Oxford University Software Engineering Programme, an IAP Education Partner, has launched a Postgraduate Certificate in Computer Security. Sarah Christou, the programme administrator, describes it.
The Software Engineering Programme at the University of Oxford has recently launched a Postgraduate Certificate in Computer Security. This award is aimed at software engineers with responsibility for security-related aspects of system development such as authentication, privacy, integrity, and so on. The official launch took place at the Programme’s annual seminar on 6th September, in the presence of 104 past, present and future students.
Teaching on the Certificate is on a part-time basis, making the programme accessible to busy professionals. It takes the form of intensive one-week courses, combining lectures, practicals and group work; each course is preceded by a pre-study exercise and followed by a take-home assignment. Five subjects are offered:
Security Principles, introducing security issues and laying out the fundamentals of cryptography and security protocols;
People and Security, relating work in human-computer interaction and psychology to the understanding and mitigation of human weaknesses in the security chain;
Security Risk Analysis and Management, covering the techniques of risk analysis and the management of security throughout the software development lifecycle;
Platforms for Security, looking at the various platforms on which a secure system operates, with an emphasis on practical and repeatable means of implementing these platforms securely; and
Design for Security, exploring the cost-effective achievement of solutions to security needs by following well-established architectural practices and detailed security principles.
The Certificate requires successful completion of four courses, at least three of which should be drawn from the above five subjects. The fourth course can be in any of the 26 subjects offered by the whole Programme, which cover the areas of object technology, software architecture, precise modelling, and development processes, as well as computer security. The courses can also be taken on a standalone basis, or used as credit towards a Postgraduate Diploma or MSc in Software Engineering.
The Software Engineering Programme itself provides advanced education and carries out applied research at the University of Oxford, offering access to the combined expertise and resources of the Oxford University Computing Laboratory and the Department for Continuing Education. The programme has been supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council since 1992.
Visit www.softeng.ox.ac.uk or phone 01865 283525 to find out more.
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