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Study cryptography

Cryptography careers: building a better digital world

Careers
Published 11 Aug, 2021  ·  3-minute read

Discover where your career could take you when you study cryptography.

In today’s digital age, technology makes much of our lives simpler. We can make smarter decisions faster, instantly connect with friends and family all around the world, manage our finances at the touch of a button, and so much more with an ease never experienced before in human history.

Unfortunately, the range of benefits offered by our current technological revolution comes with a serious trade-off: the constant threat of cyber-attacks.

Experts estimate Australia will need an additional 18,000 cyber security professionals by 2026 to keep our systems and data secure. People who study cryptography at university will play a key role in handling this important task.

What is cryptography?

Cryptography is the science of using mathematics to encrypt and decrypt data. It’s a vital element of cyber defence.

Ensuring the security of tomorrow through cryptography

Studying cryptography

Cryptography allows us to store sensitive information, or transmit it across insecure networks, in a way that stops anyone apart from the intended recipient reading it.

Its origins date back hundreds of years, when people would encode handwritten messages to protect sensitive information. Today, it is a vital component in safeguarding digital data across a seemingly endless array of digital platforms and devices.

With a cryptography career, you can contribute to this valuable work.

Why study cryptography?

Would you love to work in cutting-edge areas such as quantum computation, quantum information and modern cryptography? Want to team up with world-leading agencies to tackle big cyber security challenges? Or perhaps pursue security roles in the public and private sectors?

The University of Queensland’s Master of Cyber Security (Cryptography) will give you the skills and confidence to make it happen. With cryptography education and training from UQ, you’ll graduate ready to play a lead role in the technical heart of cyber security, with modern and emerging cryptographic techniques.

What you’ll learn from cryptography training

Equip yourself to succeed with some of the best cryptography courses available. You’ll start by exploring the fundamentals of the cyber security sector, including how the different disciplines within the industry interact, before moving into your area of technical specialisation – cryptography.

By developing your understanding of the global cyber security landscape, informed by industry and government experts, you’ll find better ways to defend, adapt and lead for a resilient, more productive digital world.

Topics covered include:

  • cryptographic methods for encryption, decryption & authentication
  • public-key versus private-key cryptosystems
  • hash functions
  • error correction and detection
  • cryptocurrency
  • cryptography for blockchain
  • quantum algorithms and quantum-safe cryptography.
Cryptography classroom

Craft and adapt your skills with the help of industry leaders

When you study cryptography at UQ, you won’t just learn the theory. Driven and taught by some of the brightest researchers in the industry, you’ll apply that theory to real-world systems as well as undertaking internships or research projects with leading Australian companies and government agencies.

You’ll learn how to:

  • conceptualise, design and build secure IT systems
  • expertly review and evaluate cyber security information.

Cryptography career possibilities

Postgraduate cryptography study can take you anywhere. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to with a Master of Cyber Security (Cryptography):

  • cryptographic systems engineer
  • intelligence officer
  • malware researcher
  • applied cryptographer
  • theoretical cryptographer
  • signals intelligence officer
  • malware analyst
  • financial systems engineer
  • payment systems engineer.

No matter where your career takes you, you’ll graduate with the skills to look at problems from a different angle, ask bigger questions, and find new and exciting ways to meet the security challenges of the future. Learn more about UQ's Master of Cyber Security.

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