Australian residents
International students
Duration: 
0.5 years full time or longer for part time
Location: 
City Campus
Footscray Park
VU Brisbane
VU Sydney
Delivery mode: 
In person
Start dates:
24 February 2025
28 April 2025
28 July 2025

View all start dates
Application due dates:
Direct applications are due on 16 February 2025 for our next intake which starts on 24 February 2025.
Apply

Overview

Build your IT expertise and get set for a high-demand industry by studying the Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security at Victoria University.

This postgraduate information technology course covers the essential areas of cyber security, from proactive cyber threat detection and risk management to cyber law and regulations.

You'll learn from academic staff with a strong research record in cyber security, and industry experts with significant cyber security experience.

Guest lecturers with current experience in the cyber security industry complement the academic staff and provide insights on the latest developments in the field.

Specifically, you'll gain expertise in:

  • cyber security fundamentals
  • cyber security architecture
  • cyber security technologies such as digital signature, public key infrastructure, virtual private networks, firewalls, intrusion detection, data encryption
  • cloud security
  • enterprise security
  • cyber security regulation, policies and laws.

Commonwealth Supported Places in 2023

Fees are heavily subsidised and HECS-HELP loans available for eligible students in 2023. Apply now or register your interest - there's never been a better time to study!

Following the overwhelming success of the revolutionary VU Block Model with undergraduate students, we have rolled out the Block Model to our postgraduate courses.

This course is delivered in eight-week mode, which means you study two units (subjects) at a time over eight weeks (or one unit at a time over eight weeks for part-time study), rather than juggling several units at once. And with its focused timetables and smaller, collaborative classes, VU’s Block Model gives you more time to connect with your peers, lecturers and industry partners, helping you to build strong professional networks.

The VU Block Model has improved our student results and engagement, and has won multiple international awards for innovation and excellence.

Globally, cyber security is expected to have an annual growth of over 20% in the next five years.

With an increasing number of companies adopting cloud services and storage, valuable data and information systems are increasingly under threat from the hackers and industrial spies. Hackers can even penetrate enterprise networks, encrypt the hard drive of computers and extort the organisation or computer owners to pay for unlocking the systems.

With a Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security, you can benefit from the increasing work opportunities associated with protecting computers, networks, information systems and data from unauthorised access, change or destruction.

Our campus libraries have photocopying, computing and printing facilities as well as electronic and print resources.

You'll also have access to a rich collection of online resources at any time of the day or night, including:

  • databases
  • e-learning content for courses
  • student email
  • student software packages
  • social networking tools.

On campus, we make sure that all of our students have access to digital resources. We offer:

As a postgraduate student you might want to take up one of many opportunities to further develop your academic language and study skills. VU’s Learning Hubs are welcoming spaces where you can improve your study and employability skills.

We offer maths, writing, careers and English-language advice, and show you effective ways to study and manage your time.

Our programs include:

  • workshops
  • drop-in sessions
  • peer mentoring
  • maths and writing resources
  • resume and career guidance.

We also have accessibility support services and counselling services available for all students.

Our Women in Science & Engineering program supports our current university students, and inspires women to choose engineering and science careers.

amazon, cisco, microsoft and oracle logos

In addition to our undergrad and postgrad courses, we also have strong partnerships with leading companies in the industry. These include but not limited to AWS, Cisco, Microsoft and Oracle. Victoria University is an academy for a multitude of certification courses from these leading industries.  This means, as our students, you will have the opportunity to study certification courses taught by seasoned lecturers and research academics within the IT discipline with discounted certification examination fees. For more details, please visit the following links and contact your course chair.

Need some advice?

Request a call back from one of our experienced VUHQ course advisers to get your questions answered.

Request a call back

Careers

The Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security opens new career possibilities in cyber security, especially over the next few years with a global shortage of cyber security professionals*.

You'll be prepared as security professionals who have attained specialised expertise in cyber security, such as:

  • Cyber Security Specialist
  • Cyber Security Consultant
  • Cloud Security Engineer
  • Network Security Engineer.

* Cybersecurity skills shortage putting public, private sectors at risk, experts say, ABC News, June 2017.

Anusha Vennemaneni is an IT professional, and superhero behind the screen.

"VU’s Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security attracted me because it’s flexible – it is both online and on-campus, and the units deal with emerging technologies such as cloud technology and cyber law; and it’s all really hands-on.”

Course structure

To successfully attain the Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security, students will be required to complete:

- 48 credit points of core units

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Critically apply cyber security knowledge and skills to new and uncertain situations in professional practice, exhibiting a high level of personal autonomy and accountability;  
  2. Evaluate cyber security architecture and state-of-the-art technologies including firewalls, virtual private networks, public key infrastructure, digital signature and anti-malwares; and  
  3. Apply commercial tools to secure computers and networks in enterprise and cloud systems to ensure privacy and prevent data loss;  

What's a unit?

A unit or 'subject' is the actual class you'll attend in the process of completing a course.

Most courses have a mixture of compulsory 'core' units that you need to take and optional elective units that you can choose to take based on your area of interest, expertise or experience.

Credits

Each unit is worth a set amount of study credits based on the amount of time you study. Generally, 1 credit is equal to 1 hour of study per week.

Fees & scholarships

Fee type for this course: Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

Fee type definitions

The amount you pay for your course depends on whether you’re offered a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) or a full fee-paying place.

Students who enrol in a:

In addition to your tuition fees, you may also be charged a Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Scholarships & assistance

Apply for a scholarship to help with your study costs.

We can help with fee assistance and advice.

Admission & pathways

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee you entry into this course. Some courses receive more applications than the number of places available. In this situation we will also assess your education, work and other relevant experience.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. We also encourage you to explore our study pathways to help you reach your goal.

Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency.

Entry requirements

Completion of an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in a similar discipline
OR
Applicants with a minimum five (5) years approved work experience will be considered for admission to this course.

There are many ways you can start your education journey at VU. Pathways offer an easy transition between courses at different levels, so that you can start with a certificate and progress right through to postgraduate study.

Find out more about pathways and credits.

Use our credit calculator to find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

If you have completed study with another university or institution and believe you are eligible to receive credit for skills and past study, you can apply for advanced standing.

Applications for advanced standing can be made after a discussion with your course chair or academic adviser.

Credit Calculator

Find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

CALCULATE YOUR CREDIT

How to apply

Available start dates:
  • 24 February 2025
  • 28 April 2025
  • 28 July 2025
  • 29 September 2025

Before you apply

Before applying, you should consider whether you also want to apply for:

  • Special admission programs: Depending on your life circumstances you may be eligible for special consideration of your application.
  • Advanced standing: If you have significant experience or studies elsewhere you may be eligible for credit for some units of your course and not have to undertake them.

Find out more about applying for our courses.

Apply direct to VU

Direct applications are due on 16 February 2025 for our next intake which starts on 24 February 2025.

Apply direct to VU

Already a VU student?

If you are already a VU student, apply direct to VU using our Admissions centre to transfer into this course. Remember it’s best to be accepted into your new course before withdrawing from your current one.

After you apply

  • It’s important to check for emails from us (which may go to your spam/junk folder).
  • Complete any requests for information by the given dates, otherwise your application may not be considered

Enquire now

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Get help

At Victoria University, we aim to display accurate and complete course information online. However, we are unable to guarantee that every course change is currently displayed. You may contact the University directly on +61 3 9919 6100 to confirm the most up-to-date course fees, pathways and credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, admission and enrolment procedures, examinations and services available to our students.