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MSc Cybersecurity

Our society is increasingly dependent on digital infrastructures, and as a result, cyberattacks on power grids, financial systems, and communication infrastructure have devastating consequences. Cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most critical challenges for the future. In a domain where knowledge is scarce, the master's programme in Cybersecurity provides a modern portfolio of courses fostering the cybersecurity engineers of the future.

Master's programme in Cyber Security

Application deadlines for studies starting August 2025

15 October (2024): Application opens
15 January: Last day to apply
3 February: Submit documents and, if required, pay application fee
27 March: Admission results announced

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Cybersecurity at KTH

Cybersecurity is a broad and multi-faceted subject. It ranges from fundamental computing theory to software engineering, computer communication, large-scale distributed systems, and physical process control into human and social behaviour. The programme is rooted in computer science and reaches out to aspects of the business and social context of cybersecurity.

The master's programme in Cybersecurity gives you access to all courses offered by the faculty in cybersecurity at KTH. The programme starts with mandatory courses providing an overview of the field, including a course in ethical hacking, and a solid base in the fundamental security pillar of cryptography. Mandatory in the programme are also courses that put cybersecurity in the context of ethics, law, threat actor behaviour, end-user behaviour, sustainability, and business and societal consequences of cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity is not only a broad topic per se; it also has many application domains and junctions with other engineering disciplines. To explore this range, you choose freely among various elective courses covering different aspects of cybersecurity. You can specialise in even more complex security courses or complement the profile with topics such as their cybersecurity expertise with experiences in artificial intelligence and machine learning or critical infrastructure monitoring and control. During the last semester of the programme you will carry out a master's degree project where you work closely with the KTH research faculty within cybersecurity.

In addition to involving KTH research faculty in the programme, we have also made extra efforts to build close ties to the industry. The programme has a reference group gathering key cybersecurity individuals from Swedish industry and the public sector. Many courses include external guest lecturers, and most master's degree projects are done in collaboration with companies.

Even though the programme is campus-based, it is no surprise that much of the teaching is conducted digitally. This is a two year programme (120 ECTS credits) given in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is given mainly at KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (at KTH).

Courses in the programme

The courses in the programme cover topics such as software security, communication network security, ethical hacking, privacy, cryptography, cyber risk analysis, cyber-physical security and hardware security.

Courses in the master's programme in Cybersecurity

Meet students from the programme

Aristi

"KTH provides a supportive academic environment where students are encouraged to ask questions and engage deeply with their studies."

Aristi from Cyprus

Nils

"KTH was exactly the multicultural, exciting academic environment I was looking for. The interesting programme content, excellent work and research environment convinced me."

Nils from Germany

Webinars for future students

Subject webinar

Join us 14 November, 14:00 CET, to get an overview of all 20 master's programmes within Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Meet Associate Professor Markus Hidell and a current student to explore studies, research and future career opportunities.

Register for the webinar here

Programme webinar

Join us 29 November, 14:30 CET, to gain deeper insights into the programme and explore programme content in more detail. Ask your questions directly to key representatives like the programme director and current students in the programme.

Register for the webinar here

Future and career

Career opportunities are plenty in the field of cybersecurity. Digitalisation is increasing rapidly, and with every new digital feature, the IT security of that feature needs to be ensured. There is also a vast security deficiency in older IT infrastructures running our world that were not designed with security in mind. Moreover, bottom-line security is a never-ending chase between attackers and defenders planning and reacting to each others’ behaviour, technical knowledge and deployed technology.

There is a demand for cybersecurity expertise in almost all fields. On the software development side, this ranges from start-ups and small companies to large enterprises. On the user side, this includes all organisations employing software systems for running their business and operations. The programme provides you with competencies for multiple cybersecurity tasks ranging from managerial positions to technical experts.

Cybersecurity is also a growing academic area, an expanding research field with opportunities to pursue a PhD at technical universities in Sweden and abroad. Several surveys in recent years have highlighted cybersecurity as an area with a high demand for more competence. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists cybersecurity jobs as one of the fastest-growing professions in the US, expected to increase over seven times faster than the US average job growth of 4% by 2029.

Sustainable development

Graduates from KTH have the knowledge and tools for moving society in a more sustainable direction, as sustainable development is an integral part of all programmes. As the sustainable society is increasingly dependent on a digital infrastructure it is also assumed that this infrastructure is resilient and secure. Therefore, sustainability is an integral aspect of cybersecurity, supporting several of United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, most clearly:

Sustainable development goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Sustainable development goal 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Sustainable development goal 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

A common denominator for all of these goals (and several others) is that they depend on digital infrastructures, which are assumed to be resilient and secure. Simply put, energy will, for example, not be clean and affordable if some adversary can disrupt the energy supply at will through means of cyberattacks. Competences and skills for defending against such attacks by building and maintaining secure digital infrastructures are the heart of the programme.

Faculty and research

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at KTH hosts several research groups working within various areas of cybersecurity. The following prominent professors provide a glimpse into these activities:

In addition to all the projects run by the researchers, KTH also hosts the Center for Cyber Defense and Information Security which is a collaboration with the Swedish Armed Forces.

Infrastructure that students can get in contact with includes, for example, a lab for ethical hacking. Students can also participate in extracurricular events such as the yearly midnight sun capture the flag competition that KTH co-founded, and the Cybersecurity and Privacy (CySeP) Summer School.

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