Cybersecurity

Overview

The programme emphasises both the development of advanced technical skills and the critical consideration of ethical responsibilities, ensuring that graduates are able to design and implement secure solutions that protect information and infrastructure while upholding principles of privacy, integrity, and responsible digital practice. This is a 1 year full-time or 2-year part-time degree.

The coursework covers topics including cryptography, network and cloud security, penetration testing, secure software development, digital forensics, and cyber ethics, equipping students with the technical and ethical skills to protect information systems, detect and mitigate threats, and design resilient digital infrastructures.

Why study Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is at the forefront of safeguarding our increasingly digital world. It is the discipline of protecting information, networks, and systems from malicious attacks, data breaches, and other evolving threats through advanced technical methods, secure design principles, and proactive defence strategies. Cybersecurity enables governments, businesses, and individuals to ensure privacy, trust, and continuity across critical domains ranging from finance and healthcare to energy, communication, and national security. With the rapid expansion of cyber threats, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals continues to grow globally across industry, government, and academia.

Why study Cybersecurity at Wits?

In response to the urgent need for cyber expertise, Wits has developed an honours degree and an MSc by Coursework and Research Report (CW/RR) in the field of Cybersecurity.

Our programmes are guided by active collaborations with MWR CyberSec, a leading cybersecurity consultancy, and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, a world-renowned research institute. These partnerships ensure that our curriculum remains aligned with international standards, current industry practices, and cutting-edge research.

Applicants

Students need to know how to program. You should be proficient in at least one procedural or object-oriented programming language. Being able to use R or Matlab may be beneficial but unless you have used the control flow constructs of these languages this will not be sufficient.

The programme does not include an internship. However, it does include a research project that should have real world application and will be guided by a supervisor.

There is currently no bridging programme available.

The part-time Honours Programme is a two-year programme with all courses completed in two years. All classes are offered during the day (morning or afternoon) and during the week. Classes for a course take place in 14 separate contact sessions per course over the entire semester.

If any bursaries become available for this programme, they will be advertised on the school website.

Applications

In our efforts to make our applications process more efficient and accurate, we ask that the following Google Form be completed in addition to the formal application. Please ensure you complete both the formal application and additional form when applying.

Career Opportunities

A degree in cybersecurity opens diverse career opportunities across industries. Graduates can work as security analysts, penetration testers, or security engineers, applying advanced knowledge of cryptography, secure systems, and threat detection to protect digital assets. Roles such as incident response specialists, digital forensics experts, and cyber security consultants are in high demand across technology, finance, healthcare, government, and defence sectors.

With expertise in secure design and risk management, graduates can also pursue leadership positions in security architecture, policy development, and cyber strategy. The degree equips professionals to tackle complex security challenges, making them indispensable in today’s interconnected and threat-prone digital world.

Curriculum

Compulsory courses:

• COMS4***A Research Project: Cyber Security [After completing coursework]
• COMS4***A Cybersecurity
• COMS4***A Cryptography
• COMS4***A Secure Systems Design and Analysis
• COMS4***A Offensive Security and Ethical Hacking
• COMS4047A Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning
• COMS4***A Data Privacy and Ethics
• COMS4032A Applications of Algorithms
• COMS4057A: Introduction to Research Methods

Entry Requirements

• An undergraduate BSc degree with a major in computer science or equivalent (NQF7) is required and at least a second year in a mathematics equivalent.
• Admission into Honours programme is highly selective. To be accepted, students must have performed well in their undergraduate degrees (based on aggregate performance which must be at least 70%). We require a good mathematical background and the completion of a range of core courses in Computer Science. You should be proficient in at least one procedural or object-oriented programming language.
• Final selection will be made subject to the availability of places, academic results, and other entry requirements where applicable.

University Application Process

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. The University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.