| The semester at ETH Zurich is a mandatory part of the Master’s program. The duration of the semester at ETH Zurich cannot be extended. Students enrolled at EPFL must start the Master’s program in Lausanne. During the program, one semester must be spent at ETH Zurich: – Students must take courses for a total of 20 – 35 credits. – Students must complete a Cyber Security Learning Agreement for the semester at ETH Zurich. For the courses at ETH Zurich, the regulations of ETH Zurich apply. Note: Courses at ETH Zurich at the Master’s level are fairly stable, but there is no guarantee that they will be offered every year. For the spring semester, the final cyber security course list will be known by mid-November. For the autumn semester, the final course list will be known by the beginning of June. |
Cyber Security Study Plan (spring 2025)
Group 1 – Core courses – Breadth requirement
| Code | Course | Equivalent EPFL Course (*) | Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263-4500-00L | Advanced Algorithms | Advanced Algorithms (CS-450) | autumn 2024 | 9 |
| 252-0535-00L | Advanced Machine Learning | Machine Learning (CS-433) | autumn 2024 | 10 |
| 263-3010-00L | Big Data | autumn 2024 | 10 | |
| 263-3845-00L | Data Management Systems | autumn 2024 | 8 | |
| 227-2210-00L | Computer Architecture | autumn 2024 | 8 | |
| 263-4400-00L | Advanced Graphs Algorithms and Optimization | spring 2025 | 10 | |
| 263-3855-00L | Cloud Computing Architecture | spring 2025 | 9 | |
| 263-4660-00L | Applied Cryptography | spring 2025 | 8 | |
| 263-5354-00L | Large Language Models | spring 2025 | 8 |
(*) Students may take either the EPFL course or the equivalent ETHZ course, but they cannot count both toward the 30 ECTS “breadth” requirement.
Group 2 – Options – Depth requirement
Courses
| Code | Course | Equivalent EPFL Course (*) | Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263-4640-00L | Network Security | autumn 2024 | 8 | |
| 252-0463-00L | Security Engineering | autumn 2024 | 7 | |
| 252-1414-00L | System Security | autumn 2024 | 7 | |
| 263-4658-00L | Privacy Enhancing Technologies | autumn 2024 | 7 | |
| 227-0575-00L | Advanced Topics in Communication Networks | autumn 2024 | 6 | |
| 227-0579-00L | Hardware Security | autumn 2024 | 8 | |
| 252-1411-00L | Security of Wireless Networks | autumn 2024 | 6 | |
| 263-4567-00L | Advanced Encryption Schemes | not given autumn 2024 | 5 | |
| 263-4665-00L | Zero-Knowledge Proofs | autumn 2024 | 5 | |
| 252-0408-00L | Cryptographic Protocols | spring 2025 | 6 | |
| 263-4600-00L | Formal Methods for Information Security | spring 2025 | 5 | |
| 263-4656-00L | Digital Signatures | spring 2025 | 5 | |
| 263-2815-00L | Automated Software Testing | spring 2025 | 7 |
Seminar (*)
| Code | Course | Semester | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252-4601-00L | Current Topics in Information Security | autumn 2024 | 2 | |
| 252-2603-00L | Seminar on Systems Security | spring 2025 | 2 | |
| 263-4651-00L | Current Topics in Cryptography | spring 2025 | 2 |
(*) Across all classes at EPFL / ETH Zurich, only up to one lab and one seminar can count towards the depth requirement (Group 2).
Laboratories (*)
| Code | Course | Semester | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252-0811-00L | Applied Security Laboratory | not given autumn 2024 | 8 | |
| 263-0009-00L | Information Security Laboratory | autumn 2024 | 8 |
(*) Across all classes at EPFL / ETH Zurich, only up to one lab and one seminar can count towards the depth requirement (Group 2).
Research project (Semester project)
| Code | Course | Semester | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260-0100-00L | Research project | autumn / spring | 12 |
Research projects must be supervised by a professor on the ETH Zurich faculty list. The duration of the research project at ETH Zurich must be 14 weeks, as for a project carried out at EPFL. You should fix the dates for your research project with your supervisor at ETH Zurich at the beginning of the semester.
Other optional courses
| Courses | Semester | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Master level courses at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. | ETHZ Course Catalogue | autumn / spring | 2-18 |
These credits will be counted as optional courses towards Group 2.
ETHZ Science in Perspective (SHS)
| Courses | Semester | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courses offered by GESS (with the exception of language classes) | ETHZ Course Catalogue | autumn / spring | 3-6 |
How can I view the SHS modules offered at ETH Zurich?
Search for Courses
Semester: select the desired semester
Level: Master’s Degree Programme
Department: Computer Science
Structure
Program: Cyber Security Master
Section: Science in Perspective
If you enter the search above, you will get links to all available courses. You can select “Type A” and “Type B” courses. Language courses are not counted.
| Useful links – ETHZ academic calendar – Registration of course units – Registering for examinations – Deregistering from examinations – Help for “myStudies” (equivalent to IS-Academia at ETHZ) – Course catalogue publication dates |