Dr John McCarthy is one of the lecturers for the Cyber Security programme here at Northumbria University London. John tells us what it’s like for students to study at the university and what the Cyber Security programme really entails.
How would you describe the culture at Northumbria University London?
We get a wide range of students here and I’m amazed at the standard of professionalism that our students bring to the course. Having said that, it’s a very open and level playing field and everyone who comes here has the opportunity to start from the ground up to gain an excellent qualification in an environment that’s both supportive and creative for students.
How can doing a Masters in Cyber Security support career progression?
Cyber Security is now one of the biggest growing areas in the IT and business domain. Anybody who does a Cyber Security course, particularly at Masters-Level will have a solid foundation for their career, one that will catapult them through to many excellent jobs and opportunities in the future.
What are the most important elements in the MSc Cyber Security programme?
One of our most important elements of the course is the Computer Science and Digital Technologies project which is a dissertation. In all modules, students engage in live debates in the classroom to allow us to bounce ideas off each other. Students use this experience and encourage each other to develop the concepts that are put forward for the final projects and assignments. That means it’s not something that’s dry and academic, it’s something that’s created from the discussion within the classroom. People can really benefit as they bring their own practical work experience together with others in a similar field and that enriches in what they do.
Why would you advise someone choose a Masters in Cyber Security over formal qualifications?
Although there are a range of formal qualifications that are technical based available, I believe that the most important element in education is understanding things from a completely objective point of view and a Masters gives you the real opportunity to do that both in terms of the debate, the analysis and the creative process that students go through that will allow them to develop both holistically as an individual and in the work that they’re going to produce.
Interested in studying a Cyber Security course? We offer both full-time and part-time Masters degrees in Cyber Security at Northumbria University London.
