Help make our digital world safer

In the Cyber Security Professional major, you study specific problems in the field of security and learn how to arm yourself against them. As a cyber security specialist you will be trained in the very latest technologies and techniques in the field of cyber security, cyber crime and cyber warfare. Cyber security specialists provide more security and privacy in the digital world.

Our course is supported by the Cyber Security Coalition non-profit organisation  and listed in the Cybersecurity Higher Education database powered by ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity

This bachelor's major is taught entirely in English. 

Kickstart your career in cyber security now! 

 

Get in touch

students working together

Your class schedule

Every week you will have between 20 and 24 hours of lessons. Your lesson hours are scheduled to be as complimentary as possible. Below you can view a sample schedule. Schedules may vary from year to year. The final class schedule for the school year is finalised in September. 

Student watching a screen
First year

In the first year, students have classes all together. Students make their final specialisation choice only after the first year. Class days are divided into lectures (morning) and tutorials (afternoon).

Theoretical material received in the morning is applied to the afternoon sessions. Lessons in the morning are followed in group, while you receive individual guidance and feedback from the coaches in the afternoon.

Second year

In the second year, you will have a number of specialisation modules within the programme you have chosen. Along with a number of foundation subjects, you will delve into Web Pentesting, Web Technology Security, Forensic Analysis, IT Law and Reverse Engineering, among others.

Third year

The final year is split into two halves. In the first half, you complete your training in network infrastructure security, threat and risk management, cryptography and you conduct a security audit within a real organisation. The second half of the year consists of an internship and a bachelor's thesis.

students during a job fair

Numerous job opportunities

Cyber Security Professionals are in high demand. There is no shortage of job opportunities:

  • Netwerk & Systems Engineer
  • Forensics Expert
  • Penetration Tester
  • Risk & Security Consultant
  • IT Consultant
  • Data Privacy Officer
  • Secure Software Developer
  • ... 

SME or multinational?

You can work in both large multinationals and smaller SMEs.

Many students come to study with us from other regions. Not only for our unique programmes, many practical projects and tailor-made courses, but also because we have a reputation within the industry for delivering high-quality degrees.

Studenten Toerisme en Recreatiemanagement met lesgever aan de Broeltorens in Kortrijk

How to apply as an incoming international student

All information on nominations, applications and tutions can be found here.

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Saturday 6 May
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Strengths of the programme

100% job security

SnapChat, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Yahoo!, ... only a small selection of companies that recently had to deal with cyber crime. The demand for security specialists has never been so high! As a Cyber Security specialist you will be trained in the latest technologies and techniques in the field of Cyber Security.

You will be proficient in both the attacking and the defensive side of Cyber Security and you will also be familiar with legislation and security management!”

With a degree in Cyber Security you are hugely sought after in the labor market. With 1000s of vacancies for security experts you can immediately get started with 100% job security both in Belgium and abroad!

Want to do business?

Many of our students also start their own business! In 2017 we started a Cyber Security & Blockchain incubator in Bruges!

Certificates

For many people, obtaining certification is a real boost for their career. These often cost thousands of euros at other agencies. Howest offers the possibility to obtain a lot of certificates during your training, for free or at a greatly reduced price!

  • The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) training is one of the most current and in-depth security training of its kind. The CEH certificate is internationally known as a valuable addition to Microsoft, Cisco or Linux certificates.
  • A Cisco Certified Network Associate, abbreviated CCNA certification issued by Cisco. The certificate is seen by many companies as an indication of the level of practical network knowledge.

Moreover, you will be well prepared for the advanced Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certificates.

Techniques

Offensive security

Learn not only to think like a hacker but also learn their techniques and tools to test the security of your systems. Do not wait until someone else discovers the weak link in your defense, but start looking for it yourself!

Defensive security

Keep control of your data! Learn everything about how you can protect systems and networks against all kinds of external threats. If data has leaked to the outside anyway, ... no problem because you are also adept at protecting your data through cryptography!

Knowledge

Legislation and security management

A good knowledge of the relevant legislation is of course essential for a Cyber Security specialist. In addition to your practical knowledge, you will also be able to coordinate security within your company thanks to your thorough knowledge of issues such as security management, threat and risk assessment, security frameworks, etc.

