Cybersecurity

In our digitalized world, cybersecurity is key to protect our systems, services and data from ever-evolving cyberthreats. Join the Master of Cybersecurity program at KU Leuven and immerse yourself in the underpinning technology, including cryptographic techniques, software and hardware security, systems security and privacy.

KU Leuven organizes regular online info sessions. You can find more information on the KU Leuven website.

About the program

The digital transformation has made our global society and economy highly reliant on online platforms, services and assets—­and thus liable to cybersecurity risks. Just think about notorious attacks such as the SolarWinds hack, the WannaCry ransomware attack, or data leaks on social networks. It takes trained cybersecurity experts to protect governments, organizations and individuals from threats such as hacking, malware, phishing, DDOS attacks, data theft, industrial espionage and more. The demand for cybersecurity experts is high and career possibilities abundant.

The Master of Cybersecurity program at KU Leuven is structured around five areas: cryptography, privacy, hardware security, secure software, systems security.The first semester introduces these themes, after which you select four of them to gain in-depth knowledge. In the second semester, you specialize in two themes, and explore the broader societal context of cybersecurity. Legal aspects are addressed in a compulsory course, bridging law and technology, while elective courses delve into cybersecurity management, governance, risk and business operations. The final part of the second semester focuses on research seminars and the completion of a master's thesis.

Career perspectives

When graduating as a Master of Cybersecurity, you are well prepared for a variety of technical jobs and roles within the cybersecurity field. You can pursue a career in industry, government or academia:

• Engineering positions in the cybersecurity industry, focused on the design and implementation of advanced technical solutions.
• Integrate cybersecurity controls to ensure that sufficient cyber defenses are in place, especially in telecommunications, finance, insurance, healthcare, and industry automation.
• Management functions such as CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), CIO (Chief Information Officer) or CTO (Chief Technology Officer).
• PhD positions in cybersecurity.

Courses include:

• CyberSecurity Basics

• Legal Aspects of Cyber Security

• Master's Thesis: Cyber Security Project

• Seminar in CyberSecurity

• CyberSecurity Management and Governance: Risk and Business

• CyberSecurity Management and Governance: Operations

• Cryptography and Network Security

• Cryptographic Protocols

• Students should have a genuine interest in cybersecurity areas, such as cryptography, software security, hardware security, system security, and privacy.
• Students will be trained to develop secure systems and services, and to integrate such controls to guarantee sufficient cyberdefenses.