Professionals based in industry who have interest in cybersecurity. The micro credential will prepare professionals for a rewarding career; for example, to take a role as a security manager, security engineer, security analyst, or IT security specialist.
Leadership in Security
Overview
| Module Code | COMP47800 |
| Module Title | Leadership in Security |
| Subject Area | Cybersecurity |
| Credits | 5 |
| NFQ | 9 |
| EFQ | 7 |
| Start Date | 20th January 2025 |
| Duration | 12 Weeks |
| Time | Synchronous |
| Mode of Delivery | Blended |
| Course Leader | Dr Shen Wang |
| Fee | Full Fee: €875 *Subsidised Fee:€175 *80% Learner Fee Subsidy for eligible learners (Please see below) |
| Application Deadline | 13th January 2025 |
Leadership in Security is a micro credential about taking charge of security in an organisation and driving change to improve security. This micro credential is aimed at current or emerging security leaders, those with responsibility for directing and leading security efforts. It covers key aspects of managing people within a security team but will have value whether you currently lead a team or not. The goal is to produce professionals who can assess the current state of an organisation’s security, identify ways to improve, and deliver on those improvements.
A learner successfully completing this micro credential will gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to improve security. For those already working in security, they will be better prepared to lead parts of a security programme, or to take on more responsibility. For those moving towards security, this micro credential will help link their prior experience with current security challenges and assist in positioning for a lateral move into security.
The micro-credential content will cover topics:
- Measuring security and identifying critical gaps
- Assessing risk and weighing priorities
- Tracking strategic threats and maintaining situational awareness
- Information security governance frameworks
- Managing Upwards and Outwards
- Modern security is a team sport, it is impossible to “win” as one person working alone in a corner. We will look at how to be an effective advocate for security inside an organisation, including
- Influencing leadership and organisational culture
- Communicating security to executives
- Gaining and increasing security investment
- Security versus compliance (and other key alliances)
- Managing Security Talent
Building and retaining a strong team is central to success as a security leader, yet this is an area where many struggle and few have thought deeply. This micro credential will dig deep in this area, with topics such as:
- Attracting and assessing security talent
- Maximising retention in security roles
- Leading security professionals
- Executing on a Security Programme
Lastly for this micro credential we will look at practical aspects of delivering improved security, with insights from established security leaders on how they operate and what they have learned. As a few examples, we will look at:
- Managing yourself and achieving a sustainable career
- Benefiting from external perspectives
- Working with security vendors
Introduction to Operational Risk & Financial Crime
Types of Financial Crime
Governance and Case Handling
This holistic and well-rounded course will be of interest to executives and professional/technical staff who:
- need to acquire knowledge and skills to equip themselves better for their current role.
- want to gain a promotion.
- want to open up new career opportunities for themselves in cyber security related roles.
- are interested in doing some research in this field, perhaps in relation to a current work problem.
- want to gain a qualification to add to their standing and credibility within their professional life.
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures; Reflective learning; Group presentations
Debates; Task-based learning.
Minimum of 2.1 honours bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (or a cognate discipline) or 2:2 honours bachelor’s degree in computer science (or a cognate discipline) and equivalent (> 5 years) industrial experience in software development or software/system security.
Each applicant will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 7.0 (no band less than 6.5 in each element), or equivalent.
Quizzes/Short Exercises: 1-hour In-Person Closed-Book In-Class Exercises (Week 9)
- Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
- Group/class feedback, post-assessment
- Peer review activities
- Leadership in Security COMP47800
- Applied Cryptography COMP47890
- Risk Assessment and Standards COMP47900
- Secure Software Engineering COMP47910
- Information Security COMP47920
- Cybersecurity Law LAW42160
- Incident Response COMP47870
- Network Security COMP47880
- Malware Analysis COMP47810
- Ethical Hacking COMP47860
Please note: Learners can avail of only one form of funding per application.
Micro-Credentials Learner Fee Subsidy-Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3
The HCI Pillar 3 Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidy has been introduced to enable more learners to address critical skills gaps and engage with lifelong learning through micro-credentials. The HCI Pillar 3 Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidy is funded by Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
HCI Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidies are available on identified micro-credentials only and in fixed numbers from March 2024 until October 2025.
Please see Eligibility Criteria for further information.
If you have any questions about this micro-credential, or would like to speak to a UCD staff member, please contact (opens in a new window)microcredentials@ucd.ie.