Bellevue University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Bellevue's online M.S. in Cybersecurity is a 36-credit, fully online master's at $680 per credit, taught at a school the NSA and DHS have designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. It suits working adults who want a no-GRE master's with hands-on tool work, and it costs less than most private-university options.

Bellevue University is a private nonprofit school in Bellevue, Nebraska, built around online programs for working adults. Its Master of Science in Cybersecurity runs 100% online, and the school says students learn on many open source and commercial cyber tools instead of only reading about them.

The credential that stands out is the school's designation. The NSA and DHS have named Bellevue a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) for academic years 2022 through 2027. That designation covers the university's cybersecurity education, so it is a signal about the school's curriculum, not a guarantee about any single course.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $680 per credit hour, and the school's own number puts 36 credits at $24,480. The same school's online bachelor's in cybersecurity charges $459 per credit hour, so the graduate rate is higher, as master's rates usually are.

The published tuition is a clean figure to plan around, but ask what fees and books sit on top of it. Check whether the rate is locked for the life of your enrollment, and whether your employer offers tuition assistance that would change the math. Bellevue serves working adults, so many students ask the second question.

36 credits at $680 a credit comes to $24,480 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You work full time and want a master's you can finish without ever visiting campus, with coursework done in weekly modules instead of scheduled class meetings.
• You earned your bachelor's with a middling GPA. Bellevue asks for a 2.5 in your most recent 60 credit hours, and applicants below that can appeal for a program director review.
• You'd rather skip entrance exams. The school says no GRE or GMAT is required for its master's programs.
• You want to practice on real security tools while you study, since the program emphasizes open source and commercial cyber tools.

Who Should Skip It

• You want to pick a specialization. The degree is one general cybersecurity track, so look at schools with named concentrations if you want a focus area.
• You need a thesis or a research path toward a Ph.D. Ask whether any research option exists before you assume one does.

The degree is 36 credit hours. The teaching approach is the part to focus on: students work with many open source and commercial cyber tools as part of the coursework.

That tool focus is worth testing in conversation. Ask the admissions team which tools show up in which courses, whether labs run in a hosted environment you reach from a browser, and whether you build a final project you could show an employer. A master's where you finish with documented lab work reads very differently on a resume than one built mainly on papers and exams.

Standout Features

• Immersive learning with open source and commercial cyber tools
• NSA and DHS designation of Bellevue University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) for academic years 2022 through 2027

Bellevue says the program is 100% online learning, and the school's research notes describe coursework completed through weekly modules without scheduled class meetings. In practice that means you're not logging in at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. You work through each week's material and deadlines on your own timing.

That format is a strength if your work hours change, and a weakness if you learn better with live discussion. Federal data shows that 97% of Bellevue's graduate students study exclusively online, so most of your classmates will be remote, working adults like you. Winter term classes start in November, so ask admissions for the other start dates.

You earn a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from a school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Don't buy it expecting a built-in certification exam, and ask whether any course maps to one.

What you do get is the CAE-CD designation of the university. Some federal scholarship and hiring pipelines for cyber roles look for graduates of designated schools, so if you're aiming at government or defense work, ask the career office how the designation helps in practice. Federal earnings data shows graduates of Bellevue's programs in this field earn a median $126,292.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• Federal data shows an 8-year completion rate of 48.5% for transfer-in students, which is on the low side. Ask what support the school gives students who stall midway.
• With one general track, you get less customization than at schools with multiple concentrations.
• Ask how many courses you can take per term and what pace students actually keep, since that sets how long you'll be paying tuition.
• Because the format has no scheduled class meetings, you carry all the self-discipline.

• Which open source and commercial tools will I use, and in which courses?
• What are the term start dates after the November start, and how many courses can I take per term?
• Does the program end with a capstone or portfolio project I can show employers?
• Does my bachelor's need to be in a technical field, and are there bridge courses if it isn't?
• How does the CAE-CD designation help with federal scholarships or government hiring for graduates?
• Is the $680 per credit rate locked for the length of my enrollment, and what fees are added?

Private nonprofit university in Bellevue, Nebraska with online programs for working adults.

• Best No-GRE Online Master's Rank 4 of 10, master's

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $459 per credit Score 61.1

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