| Coursework at ETH Zürich is an integral part of the joint Master’s in Cyber Security. As an EPFL student, you must begin your Master’s program in Lausanne. After completing your first semester at EPFL, you are required to complete between 20 and 35 ECTS at ETH Zürich. How and when you complete these credits depends on when you started the Master’s program at EPFL. See Study Options at ETH Zürich and FAQ Cyber Security. For courses at ETH Zürich, the regulations and deadlines of ETH Zürich are binding. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with all relevant rules and deadlines pertaining to course attendance and exam registration Note: Courses at ETH Zürich 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 end November. For the autumn semester, the final course list will be known by the beginning of June. |
Cyber Security Study Plan
Group 1 – Depth & Breadth
| Code | Course | Equivalent EPFL Course (*) | Semester | Credits | Course Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263-4500-00L | Advanced Algorithms | Advanced Algorithms (CS-450) | autumn 2026 | 9 | Breadth |
| 252-0535-00L | Advanced Machine Learning | Machine Learning (CS-433) | autumn 2026 | 10 | Breadth |
| 263-3010-00L | Big Data | autumn 2026 | 10 | Breadth | |
| 263-3845-00L | Data Management Systems | autumn 2026 | 8 | Breadth | |
| 227-2210-00L | Computer Architecture | autumn 2026 | 8 | Breadth | |
| 263-4400-00L | Advanced Graphs Algorithms and Optimization | spring 2026 | 10 | Breadth | |
| 263-3855-00L | Cloud Computing Architecture | spring 2026 | 9 | Breadth | |
| 263-4660-00L | Applied Cryptography | spring 2026 | 8 | Depth | |
| 263-5354-00L | Large Language Models | spring 2026 | 8 | Breadth |
(*) Students may take either the EPFL course or the equivalent ETH Zürich course, but they cannot count both toward the 30 ECTS “breadth” requirement.
Group 2 – Depth & Options
Courses
| Code | Course | Equivalent EPFL Course | Semester | Credits | Course Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263-4640-00L | Network Security | autumn 2026 | 8 | Depth | |
| 252-0463-00L | Security Engineering | autumn 2026 | 7 | Depth | |
| 252-1414-00L | System Security | autumn 2026 | 7 | Depth | |
| 263-4658-00L | Privacy Enhancing Technologies | autumn 2026 | 7 | Depth | |
| 227-0575-00L | Advanced Topics in Communication Networks | autumn 2026 | 6 | Depth | |
| 227-0579-00L | Hardware Security | autumn 2026 | 8 | Depth | |
| 252-1411-00L | Security of Wireless Networks | autumn 2026 | 6 | Depth | |
| 263-4567-00L | Advanced Encryption Schemes | autumn 2026 | 5 | Depth | |
| 263-4665-00L | Zero-Knowledge Proofs | autumn 2026 | 5 | Depth | |
| 252-0408-00L | Cryptographic Protocols | spring 2026 | 6 | Depth | |
| 263-4600-00L | Formal Methods for Information Security | spring 2026 | 5 | Depth | |
| 263-4656-00L | Digital Signatures | spring 2026 | 5 | Depth | |
| 263-2815-00L | Automated Software Testing | spring 2026 | 7 | Depth |
Seminars (*)
| Code | Course | Semester | Credits | Course Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252-4601-00L | Current Topics in Information Security | autumn 2026 | 2 | Depth | |
| 263-2931-00L | AI Security Seminar: From Code to Agent Security | autumn 2026 | 2 | Depth | |
| 252-2603-00L | Seminar on Systems Security | spring 2026 | 2 | Depth | |
| 263-4651-00L | Current Topics in Cryptography | spring 2026 | 2 | Depth |
(*) Across all classes at EPFL / ETH Zürich, only up to one lab and one seminar can count towards the depth requirement (Group 2).
Laboratories (*)
| Code | Course | Semester | Credits | Course Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252-0811-00L | Applied Security Laboratory | autumn 2026 | 8 | Depth | |
| 263-0009-00L | Information Security Lab | autumn 2026 | 8 | Depth |
(*) Across all classes at EPFL / ETH Zürich, 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 Zürich Cyber Security faculty list. The duration of the research project at ETH Zürich 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 Zürich at the beginning of the semester.
Other Optional Courses
| Courses | Semester | Credits | Course Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Master level courses at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich. | ETH Zürich Course Catalogue | autumn / spring | 2-10 | Options |
These credits will be counted as optional courses towards Group 2.
ETH Zürich Science in Perspective (SHS)
| Courses | Semester | Credits | Course Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses offered by GESS (with the exception of language classes) | ETH Zürich Course Catalogue | autumn / spring | 2-3 | SHS |
How can I view the SHS modules offered at ETH Zürich?
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.