Graduate · Computer Science
Master of Cyber Security
Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
About this program
ECU is one of only two universities the Australian federal government has recognised as an Academic Centre of Cyber Security Excellence, and the sole one in Western Australia, a designation that reflects the size of ECU's cyber security research and teaching group, described by the university as the largest in Australia and ranked among the top ten globally. The Master of Cyber Security draws directly on that research base rather than being a generically branded security add-on to a computing degree, and it's built specifically to serve government, law enforcement, and industry demand for security specialists rather than general IT professionals.
Entry pathways are unusually flexible: applicants can come in with a related bachelor's degree, or with a bachelor's in any discipline paired with five years of relevant work experience, which opens the program to career-changers already working in IT operations, law enforcement, or defence-adjacent roles without a computing degree on paper. Course length can also compress for students with relevant prior qualifications or experience, rather than everyone doing a fixed two years regardless of background.
Perth hosts a meaningful concentration of defence, mining-sector, and government security roles, and ECU's placement and industry connections in cyber security lean into that local demand alongside the more geographically distributed remote/online cohort the program attracts nationally and internationally.
Cost & duration
English test scores
Course structure
4 terms of coursework
- Core units: Cyber Security Fundamentals, Network Security, Digital Forensics, Security Risk Management, Cryptography, Incident Response and Threat Intelligence, Governance Risk and Compliance
- Electives: penetration testing, cloud security, industrial control systems security, security research methods
- Capstone: applied security project or research minor thesis, often linked to industry or government partners
- Total: 2 years full-time / 4 years part-time (reduced duration available with relevant background), on campus or online
Admissions
Relevant bachelor's degree (or equivalent); some programs consider work experience in lieu (approximate, typical bar)