MAI STUDIESLearning for Life

Faculty

Faculty of Cyber Security & Digital Resilience

Defend real systems, and prove you can when it counts.

Security is taught as a full lifecycle: understanding threats, controlling identity and access, defending networks and endpoints, building software securely, and responding when something goes wrong. Advanced study covers governance, assurance, resilience exercising and evidencing control effectiveness to auditors and regulators.

Focus areas

Threat modelling
Identity and access management
Secure development
Cloud security controls
Incident response and resilience

Where graduates go

Security analyst
GRC analyst
Incident response associate
Security engineer

Curriculum pathway

Three levels, each with its own aim, entry expectations and assessed outcomes.

Level 1 — Security Foundations

Typically 8 weeks

Understand threats, identity and everyday defensive controls.

Assessed outcomes

Model threats against a simple system
Apply identity and access controls
Recognise and report incidents

Entry expectations

Open to all.

Programmes at this level

Cybersecurity 101: Protecting Your Digital Life

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in cybersecurity 101: protecting your digital life, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

4 weeks · 20 hours

Included with membership

Fundamentals of Network Security

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in fundamentals of network security, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

4 weeks · 20 hours

Included with membership

Security Fundamentals Certification Study Support

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in security fundamentals certification study support, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

4 weeks · 20 hours

Included with membership

Introduction to Ethical Hacking and Vulnerability Assessment

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in introduction to ethical hacking and vulnerability assessment, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

4 weeks · 20 hours

Included with membership

Cyber Hygiene and Phishing Awareness for Teams

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in cyber hygiene and phishing awareness for teams, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

4 weeks · 20 hours

Included with membership

Level 2 — Defensive Engineering

Typically 9 weeks

Secure networks, endpoints, software and cloud environments.

Assessed outcomes

Harden a cloud environment
Review code and dependencies for security issues
Build detection for a known attack path

Entry expectations

Completion of Level 1 or IT experience.

Programmes at this level

Cyber Security & Digital Resilience

Assess threats, design layered controls and lead evidence-based response and recovery exercises.

8 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Practical Penetration Testing for Web Applications

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in practical penetration testing for web applications, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 30 hours

Included with membership

Ethical Hacking Practitioner Study Bootcamp

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in ethical hacking practitioner study bootcamp, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 30 hours

Included with membership

Digital Forensics: Incident Response and Investigation

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in digital forensics: incident response and investigation, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 30 hours

Included with membership

Linux Security and Hardening Fundamentals

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in linux security and hardening fundamentals, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 30 hours

Included with membership

Networking Fundamentals Accelerated Training

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in networking fundamentals accelerated training, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 30 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Cybersecurity

Protecting computer networks and data from cyber threats. A twelve-week Mai Studies diploma programme with recorded classes, notes, assessed work and a completion certificate.

12 weeks · 120 hours

Included with membership

Level 3 — Resilience, Governance & Assurance

Typically 10 weeks

Lead incident response and evidence control effectiveness.

Assessed outcomes

Run a structured incident response exercise
Map controls to a recognised framework
Produce assurance evidence for an audit

Entry expectations

Completion of Level 2.

Programmes at this level

Offensive Security and Ethical Hacking Practitioner

Test systems the way an attacker would, lawfully, and write findings a business will actually act on.

12 weeks · 65 hours

Included with membership

Security Leadership and Risk (CISSP-Aligned Study Support)

Original Mai Studies programme covering security governance, risk management, asset security and security architecture for learners preparing for senior security roles.

12 weeks · 60 hours

Included with membership

Cloud Security Architecture (CCSP-Aligned Study Support)

Original Mai Studies programme on securing cloud architectures, data, platforms and operations for professionals preparing for advanced cloud security roles.

10 weeks · 50 hours

Included with membership

Advanced Exploitation Techniques and Malware Analysis

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in advanced exploitation techniques and malware analysis, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 40 hours

Included with membership

Information Systems Security Leadership Study Programme

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in information systems security leadership study programme, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 40 hours

Included with membership

Cloud Security Architecture and Threat Hunting

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in cloud security architecture and threat hunting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 40 hours

Included with membership

DevSecOps: Integrating Security into the CI/CD Pipeline

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in devsecops: integrating security into the ci/cd pipeline, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 40 hours

Included with membership

Zero Trust Architecture: Design and Implementation

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in zero trust architecture: design and implementation, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 40 hours

Included with membership