Cyber Policy & Strategy MA

Program Overview

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Please note the course details apply to 2023 entry. Details for 2024 entry for our postgraduate courses will be published from October 2023.

Key information

Course type: Single honours Study mode: Full time Part time Start date: September 2023

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This Cyber Policy and Strategy MA presents a unique opportunity to study cyber security from a social science perspective. You’ll develop robust research, analysis and communication skills and build your knowledge thanks to a rigorous education in cyber security politics, policy, and strategy. This master’s in cyber policy and strategy is the first of its kind in the UK to study cyber security as a vital issue for national and international public policy, statecraft and strategy, and diplomacy and global governance. You’ll be taught by the only academic department in the world that focuses solely on the complexities of conflict and security. This expertise, combined with a wide range of optional modules, will help you gain a unique understanding of how cyber security fits within the world of conflict, security and international politics. Your Cyber Policy and Strategy MA will teach you the foundations of cyber security before moving on to the different approaches to the topic. You’ll get to learn about cyber power and strategy, cyber diplomacy, or the privacy, ethics and human rights of cyber security, before selecting from a range of conflict and security optional modules. You will graduate with the knowledge and transferable skills that are desirable for diverse careers in cybersecurity, as well as for roles that explore issues of technology policy and regulation, privacy, global governance, and more.

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Key benefits

Learn from the first master’s of its kind in the UK to focus solely on the complexities of cyber security politics, policy, strategy, diplomacy and governance.

Explore cyber security as a critical national and international public policy issue.

Discover how to apply theories, methods and tools to analyse cyber security through the prism of social sciences.

Understand the technical language and concepts that underpin cyber security.

Develop transferable skills in analytical thinking, research, and communication, whilst building confidence in teamwork, collaboration, and adaptability.

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Program Outline

Your cyber policy and strategy master’s will build your foundational understanding of this topic with an introductory module, followed by an exploration of the various theoretical and methodological approaches to cyber security. You’ll get the chance to learn about cyber strategy, cyber diplomacy, and the privacy, ethics and human rights of cyber security. You will choose from dozens of optional modules across conflict, war, security and international politics. For example, you could focus on the Middle East and learn about war and insurgency since 1945, and the international politics of the region. You could explore propaganda or dirty wars, power-sharing agreements in deeply divided societies, or transdisciplinary approaches to (in)security. You’ll get the chance to apply your knowledge and skills through the design and completion of your dissertation. This MA in Cyber Policy and Strategy will provide you with a strong understanding of: • Cyber security as a key national and international public policy issue. • Cyber security politics, policy, strategy and diplomacy within disciplinary International Relations, security studies and strategic studies. • Theories and methods relevant to the social science analysis of cyber security. • The privacy, ethics and human rights dimensions of cyber security. This degree can be taken as part of a joint arrangement with our partner institution, Sciences Po that offers a graduate programme in International Affairs. Please see the Teaching & Structure tab above for more information.

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Base campuses

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Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

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Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

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Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

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Teaching methods - what to expect

We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.

The following table will give you an idea of what a typical academic workload might look like as you progress through your studies:

Module	Lectures, seminars and feedback	Self-study
Per 15-credit module	20 hours of teaching. Typically, 2 hours per week over two 10- week terms. This can be split into lectures and seminars. A 30- credit module will be double this.	130 hours.
Dissertation module (60 credits)	Up to 12 hours of online guidance, training workshops and personal supervision.	588 hours.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

As a part-time student

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Compulsory modules will ground students in the empirical aspects of cyber security (‘Foundations of Cyber Security’) and the theoretical and methodological tools to explore cyber security as a set of technical and political practices (‘Approaches to Cyber Security: Theory and Methods’).

Further modules will explore issues of cyber power and strategy, cyber diplomacy, and privacy, ethics, and human rights. Students will also have access to 60 credits of options modules from DWS and produce a 60-credit dissertation aligned with the programme objectives.

Location

This

Cyber Policy and Strategy MA

will be taught at the Strand and Waterloo campuses, putting you in the heart of London.

This programme can be taken as part of the

partnership between Kings College London and Sciences PO

that allows participating students to study for two years, with a year in both Paris and London. On completion of the programme, graduates receive a master's degree from the Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po (PSIA), and a master's degree from King's College London. Spanning a wide range of disciplines, this selective programme allows students to customise their training at both universities, and to benefit from the numerous opportunities, networks and services offered on both sides of the Channel.

For further information about the programme, including eligibility criteria and details of how to apply, please visit the

Paris School of International Affairs’ website.

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Assessment

Assessed Essays

Presentations (Individual and Group)

Exercises

Exams

The primary methods of assessment for this course are assessed essays, individual and group presentations, simulations, exercises and/or exams.

The dissertation module will be based on a 100% dissertation assignment (up to 12,000 words).

Regulating body

King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.

The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.

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Structure

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Required modules

Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180 credits. As a full-time student, in you are required to take the following modules:

Foundations of Cyber Security (15 credits) Approaches to Cyber Security: Theory and Methods (15 credits) Cyber Diplomacy (15 credits) Cyber Power and Strategy (15 credits) Dissertation (60 Credits)

As a part-time student, in Year One, you are required to take the following modules:

Foundations of Cyber Security (15 credits) Approaches to Cyber Security: Theory and Methods (15 credits) Cyber Diplomacy (15 credits) Cyber Power and Strategy (15 credits)

As a part-time student, in Year Two, you are required to take the following modules:

Dissertation (60 credits)

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Optional modules

In addition, you are required to take 60 credits from a wide range of optional modules that may typically include the following. Part-time students typically take 30 credits (or up to 60 credits) from a range of optional modules that may include:

War & Insurgency in the Middle East since 1945 (30 credits) Dirty Wars: Covert Wars, Political Warfare, and National Security (30 credits) Power-Sharing Agreements in Deeply Divided Societies (15 credits) Transdisciplinary approaches to (In)Security (30 credits) International Politics of the Middle East (30 credits) Propaganda (15 credits)

Or choose from a range of optional modules available within the Department of War Studies. Please Note: the optional modules available change each year and are therefore only made accessible to enrolled students during the module allocation process.

As a part-time student, in your second year you will write your dissertation (60 credits) and make up remaining credits from optional modules.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

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Employability

You will graduate from this Cyber Policy and Strategy MA with knowledge that can be applied to both cyber security careers as well as those that deal with wider issues of technology policy and regulation, privacy, global governance and digital transformation. Furthermore, you’ll develop a range of skills, experience and attributes that can be transferred to a wide range of careers in Government, industry, journalism, universities and other fields.

You’ll join War Studies alumni who have gone on to work in industry, public service, the third sector, international organisations, diplomatic corps and postgraduate research.