Hybrid Master Program Pathway

A unique upskilling opportunity to help you take control of your cybersecurity management and data sovereignty

Check the hybrid master program page: https://www.digital4security.eu/hybrid-masters/

The awarding institution is POLITEHNICA Bucharest (UPB).

4 semesters, 2 years

8 ENISA / ECSF profiles (https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications/european-cybersecurity-skills-framework-role-profiles) are covered: CISO; Cybersecurity manager; Risk analyst; Threat intelligence expert; Digital forensics investigator; Compliance officer; Cybersecurity educator

600 EUR / semester, 1200 EUR / year, 2400 EUR / the entire master program

Beginning of October. It varies depending on the academic year.

We expect a constant 6-10 hours of individual study each week. For online activity weeks, expect about 4-6 hours of live activities. For in-person activities, expect about 6-8 hours of live in-person activities.

The general semester schedule is:

• Semester 1 (October-January, 1st year): week 1, week 13 and week 14 (3 weeks) in person; weeks 2-12 online
• Semester 2 (March-May, 1st year): weeks 1-11 online, weeks 12-14 (3 weeks) in person; week 2-12 online
• Semester 3 (October-January, 2nd year): week 1, week 13 and week 14 in person (3 weeks); weeks 2-12 online
• Semester 4 (March-May, 2nd year): weeks 1-11 online, weeks 12-14 (3 weeks) in person; week 2-12 online

The in-person activities will mostly take place during weekends, and at the end of a day (2-4 hours) or at the beginning of a day (2-4 hours) in the respective weeks.

Live online sessions generally take place in the evening, starting with 4pm CEST or 5pm CEST.

Only EU citizens (and Romanian nationals) can be part of the hybrid master program.

After you apply, take the admissions exam, and are admitted, you will have to:

1. Pay the 600 EUR deposit (1st semester)
2. Have your high-school graduation diploma (original or certified legal copy and a simple copy)
3. Have your bachelor diploma (original or certified legal copy and a simple copy)
4. Have your ID card or passport
5. Have your birth certificate (original or certified legal copy and a simple copy)
6. In case you use a different name after marriage (different from the high-school or bachelor diploma), have your marriage certificate (original or certified legal copy and a simple copy)
7. Have 2 photos 3×4cm (typical ID card photos)
8. Program yourself on the platform: https://programari.acs.upb.ro/
9. Bring all documents in-person to POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers, according to the instructions on the website (https://acs.pub.ro/admitere/masterat/)

See full information in the UPB master admissions regulation: http://fsa.pub.ro/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Regulament-admitere-masterat-2026-2027.pdf

After you apply, after doing the admissions exam, and after being admitted, we will send your documents to and put you in touch with the UPB international office. They will then be sent to the agency for equating studies (https://cnred.edu.ro/). This takes about 1-2 months. Afterwards, you will go through the same steps as Romanian national students, to enroll.

Applications and admissions happen in two rounds: Round 1: Applications: March-May, Admissions: April-May, Enrollments: May and July (2 sessions) Round 2: Applications: July-September, Admissions: August-September, Enrollments: September

No, any bachelor's degree works.

After being admitted, you will receive information about payment. Paying the 1st semester deposit is a requirement for enrollment. So will pay after admission and before enrollment.

You can ask for a refund before signing the study contract with UPB. After that, no refund is possible.

The admissions exam is a short 5-minute interview, covering:

1. Control of the English language
2. Motivation for being part of the program
3. General knowledge of and experience with IT-related topics
4. Areas of interest in the field of cybersecurity, cybersecurity management, and data sovereignty

Yes, you can ask to receive the offer for a full year or the entire master program and pay for it.

Generally, we advise you to bring your own laptop, to have a friendly work environment, and to keep the work outcome. However, if you need it, we can provide a workstation in the lab.

Yes, they are mandatory, as per regulations of the master program and the regulations of the university. In case of exceptional situations where you can’t be part of an activity, that will be reflected in your grading.

We open 200 admission spots for each academic year.

According to the UPB regulations (https://admitere.pub.ro/Admitere/site/infogen), proof of English is done via:

1. Submission of an official English certificate, minimum B2
2. Being part of a bachelor's degree taught in English
3. Having an English class during the bachelor's studies with a minimum passing grade of 8 (out of 10), or equivalent
4. As a fallback, doing an online interview with the admissions team to have an evaluation of the English level

Generally, grading is split between a) Participation / involvement in live activities b) Assignments / homework / projects c) Exam Typically, exams account for 50% of the total grade. The rest comes from activity involvement and homework/projects.

Yes, the master's program concludes with a dissertation project, which you will work on throughout all 4 semesters of the degree. In each semester, there is a module called "Supervised Applied Project” that requires you to work on the dissertation project, under supervision of a teacher. Each semester requires you to submit a master's report. At the end of the studies, you are to submit a master thesis and be part of a master thesis defense session.