2. Up to four months of project work leading to a dissertation.

During the first taught part of the course (September to May) you will:

  • attend lectures, tutorials and group practicals
  • acquire the theoretical foundation that enables you to engage in independent research
  • gain 120 taught course credit points during the course of the year

This programme has flexible course options, however some courses have prerequisite requirements that you will need to meet if you want to choose them. You can check the course information in the Degree Programme Table to find out if the courses you want to take have prerequisite requirements.

Option courses are not guaranteed to run every year, and a few high-demand courses may limit enrolment to students on the most relevant degree(s).

Find courses for this programme

Find out what courses you can study on this programme and how each of them are taught and assessed.

The courses on offer may change from year to year, but the course information will give you an idea of what to expect on this programme.

Full-time
Part-time

We link to the latest information available. This may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Delivery

This is an in-person programme, and we expect you to be in Edinburgh.

Courses are taught on campus, both full-time and part-time, during teaching hours, which are currently 9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. To succeed, you will need to maintain a consistent level of study each week.

Students are expected to stay in Edinburgh for the duration of their degree programme. This includes during the writing of the dissertation until the submission deadline (usually mid-August).

Class sizes 

The number of people in each class varies depending on the courses you choose as part of your MSc. Some of our more specialised courses could have around 30 students in the lectures, while some of the more in-demand courses (e.g. Machine Learning) could have 200+ students in lectures.

As well as attending lectures, it is common to have smaller group tutorials or labs connected with courses where you would be in smaller groups of around 10-20 students.

Assessment

Project

Between May and August, you will complete the degree by making a practical application of your knowledge by undertaking a major individual research project on which you will write a dissertation. The project is normally supervised by a member of academic staff as one of their research interests, with assistance from their research team.

Learning outcomes

  • Understand security-related risk in a broad context and the means to mitigate such risk.
  • Understand the process of building a secure application in all its levels and stages and be able to demonstrate this understanding in supervised system building efforts.
  • Have advanced knowledge of the state of the art in research in cyber security, privacy and trust, and its applications.
  • Understand research methodologies relating to cyber security, privacy, and trust, at a level that permits the student to engage in future doctoral research.
  • Know the main research methodologies used in cyber security, privacy, and trust.

Support for your studies

Student Adviser

All students have a named Student Adviser who you can visit in Appleton Tower. Student Advisers provide general support and guidance to students who are encountering difficulties with any aspect of University life.

Where appropriate they will liaise with other University Support Services, so they are able to provide the best possible support and advice for you. They can also help with a wide range of administrative and practical issues to do with your degree programme.

My Student Adviser

Academic support

Your Academic Cohort Lead works closely with your teaching team and Student Advisers to provide you with study support and guidance.

My Cohort Lead

Where you will study

Study location

You will be based in the School of Informatics’ main teaching building, Appleton Tower. The building provides purpose-built facilities and dedicated learning and teaching spaces, all located in the University's Central Area.

In the project phase you will also have access to Appleton Tower's floor 9 (accessed only by master's students at this time) which has computing labs, private study spaces and beautiful panoramic views across Edinburgh.

The Informatics Student Experience Team is based in Appleton Tower.

If you take courses from other Schools, these might be delivered in the Nucleus building, on the University's Kings Buildings Campus.

Academic facilities

In Appleton Tower, IT facilities include computer labs with more than 250 high-spec machines and comprehensive support provided by dedicated computing staff.

You will have access to the University's facilities across all University sites.

For example:

  • libraries
  • study spaces (some of which are open 24 hours)
  • computing facilities
  • social spaces
  • leisure facilities

Career opportunities

This degree will put you at the cutting edge of the field of cyber security, privacy, and trust, opening a host of opportunities in the commercial sector, public and academic sectors.

Graduates will have the necessary background to keep up with developments in cyber security, both in research and engineering.

A National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) fully certified degree is a highly valued qualification. It gives employers reassurance in the recruitment of skilled staff, particularly in government and the private sector.

Typical areas to pursue a career include:

  • Security Analyst
  • Security Architect
  • Security Engineer
  • Security Administrator
  • Cyber Risk Analyst
  • Cryptographer
  • Cryptanalyst
  • Security Consultant
  • Security Auditor
  • Secure Software Developer
  • Penetration Tester
  • Ethical Hacker
  • Security Researcher (in academia or industry)
  • security officers of various kinds in government and public sector positions

There are well established career development paths and certification schemes including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) run by ISC2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium).

There is a new UK government-sponsored initiative delivering a new Cyber Security Body of Knowledge which is intended to describe curricula frameworks for the future, to inform and underpin education and professional training for the cyber security sector.

Career Outcomes

Job titles of our recent graduates include:

  • Cyber Risk Control Team Lead
  • Cyber Security Architect  
  • Tech and Innovation Manager
  • Cyber Security Consultant
  • Lead Developer

Recruiting companies for recent graduates include:  

  • Modux
  • Tu Pack  
  • Howden
  • Custodiex
  • ReliaQuest
  • Saudi Central Bank  
  • Technology Innovation Institute
  • General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

University destinations for further study (typically PhD) include Aarhus University, the University of Amsterdam and the University of Edinburgh. 

