Objectives

The Specialized Master’s degree trains experts in the planning and conduct of cyber operations as well as crisis management in cyber defense. In conjunction with information systems security specialists, these experts ensure the integration, coherence and synchronization of the cyber maneuver within the overall maneuver.

The training is accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles. It lasts one year and includes an academic training period (540 hours) followed by a professional mission (4 months) leading to the writing of a professional thesis. It is sanctioned by the attribution of 75 ECTS credits.

The Specialized Master’s program mobilizes the training schools of the French Army (Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan and École des Transmissions), the managers and experts of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, scholars and professionals from the world of cyber defense and cyber security. It also includes a large number of foreign speakers (United States, Estonia, Japan…)

The Specialized Master® is open to the following:

• Officers of the three armed forces and civilian executives of the Ministry of the Armed Forces;
• Executives of the national or territorial civil service;
• Executives of the Opérateurs d’importance vitale;
• French-speaking foreign officers.

The Specialized Master® is open, within the framework of continuing education, to holders of:

• An engineering degree issued by a school accredited by the Commission des titres d’ingénieurs (CTI) ;
• An accredited Master 2 degree, certifying training in the field of engineering sciences;
• A foreign diploma equivalent to the French diplomas required above.

Applicants who do not have an engineering degree or a Master’s degree may apply. After examination by the selection committee, their application may be accepted by way of derogation and within the limit of one third of candidates admitted on the basis of their qualifications.

The first area of training must allow the trainee to update and reinforce his knowledge by a set of theoretical scientific knowledge, methods, techniques and tools that will allow him to master the technical issues of information systems security and the consideration of threats and opportunities of the cyber dimension of contemporary conflicts.

The second domain aims at providing the trainee with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the context of cyber operations, to integrate them into the planning of the maneuver of the forces and to ensure the coherence of their implementation. This area will be based primarily on the study of social and political sciences, doctrines, structures and procedures in military organizations, planning processes and team leadership.

The last area of training concerns the management of cyber crises, which will be anticipated by drawing on the lessons learned from the theoretical analysis of unconventional crises and feedback from experience in this area. The professional mission will be carried out within the Ministry of the Armed Forces or in administrations or companies, particularly those that are vital operators.

The professional thesis must allow the trainee to carry out an intellectual work that meets the requirements of scientific production.

This training combines:

• Courses or lectures given by academics, experts and practitioners;
• Tutorials and case studies carried out in small groups;
• Visits and meetings with French or foreign actors;
• A significant amount of personal work to prepare and deepen the courses, lectures or tutorials;
• Essential group work for case studies and other situational exercises.