Simon Fraser University offers Cybersecurity Graduate Diploma, a postgraduate diploma in Cyber Security programme in Burnaby, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 1,300 per credit for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Postgraduate Diploma
Field:Cyber Security
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 1,300 / credit
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
SFU's Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity is applied training in system hardening, data protection and threat defence, taught jointly by faculty researchers and working security practitioners. Coursework starts from the security foundations of systems, software and networks, then works through memory-corruption attack and defence (shellcode, buffer overflows, control-flow protection), vulnerability analysis using format-string, ROP and return-to-libc techniques, routing and protocol security, and the attack vectors carried over ARP, ICMP, DNS and TCP/IP. It also covers firewalls, VPNs and intrusion detection, web security and penetration testing against real-world vulnerabilities, cloud security and defence strategies for distributed systems, and cryptography from primitives, digital signatures, MACs and public-key systems to applied protocols and the attacks against them. Graduates leave with hands-on grounding in defending networks, spotting intrusions and designing systems securely, which positions them for work as cybersecurity analysts, in security operations, or in network security engineering.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:2.50 / 4.33
Admission Requirements: Simon Fraser University's Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity requires a bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in computer science or a related field, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5/4.33 for Canadian degrees, or 2.67/4.33 based on the last 60 undergraduate credits. Applicants must be proficient in Java, Python and C++, and have a foundation in calculus, linear algebra, statistics, data structures, algorithms, databases and operating systems. International-degree holders must meet SFU's published country-specific equivalent qualifications. This page does not state an English-language test score of its own. The diploma is currently open only to domestic applicants (Canadian citizens or permanent residents) due to capacity limits, with the Fall 2027 intake opening for applications on 1 October 2026.
Application Details
Start Date:September 2027
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC, with one set of dates per applicant type rather than by citizenship. Fall 2027 entry: high-school-route applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027, while transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027 (Education and Contemporary Arts transfer applicants may apply from 1 October 2026). Spring 2027 entry runs 1 July to 15 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry runs 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Admission documents are generally due 28 February 2027 (Fall) and offers must be accepted by 1 May. International applicants use the same EducationPlannerBC dates and portal; SFU publishes no separate international deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
