Bachelor's degree or equivalent in IT or ICT (degree in other field is accepted only if the candidate has at least 1 year work experience in IT).

In order to qualify for the studies in Tallinn University of Technology an applicant has to have at least 60% of the highest possible CGPA.

In order to apply, a candidate is required to upload a Test-taker Score Report of the GRE General Test to the DreamApply application system with the necessary threshold scores:

• Verbal Reasoning at least 145
• Quantitative Reasoning at least 150
• Analytical Writing score at least 3.0

This is a prerequisite for qualifying and has to be fulfilled latest by the application deadline.

Candidates who have obtained a full Bachelor's degree in EU, EFTA or OECD member state are waived from the GRE requirement.

Please see more information about our GRE General Test requirement here, including the exact eligibility criteria for being exempted from this prerequisite and how to order the test result electronically to TalTech.

• Please include the following:

  • Describe your professional goals. How does the degree programme you are applying for will support your professional profile?

  • Why do you apply for the chosen programme? Which of the courses offered in this programme are particularly beneficial in pursuing your professional goals?

  • Describe your previous experience and competencies related to IT — e.g. your works and projects, skills you have mastered at training courses or by yourself, online IT courses you have passed, free and open-source software projects you have participated in, list of Github, Bitbucket and other social coding repositories, etc.

  • If you do not have previous IT experience, please explain your motivation why you decided to study cybersecurity.

  • List achievements that you are very proud of. For example, this might include the development of open-source tools; published academic papers; etc.

  • Please point out 1-2 potential research questions of your interest, about which you might consider writing your final MSc thesis.

NB! It is important to properly cite and reference any sources used in your motivation letter (quotations, publications, ideas etc. that are not your own). Neglecting the rules of referencing and citation is considered plagiarism and will result in the disqualification of your application.

Motivation Letter and Online Lab grading scale: 1–10 points. Candidate must collect at least 5 points.

A good Internet connection is recommended in order to access the virtual lab. The virtual lab is cloud-based so no special hardware or software is required. More detailed information will be sent to your email after the preliminary evaluation. 

Motivation Letter and Online Lab grading scale: 1–10 points. Candidate must collect at least 5 points.

The aim of the interview is to understand your academic potential, motivation and suitability for your chosen course. For this reason, the interview will include some technical questions.

• Questions are composed to assess your:

  • problem-solving abilities;

  • intellectual flexibility and analytical skills;

  • assimilation of new ideas and information.

Topics that are covered during interview

• Interviews are discussion-based, mainly academic and program-related:

  • personal motivation and information provided in the written application;

  • engagement with the cyber security area;

  • algorithms and scripting/programming;

  • cryptography;

  • network security;

  • digital forensics;

  • security management & strategies;

  • legal and ethical aspects of cyber security;

  • potential project idea for thesis topic.

The length of an interview is 20-30 minutes and will be conducted by the specialists in the programme you have applied for.

Grading scale: 1–10 points. Candidate must collect at least 5 points.

The public focus on the field of cyber security is growing around the world. Estonia is well known for its eagerness to put innovative IT solutions into everyday use. It is a pioneer in electronic identities and electronic voting and enthusiastically adopts mobile technology, online banking and electronic government services. However, with so many e-solutions and such extensive use of the internet, attention also needs to be turned to the security issue.

• By choosing electable courses, it is possible to specialise in one of the following aspects or a suitable mix of those:

  • Organisational aspects - law, organization, psychology, standards, etc.

  • Technological aspects - networking, attack/defence technology, cryptography.

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science encompassing the recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices, often in relation to computer crime. The area is becoming critical for both data security and law enforcement and is involved in a complicated interplay between surveillance and counter-surveillance issues.

Cryptography is vital for the functioning of the modern interconnected world, since it is required to ensure privacy, data integrity, etc. Cryptography experts are required to develop new ways of keeping data secure, as well as making sure that the existing solutions are still strong enough.