Bradford cyber security master's degree gets GCHQ stamp of approval

The certification means that Bradford’s degree has been independently judged by national experts as providing well-defined and appropriate content, delivered to a high standard, by knowledgeable and skilled staff.

Bradford joins just 17 other UK universities in achieving the standard required. The national scheme is aimed at setting the standard for good cyber security education in the UK. In particular it is delivering against Section 7 (‘Develop’) of the 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy, and objective 7.1 (“to ensure the sustained supply of the best possible home-grown cyber security talent”).

With so many UK universities offering degrees containing cyber security content, it can be difficult for students and employers alike to assess the quality on offer and to identify the degree that best suits someone’s preferred career path. GCHQ-certified degrees help:

• universities to attract high quality students from around the world
• employers to recruit skilled staff and develop the cyber skills of existing employees
• prospective students to make better informed choices when looking for a highly valued qualification

Students graduating from a GCHQ-certified degree programme are provided with an additional tailored certificate, which will help employers distinguish between applicants’ qualifications.

The degree is delivered by the University’s Cyber Security Interdisciplinary Centre, which draws on the best academic expertise from all faculties across the University of Bradford to analyse, detect and reduce threats to an organisation or individual’s private information using technical and social engineering techniques.

Centre Director, Dr Andrea Cullen, said: “We are delighted to achieve this certification. It’s a real endorsement of the quality of our master’s degree to be recognised by such a national standard and great reward for all the hard work put in by the centre’s staff. Our students can be confident that they’re getting among the best cyber security education in the UK, something that future employers will value.”