Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Online Master of Science in Aviation Cybersecurity

This is a fully online master's degree that teaches cybersecurity through aviation and aerospace, from air traffic systems to drones and space. It is a specialist degree for people who work in or near aviation, and tuition is $27,060 for 30 credits with a lower military rate. If you want a general security master's, a broader program will give you more options.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide (ERAU) is the online and global campus of a private nonprofit university based in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Master of Science in Aviation Cybersecurity is 30 credits, entirely online, and it is a niche degree by design.

Most cybersecurity master's programs teach security in general. This one applies it to the aviation and aerospace ecosystem, including air traffic management and uncrewed systems. A student who works at an airline, airport, defense contractor or aerospace manufacturer sees familiar systems on the syllabus, not abstract examples.

ERAU has no sibling cybersecurity master's online. Its other cyber master's degree, in Cyber Intelligence and Security, is in person at the Prescott, Arizona, campus. So if you want an online ERAU security degree, this is the one.

The 2026-27 civilian rate is $902 per credit hour. Over 30 credits, tuition comes to $27,060. The military rate is $755 per credit hour for U.S. service members, reservists, National Guard members, spouses and dependents age 26 and under.

Those rates apply to Worldwide Online and most U.S. and international Worldwide locations. Federal data lists a campus charge of $836 per credit, so the online civilian rate is a bit higher. Always request a current quote.

Ask about employer tuition assistance and what fees are added each term.

30 credits at $902 a credit comes to $27,060 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You work in aviation, aerospace or defense and want security training that matches the systems you actually use.
• You are a service member, reservist, National Guard member, spouse or dependent age 26 or under, and qualify for the $755 military rate.
• You want a flexible timeline. A one-year plan and a two-year plan are both suggested.
• You want a specialty that sets your resume apart from the many general cybersecurity master's graduates.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a general cybersecurity degree for jobs in banking, healthcare or software. The aviation focus narrows the fit.
• You want the lowest price. Other online security master's programs charge less per credit than $902.
• You have no connection to aviation and little interest in it.

The notable courses show the specialty clearly. Foundations of Aviation Cybersecurity introduces the field. Operational Technology Risks in Aviation covers IoT, ICS and SCADA, which stand for internet of things, industrial control systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition. These are the machines and controllers that run physical operations, and they are secured differently from office computers.

Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems Cybersecurity looks at drones and self-operating vehicles. Aviation Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience turns to planning and recovery, and Cybersecurity Applications in Space reaches beyond the atmosphere.

Together the list makes a degree about protecting systems where failure has physical consequences. Ask for the complete plan of study, including electives and any capstone.

Courses the School Names

• Foundations of Aviation Cybersecurity
• Operational Technology Risks in Aviation - IoT, ICS, SCADA
• Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems Cybersecurity
• Aviation Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience
• Cybersecurity Applications in Space

Standout Features

• Cybersecurity taught through the aviation and aerospace ecosystem, including air traffic management and uncrewed systems
• Military per-credit rate of $755
• One-year and two-year suggested plans of study

The degree is offered online through the Worldwide campus. Full-time students can finish in six terms, or about two years, and a one-year plan is also laid out. That range, from 12 to 24 months, lets you choose speed or balance.

Federal data shows 94% of the university's students are enrolled exclusively online, so the school is built for distance students and often for working professionals and military members stationed around the world.

Ask how many courses you can take per term and what a one-year plan demands each week.

You would earn a Master of Science in Aviation Cybersecurity. The coursework is aviation-specific, so it is more a specialty credential than a general security certificate.

ERAU's federal graduation rate is 21%, and the measure for transfer students is 34.5%. These are school-wide and include many part-time, working and military students, so they describe the university rather than this degree. They are low, though, so ask the program how many students finish.

Federal data shows earnings of $145,240 for ERAU graduates in this field, a high figure for the field.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The aviation focus makes it less useful for jobs outside aviation and aerospace.
• At $902 per credit, civilian tuition is higher than many online security master's programs.
• School-wide graduation rates of 21% and 34.5% are low, so completion is worth asking about.
• No sibling online security degree exists at ERAU, so switching tracks means leaving the school.

• What is the full plan of study, including electives and capstone?
• What does the one-year plan require each week?
• Which aviation employers hire graduates?
• Does my employer's tuition assistance apply at the military or civilian rate?
• What share of students in this program finish?
• Do the courses prepare for any industry certification?

• Best for Military Students Rank 5 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Florida Rank 2 of 4, master's

Also at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Master of Science in Cyber Intelligence and Security (master's, on campus).

• Grand Canyon University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Arizona $610 per credit Score 53.3

• Grand Canyon University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

  Arizona $610 per credit Score 53.2

• West Virginia University

  Master of Science in Business Cybersecurity Management

  West Virginia $1,063 per credit Score 53.2

• Thomas College

  MS Cybersecurity

  Maine $735 per credit Score 53.1