NCI Course Details

The course is technical and practical in nature, uniquely embedded in industry, and develops in-depth expertise of core technical topics within the area of cybersecurity such as information security, secure programming, network security, penetration testing, malware analysis, IT law and ethics, and technologies and tools that support application and service vulnerability detection, incident detection, data and log retrieval and analysis.

The course also provides a sharper focus into forensics and cloud security through the two specialisations that are offered to the learners.

Several reports indicate a shortage of skills and strong demand for cybersecurity professionals. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs identified cybersecurity as a high-growth area that requires significant support for skills development. The State of the Cybersecurity Sector in Ireland 2022 Report indicates that there are almost 500 companies offering cybersecurity services or have employees in internal cybersecurity roles, and 83% of companies expect to grow their cybersecurity team over the next 12 months.

This field has the fastest growth rate when compared with the rest of technology jobs. Considering the high demand of various types of jobs in the cybersecurity domain that currently exist in the market, graduates from this course may work in the following roles: information security analyst, secure application developer, cybersecurity tester, risk analyst / consultant, cyber incident responder, cloud security analyst, security researcher, etc.

This course is ideal for ICT professionals or graduates with an honours degree in computing or in a cognate area (STEM) that wish to develop a career as a cybersecurity professional; to take a leading technical or managerial role; to progress faster in their employment or to apply the knowledge in their current role. Candidates who do not hold a computing degree and are currently working in the IT sector may be considered, based on relevant academic qualifications or extensive work experience.

As a graduate of this course, you will be able to:

• Critically assess and evaluate ethical, legal, privacy, sustainable, and governance issues associated with the management of data assets in the cybersecurity domain.
• Communicate effectively complex and advanced cybersecurity concepts to a range of audiences in both written and verbal media.
• Apply advanced security knowledge and utilise practical skills and technologies to design and implement cybersecurity solutions that address business and technical problems.
• Make decisions and address security requirements through analytical thinking, communication, and interaction.
• Analyse, identify, and document measures to address vulnerabilities, risks, weaknesses, and other safety aspects within a given cybersecurity context.
• Identify knowledge gaps and undertake self-learning to acquire new knowledge and meet the requirements of the rapidly developing and expanding cybersecurity industry.

An honours (level 8) primary degree in computing or a cognate area with a 2.2 award or higher. Cognate area means a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degree that also has taught programming/application development related modules. Candidates are expected to have programming ability, which can be demonstrated through transcripts, recognised certifications, and/or relevant work experience. An assessment and/or interview may be conducted to ascertain suitability if necessary, for candidates who do not meet the normal academic requirements.

The college operates a Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) scheme meaning applicants who do not meet the normal academic requirements may be considered based on relevant work and other experience. This may be assessed using a portfolio of learning, demonstration of work produced, and an interview. The programming ability of the applicant will also be assessed.

Non-English speaking applicants must demonstrate fluency in the English language as demonstrated by IELTS academic score of at least 6.0 or equivalent, please note the English language entry requirements.

National College of Ireland has implemented a Bring Your Own Device policy for all courses. Specifically, students are expected to successfully participate in lectures, laboratories and projects using a portable computer (laptop/notebook) with a substantial hardware configuration.

The recommended configuration is as follows:

Processor:

• Intel 11th Gen or newer, Core i3 / i5 /i7 or Ultra 3 / 5 /7
  Or
• AMD 5000 Series or newer, Rzyen 3 / 5 /7

Random Access Memory (RAM):
16GB or greater

Storage:
SSD (Solid State Drive) 256GB or greater

Wireless Card:
802.11 n/ac/ax capability

Recommended Operating Systems:
Windows 11
Later Version of MAC OS should also be fine.
Chromebook’s are not recommended.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their computer is functioning correctly and that they have full administrator rights. NCI cannot provide support for these personal devices.

Student Laptop Loan Scheme

A Laptop Loan Scheme is available for eligible students to assist them in completing their chosen course.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Cybersecurity is awarded by QQI at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Students who successfully complete this course can optionally complete the additional 30 credits required to upgrade their qualification to the MSc in Cybersecurity (Not included under Springboard+, additional fee would apply).

The course offers two specialisations: Forensics and Cloud Security. Learners must select one specialisation. Specialisations will only run due to student demand.

Semester 1

• Security Fundamentals
• Data Governance, Ethics, and Sustainability
• Secure Web Development (Elective)
• Forensics and eDiscovery (Elective)
• Career Bridge

Semester 2

• Network Security and Penetration Testing
• Cryptography and Blockchain
• Secure Application Development (Elective)
• Malware Analysis (Elective)

Semester 3

• Cloud Architectures and Security
• AI/ML in Cybersecurity
• Business Resilience and Incident Management

Note that there are dependencies between secure development electives. To study Secure Application Development in semester 2, students must have studied Secure Web Development in semester 1. However, all students can elect to study Malware Analysis in semester 2.

Electives will run subject to learner demand. Learners will be asked to choose their specialisation before programme commencement.

Springboard Careers Advisors will proactively support you to find relevant employment during the course or following completion of the course.

*Note that all modules count towards the final award classification.

For more information on the modules taught on this course view our module descriptors.

The course will be assessed with a blend of continuous assessments and/or project work and/or exams. This varies between modules but typically assessment is 40% continuous assessment and 60% project or exam. Please note that in some instances exams may take place in the daytime, evenings and at weekends.

This is a blended/online learning course that features Directed E-Learning activities such as live online classroom sessions and tutorials/videos on the College’s e-learning system. This allows for online class time to be interactive, practical, and focused, with theory-based content being covered outside of class time with self-paced tutorials/videos, and practical content being covered in live online classes with support from lecturers and lab assistants.

At certain limited and pre-scheduled times there will be opportunities for on-campus sessions. These on-campus sessions will also be dual delivered so students who do not wish to attend campus for these sessions will have the option of attending them online.

Tuesday and Thursday 18.00 - 22.00.

Career Bridge classes will be delivered one day per week in Semester 2 from 17.00 to 18.00. Day to be confirmed. There will also be 4.5 hrs self-paced learning per week on NCI’s Learning Platform Weekly. This will not appear on your timetable.

Please note that in some instances exams may take place in the daytime and at weekends.

1 year, 3 semesters - January to May 2025, May to August 2025 and September to December 2025.