Practical Reverse engineering & Malware analysis

Learn all about analysing the latest viruses and malware. This course goes beyond theory and lets you gain hands-on experience thanks to specially developed samples.

Cyber Security Community

By participating in numerous activities and attending various security conferences, you will really become part of the international Cyber Security community.

Some of the events that our students took part in this year: Brucon, Infosecurity, Cyber Security Challenge, Cebit, Chaos Communication Congress, ...

Quality

Over the past few years, Howest has built a strong quality culture.

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Register now!

Have you decided? We look forward to welcoming you to our Howest community! 
You can find all information about registering via the link below.

Apply now

Studenten in pauze met koffie op de campus

FAQ

If you don't find what you're looking for or have a specific question about this program, please feel free to contact us. We are available every weekday from 9am to 5pm. Direct other questions to this contact person:

Kurt Schoenmaekers
Kurt Schoenmaekers

Contact person international Cyber Security Professional students 

Contacteer

Olga Belyaeva
Olga Belyaeva

International Admissions Officer

Contacteer

In the case you buy a laptop through Howest, you can look here which laptop is recomended by your course. In the case you already own a laptop or wish to buy a new one yourself, it needs to qualify to the same specifications.

Would you like to study abroad for a semester? Or are you interested in an international internship? You can! You will discover all the opportunities to go abroad within Howest on this page. During your studies, we will work together to make your international adventure a reality!

Voorkennis op het vlak van informatica is handig, maar geen noodzaak. Wil je je toch wat voorbereiden, dan is er onze instapcursus programmeren en web, maar die inhoud komt ook in de lessen aan bod.

Voor wiskunde verwachten we dat je minimum 4 uur per week wiskunde hebt gehad in het secundair. Is dit niet het geval, dan zijn de instapcursussen wiskunde aanbevolen. Om je verder te helpen, richten we tijdens het academiejaar ook monitoraten in (herhalings- en begeleidingssessies). 

We nemen de term toegepast in Toegepaste Informatica zeer letterlijk. Als professionele bachelor is het de bedoeling dat je dingen enigszins begrijpt maar de absolute meerwaarde zit in het uitvoeren en doen! Het vele projectwerk, de vele werkcolleges en labo’s bewijzen dat je zelf aan de slag gaat. We geloven dan ook dat passie en motivatie de sleutel is naar succes. Het euforisch gevoel na al het harde werk van een project valt dan ook niet te onderschatten. Hoe verder je in de opleiding vordert, hoe meer het belang van praktische taken naar boven komt. Helemaal op het einde is er dan de kers op de taart met de stage.

De meeste studenten komen uit wetenschappelijke richtingen in het ASO of uit informaticabeheer en boekhouden-informatica in het TSO. Heb je geen informatica gehad? Dat is geen probleem. Wil je je toch al wat voorbereiden voor de lessen starten? Dan je een van de instapcursussen programmeren of web volgen. Er zijn ook instapcursussen wiskunde als je minder dan 4 uur wiskunde hebt gehad in het secundair. 

We maken vanaf dag één gebruik van de modernste ontwikkeltechnieken. Onze code EN projecten worden beheerd door marktleiders binnen het vakgebied. We hanteren steeds de principes van Continuous Development & Integration. Dit helpt ons om een echte DevOps cultuur op te bouwen, en nieuwe technologie zoals bijvoorbeeld GitHub Copilot en chatGPT te omarmen. In de eerste jaren ligt de focus voornamelijk op het gebruiken van deze mogelijkheden, maar later bouwen we hierop verder om alles te integreren en ook zelf op te zetten. We differentiëren ons ook met het aanbod van onze specialisatiedomeinen. Zo zijn we marktleider in cybersecurity en bieden we een volwaardige afstudeerrichting Artificial Intelligence (AI) aan.  In het traject Software Engineering komen heel wat innovatieve ontwikkeltechnologieën aan bod en kan het DevOps verhaal volop uitgediept worden.   Daarnaast leer je in het uniek traject Web3 software veilig en gedistribueerd (democratisch) op te zetten, maar ook de principes van digitale eigendom en identiteit in bestaande applicaties te voorzien.