Davenport University Online Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cyber Security

This is the master's for people who want to finish with a thesis and a recognized federal designation behind the school. It's 31 credits at $1,148 per credit, with no GRE or GMAT, and Davenport counts work experience and earned certificates toward the credit you need. The thesis makes it a research-flavored choice, so it fits someone who wants to write and defend something, not only complete coursework.

Davenport University is a private, not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it delivers online degrees through its Global Campus. This Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cyber Security is 31 credits and can be finished in as little as two years.

Davenport is one of a small group of Michigan schools designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE CDE) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). That designation is a school-level recognition, and it reaches the associate and bachelor's programs too.

Those sibling programs are the Associate of Applied Science in Cyber Defense at 60 credits and the Bachelor of Science in Cyber Defense at 120 credits. Both are undergraduate. This master's is the graduate step, and it's the one with a thesis.

You earn a Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cyber Security. Federal data shows median earnings of $97,493 for graduates in this field and 11 awards a year at Davenport, with 53% of transfer-in students earning an award within eight years.

The CAE CDE designation comes from the NSA and DHS. It describes the school's cyber defense education, and it can matter if you're aiming at government or defense work. The page also names CISSP among the certifications the coursework supports.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You want to write and present a thesis. Davenport says you'll get support to submit and present one, which suits someone eyeing research, policy work or a later doctorate.
• You have years of work and a few certifications. Davenport offers credit for work experience and earned certificates to reduce the classes you need and your cost.
• You'd rather skip entrance exams. The program states that no GRE or GMAT score is required.
• You may qualify for the DoW scholarship, which the program page says offers full-tuition awards.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a project or practical capstone in place of a thesis. This program asks you to submit and present a thesis, which is a different kind of work.
• You're counting every dollar. At $1,148 per credit across 31 credits, this is a private-school price.
• You want to start with a bachelor's-level program. Davenport's undergraduate cyber defense degrees are separate and cheaper per credit.

The page highlights hands-on case studies in high-tech labs, which pairs applied work with the thesis. Case studies teach you to reason through an incident or a design decision, and the thesis asks you to go deeper on one question.

The degree title joins two ideas. Information assurance is the discipline of keeping information trustworthy, available and protected, and cyber security is the technical defense of the systems that hold it. Together they cover both the management and technical sides.

Certification prep is a thread. The page points to industry certification exams, with CISSP named. CISSP expects years of professional experience, so a master's alone won't earn the credential, but the coursework supports the exam knowledge.

Standout Features

• Designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE CDE) by the NSA and DHS
• Full-tuition DoW scholarships available
• Hands-on case studies in high-tech labs

Graduate online tuition is $1,148 per credit hour. The degree is 31 credits, so multiply to see tuition, then ask about fees.

Three things can lower the bill. Davenport gives credit for work experience and earned certificates, which can cut the number of classes. Full-tuition awards are available through the DoW scholarship. And with no GRE or GMAT, you avoid exam costs.

For comparison inside Davenport, undergraduate online tuition is $1,059 per credit hour for Michigan residents, so the graduate rate is higher.

31 credits at $1,148 a credit comes to $35,588 in tuition, before fees.

The degree is delivered online through Davenport's Global Campus. Ask how the thesis is supervised at a distance, since advising matters more there than in a coursework-only program.

Federal data shows 93% of graduate students at Davenport enrolled exclusively online, which means the campus is built around distance learners. The school has 4,815 students overall. A 98% admit rate points to open access, and a 57% graduation rate suggests you'll want to plan carefully to finish.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The thesis requirement means this isn't the quick practical route, and finishing it on a two-year pace takes planning.
• At $1,148 per credit, tuition is a private-school price, and the rate is higher than Davenport's own undergraduate rate.
• The 57% graduation rate school-wide means finishing isn't guaranteed.
• Certification prep is general, so you'll need to pick and study for exams like CISSP separately.

• How many of the 31 credits could my work experience and certifications replace?
• Who supervises the thesis, and how do online students meet with advisers?
• How do the DoW full-tuition scholarships work, and who qualifies?
• What do the high-tech labs and case studies look like for an online student?
• What fees come on top of the $1,148 per credit rate?
• Which certification exams does the coursework prepare me for, beyond CISSP?

Private, not-for-profit university in Michigan with a Global Campus for online students.

• Best Information Assurance Degrees Rank 7 of 10, master's
• Best Thesis Option Programs Rank 6 of 9, master's
• Best Online Programs in Michigan Rank 3 of 5, master's

• Bachelor of Science in Cyber Defense

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $716 per credit Score 45.9

• Associate of Applied Science in Cyber Defense

  A.A.S., Associate

  Fully Online $716 per credit Score 44.4

• University of Utah

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

  Utah $1,300 per credit Score 44.9

• Colorado Technical University

  Master of Science in Computer Science - Cybersecurity Engineering

  Colorado Score 45.1

• Our Lady of the Lake University

  Online MS in Cybersecurity

  Texas $1,031 per credit Score 44.0

• Minnesota State University, Mankato

  Information Security & Risk Management (PSM)

  Minnesota $1,103 per credit Score 43.9