University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2021/22 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Engineering > Department of Computer Science > Cyber Security (TIPS at Scale) (PhD) > Specification
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Programme code | 4COSC005R |
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Programme type | Postgraduate Research Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Awais Rashid
|
Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
School/department | Department of Computer Science |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 1 years (full time) |
Trust, identity, privacy and security (TIPS) challenges and solutions for large-scale connected infrastructures. Within the next few years the number of devices connected to each other and the Internet will outnumber humans by almost 5:1. These connected devices will underpin everything from healthcare to transport to energy and manufacturing. At the same time, this growth is not just in the number or variety of devices, but also in the ways they communicate and share information with each other, building hyper-connected cyber-physical infrastructures that span most aspects of people's lives.
For the UK to maximise the socio-economic benefits from this revolutionary change we need to address the myriad trust, identity, privacy and security issues raised by such large, interconnected infrastructures. Solutions to many of these issues have previously only been developed and tested on systems orders of magnitude less complex in the hope they would 'scale up'. However, the rapid development and implementation of hyper-connected infrastructures means that we need to address these challenges at scale since the issues and the complexity only become apparent when all the different elements are in place.
The Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) 'Trust, Identity, Privacy and Security - at scale' (TIPS-at-Scale) will tackle this by training a new generation of interdisciplinary research leaders. We will do this by educating PhD students in both the technical skills needed to study and analyse TIPS-at-scale, while simultaneously studying how to understand the challenges as fundamentally human too. The training involves close involvement with industry and practitioners who have played a key role in co-creating the programme and, uniquely, responsible innovation. The training is unique due to its ‘at scale’ focus on TIPS that contextualises students’ learning using relevant real-world, global problems revealed through project work, external speakers, industry/international internships/placements and masterclasses.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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An at-scale lens on all training: Students will learn about tackling TIPS challenges in large-scale infrastructure from Day 1 and throughout taught modules, masterclasses, Responsible Innovation challenges, internships and research projects. A case-led focus on real-world global problems in large-scale infrastructures, with students working on specific problems/cases, contributed by our industry/practitioner partners, that require content from across disciplines/expertise/modules to solve. Students’ experiences will thus be contextualised by relevant real-world, global problems as they are revealed through project work, external speakers, industry/international internships/placements and masterclasses Pedagogic innovation for developing TIPS-at-Scale thought leaders, using approaches that encourage critical thinking: flipped classroom design and mutual learning (including teams of students leading specific parts of the taught modules). Responsible Innovation (RI) embedded throughout the 4 years, with students learning and then applying principles, frameworks and methods for RI in their research projects. Students will gain hands-on training on the AREA RI framework and practical tools to enact this, including values-based design and constructive technology assessment methods for TIPS-at-Scale. The cohort (in-year and across-years) will use this to co-create a living RI mutual learning platform for the benefit of students and staff in the CDT and stakeholders working with us. Studying TIPS-at-Scale using state-of-the-art testbed facilities and labs. Students will have full access to, and utilise a number of, state-of-the-art testbeds and labs at Bristol and Bath as well as our industry partners. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Taught modules: group project work, pair-working on testbeds and portfolio of reflective logs. Research project: six monthly reviews with mentor for CDT leadership team and supervisory team. At 42 months, written evidence of substantially complete thesis chapters is required. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Combine approaches from behavioural and social aspects with traditional security and privacy research from computer science to tackle major interdisciplinary challenges of: studying TIPS-at-Scale as a socio-technical problem; providing empirically grounded assurances for TIPS- at-Scale; ensuring resilience of large-scale infrastructures operating in partially-trusted environments. This approach is reflected throughout the 4 years of the programme. A recurring programme of masterclasses, summer schools, seminars, Responsible Innovation challenges, placements and internships. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Taught programme assessments are designed to require multiple disciplinary skills to be brought together, e.g., in group project and pair-working. Research project requires bringing at least two disciplines together as well industry/practice input into the problem definition. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Training in programming, data analysis, software engineering and machine learning by a dedicated trainer as well as bespoke content on analysis of security and privacy events in large-scale information flows, adversarial machine/deep learning and software development for experimentation on testbeds. Skills for Interdisciplinary Research unit, providing foundations for interdisciplinary research in general, developing skills to conceptualise, apply, evaluate, analyse and synthesise primary and secondary information from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Personal and Professional Development programme run by the Bristol Doctoral College and the Doctoral Skills courses from Bath Doctoral College (see Host Organisation Letters) – each providing over 100 courses including, e.g., Project Management, Research Data Management, Qualitative Data Analysis, Statistics, Academic Writing, Presentation Skills, and Public Engagement with Research. Research without Borders festival at Bristol, a week-long series of public-facing events, where students will present their work to a wider University audience and to external stakeholders. Impact training supported by the Enterprise and Knowledge Engagement group at Bath and PGR Venturers Funding at Bristol to support potential routes to exploitation for research. |
Methods of Assessment | |
These are non-credit bearing courses. Students will use Bristol’s university-wide online system: Skills Training and Review (STaR) to develop their individual professional development plan and monitor their progress. This will be regularly reviewed with the mentor from the leadership team and reported on as part of the six monthly reviews. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
N/A |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
N/A |
Level H/6 - Honours |
N/A |
Level M/7 - Masters |
N/A |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Certificate |
To be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate students must successfully complete 60 credits of credit baring taught units which develop foundational understanding of the topics covered. |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Diploma |
N/A |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Masters |
Students who successfully complete the taught component of the programme (120 credits) but who are not progressing satisfactorily in the PhD Project they have been recruited to, will be given the option to write-up that Project into a 15,000 word Dissertation which will describe a Masters level contribution to the field of knowledge in order to be awarded an MSc. Typically, the dissertation should describe a body of work undertaken to solve an industrial/research problem and/or describe the relevance of the work in an industrial context. The student will also have to demonstrate some understanding of the wider context of their work by explaining how issues such as finance and management relate to their project. |
Level D/8 - Doctoral |
Students will have completed a PhD level project, solving a major set of research questions and adding new knowledge to the industry/research community. Students submit a professionally written PhD thesis and successfully defend their work in an oral viva. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the postgraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
The maximum period of study for full-time students is 4 years. This catalogue only shows the taught units on the programme and may not show all years of study.
The MRes is an exit point from the PhD in Trust, Identity, Privacy and Security in Large-scale Infrastructures and may be awarded to students who leave the PhD following successful completion of the first year of study, comprising the units outlined below.
Mandatory Units COMSM0030, COMSM0031, COMSM0032, COMSM0033 are must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Socio-technical Foundations for TIPS-at Scale | COMSM0032 | 50 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Masterclasses and Placements | COMSM0031 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Resilient Socio-technical Infrastructures | COMSM0030 | 30 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
For the purposes of the award of an MRes students will be required to successfully complete a Research Project: | ||||
Research Project | COMSM0033 | 60 | Optional | AYEAR |
For the purposes of the exit award of a PGCert students may be required to successfully complete an optional unit: | ||||
Advanced Topics in Cyber Security | COMSM0116 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
Trust, Identity, Privacy and Security in Large-scale Infrastructures (MRes) | 180 |
The assessment of the taught component of a doctoral degree is governed by the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and is assessed separately from the research project. Progression to the research project may be dependent on the successful completion of the taught component - please refer to the relevant handbook for the structure of the particular programme.
The pass mark set by the University for any level 7(M) unit is 50 out of 100.
It may be possible to exit the programme with a taught award. For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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