Start-ups and spinouts

The University of Edinburgh has a long track record of start up companies and innovations, including key players in the industry set up by Informatics master’s alumni:

  • FanDuel, a unicorn company
  • Robotical
  • RISE Nutrition
  • Carbon Glance
  • Predictiva
Edinburgh Innovations – start-up opportunities

We have fantastic resources through the University’s commercialisation service, Edinburgh Innovations, to help you successfully nurture your entrepreneurial ideas and launch your own enterprise.

Further study

After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.

Applying for research degrees

Moving on to a PhD (advice from the University's Careers Service)

Graduate profiles

Melanie Meijer

Melanie Meijer Profile Image

Degree: MSc Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust

Year of graduation: 2024

Current work: Cyber Security Consultant at Modux

I absolutely loved my time at Edinburgh. The programme offered a wide range of module choices, and I was able to specialise in both cyber security and AI – a combination that shaped my dissertation, which is now due to be published.

The academic side was incredibly rewarding, but it was the overall experience that really made it. Edinburgh is an amazing city, and I met some great people through the university’s kickboxing club, which was a huge part of my time there.

I had secured a role as a cyber security consultant by July, even before graduating, and the skills and experience I gained during the MSc definitely helped me get there.

Jingxin Qiao

Jingxin Qiao Profile Picture

Degree: MSc Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust

Year of graduation: 2022

Current work: PhD in Cryptography at The University of Edinburgh

I am now pursuing a PhD in Cryptography, and the MSc programme gave me a solid foundation in both the knowledge and research methods I rely on every day.

Before starting my doctoral studies, I also worked in industry, and I found that the practical skills gained from the courses prepared me well to tackle real-world challenges.

Choosing this program was the right decision—the academic training, supportive environment, and international community opened doors for me in both academia and industry.

For prospective students, I would say that whether you aim for a research career or a role in industry, this programme will equip you with the tools and confidence to succeed.

Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service plays an essential part in your wider student experience at the University, providing:

  • tailored advice
  • individual guidance and personal assistance
  • internships and networking opportunities (with employers from local organisations to top multinationals)
  • events such as the annual Careers in Tech and Data Fair, giving you opportunities to meet recruiters actively looking to recruit our students
  • access to the experience of our worldwide alumni network

We invest in your future beyond the end of your degree. Studying at the University of Edinburgh will lay the foundations for your future success, whatever shape that takes.

How to apply

You apply online for this programme. After you read the application guidance, select your preferred programme, then choose 'Start your application' to begin.

If you are considering applying to more than one programme, you should be aware that we cannot consider more than 3 applications from the same applicant.

When to apply

Programme start date Application deadline
14 September 2026 31 March 2026

Due to high demand on our programmes, the School of Informatics operates an application deadline of 31 March.

We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but will hold the majority of applications until the advertised deadline.

Decisions will be made as soon as possible once the deadline has passed. We expect to make the majority of decisions within eight weeks of the deadline, by 31 May.

The deadline may be extended if there are any places remaining on the programme.

When to submit your supporting documents

You must submit all supporting documents by the application deadline, or we will be unable to consider your application. Regardless of when you apply, you have 28 days from submitting your application to supply any supporting documents through the Application Hub, after which we will automatically reject your application.

Application fee

There is no fee to apply to this programme.

What you need to apply

As part of your online application, you will need to provide: 

You will also need to submit some or all of the following supporting documents:

When you start your application, you will be able to see the full list of documents you need to provide.

Apply

Select the award, duration and delivery mode you want to study. Then select the start date you want to apply for.

After you apply

Once you have applied for this programme, you will be able to track the progress of your application and accept or decline any offers.

Checking the status of your application

We will notify you by email once we have made a decision. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it might take a while until you hear from us.

Receiving our decision

What to do if you receive an offer:

What our students say

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of studying on Central Campus.

Our community

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of the School community.

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single postgraduate taught students from outside the UK and new, single postgraduate research (typically PhD) students who:

  • apply for accommodation by 31 July in the year when you start your programme
  • accept an unconditional firm offer to study at the University by 31 July
  • study at the University for the whole of the academic year starting in September

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

We also offer accommodation options for couples and families.

Accommodation for couples and families

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Our active student societies, such as CompSoc and Hoppers, offer skills building, networking and industry events.

Recent speakers include:

  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • Meta

Find out more about CompSoc and Hoppers:

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life. 

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Hear from Informatics students and staff as they share their experiences of living in Edinburgh.

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include: 

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustments

Health and wellbeing support services 

Disability and Learning Support

General enquiries

Lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm

Admissions 
School of Informatics
11 Crichton Street
Central Campus
Edinburgh
EH8 9LE

College of Science and Engineering Admissions Enquiries
Phone:+44 (0)131 650 5737

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