Franklin University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Franklin's online M.S. in Cybersecurity is a practical pick for a working adult who wants a master's in 16 months without a thesis or an entrance exam. It is 36 credits at $690 each, courses run 6 or 12 weeks in any order you like, and the school holds an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation for this degree.

The tradeoff is that you need some programming and networking background before you start.

Franklin University is a private nonprofit school in Columbus, Ohio, and it has built a full online cybersecurity ladder: an associate, a bachelor's and this master's. The master's is 100% online, so there is nothing to attend on campus. You earn 36 credit hours, and Franklin lists a 16-month completion time. GMAT and GRE scores are not required for admission.

What sets this program apart from a general information-security master's is how much of it leans toward defense and hands-on work. Ethical Hacking, Advanced Network Security and Cryptography sit next to the policy and governance courses, so you get both the technical side and the side that talks to managers.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Franklin is an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The B.S. received its program of study designation in 2019, and the M.S. in Cybersecurity was designated in 2024. That matters for government work, since some federal roles and scholarships look for CAE graduates.

The program also lines up with the certifications Franklin names, CEH, CRISC, CISSP and CSSLP, through its prior learning credit. The degree itself does not hand you a certification, so you still sit those exams separately.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Working IT professionals, such as network or systems administrators, who already hold a bachelor's degree and want a security credential on top of their experience.
• People who hold or plan to earn a certification like CEH, CISSP, CRISC or CSSLP. Franklin gives 4 credit hours toward specific courses for each of those credentials, which can shorten the degree.
• Students who want a defined finish line. The program lists 16 months and a single capstone, so it is easy to plan around a job and family.

Who Should Skip It

• Career changers with no technical background. Franklin asks for programming and networking prerequisite or corequisite courses, so you would add coursework before the core degree makes sense.
• Anyone who wants a thesis or a research track. The capstone here is a paper and presentation on a current information security topic, not a long thesis.
• Students looking for the lowest sticker price. A public university can cost less per credit, so compare the totals before you decide.

The program is 36 credit hours. The courses named on Franklin's page include Information Risk Management, Cryptography, Advanced Network Security, Ethical Hacking, and Information Security Policy & Governance. That mix covers how attacks work, how networks are defended, and how a company decides what risk it can live with.

The degree ends with Security Research and Capstone, a 4-credit course where you write an original paper and present it on a current information security topic. Because you pick the topic, it can double as a work sample for your own employer or a job search.

Franklin also embeds a four-course Graduate Certificate in Cyber Defense. That certificate uses cloud-based labs, which means you practice in a virtual environment you reach from your browser instead of building your own lab at home. Ask an advisor which lab platforms and scenarios you will use.

Courses the School Names

• Information Risk Management
• Cryptography
• Advanced Network Security
• Ethical Hacking
• Information Security Policy & Governance

Standout Features

• Automatic $2,000 Smart Start Scholarship for new students
• Credit for prior learning from CEH, CRISC, CISSP and CSSLP credentials
• Embedded Graduate Certificate in Cyber Defense uses cloud-based labs
• M.S. in Cybersecurity designated by the NSA as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense in 2024

Tuition is $690 per credit hour, and the page lists $24,840 total tuition for the 36 credits. New students receive an automatic $2,000 Smart Start Scholarship, and there is a resource fee of $100. You can also transfer up to 16 credits, which cuts the number of courses you pay for.

Credit for prior learning is the less common part. A current EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential lines up with Ethical Hacking (ISEC 670) and counts for 4 credit hours. Franklin lists ISACA CRISC, (ISC)2 CISSP and (ISC)2 CSSLP the same way. If you already hold one, ask the admissions team to confirm exactly which course it replaces before you enroll.

36 credits at $690 a credit comes to $24,840 in tuition, before fees.

Courses run 6 or 12 weeks and you can take them in any order you choose. Franklin lists five start dates a year, with the next one on Jan 4, 2027, so you rarely wait long to begin. Nothing requires you to come to Columbus.

Ask whether lectures are scheduled or fully on your own time. The short courses mean a busy month at work can slow you down, but the flexible order lets you skip a course you are not ready for and pick it up in a later term.

• Prerequisites. You need programming and networking courses before or alongside the master's, which adds time and cost if you lack them.
• The capstone is a paper and presentation, so employers who want to see a hands-on project will need to see your lab work from the embedded certificate or your own portfolio.
• Lab tools and class meeting times are details you will need to confirm with an advisor before you enroll.
• Franklin's school-wide graduation rate in federal data is 11%, which reflects its large share of working adult and transfer students. Ask the program for its own completion numbers.

• Which programming and networking prerequisites would I need, and can my work experience or an earlier course cover them?
• Which course does my CEH, CISSP, CRISC or CSSLP replace, and how many credits does that save me?
• What cloud-based lab platforms do the Cyber Defense certificate courses use?
• Do classes have live sessions, or is everything on my own schedule?
• Can I choose my own capstone topic, and can it be based on a problem at my job?
• How does the $2,000 Smart Start Scholarship apply to my total tuition?

Franklin University is a private nonprofit university in Columbus, Ohio that offers online associate, bachelor's and master's cybersecurity degrees.

• Best No-GRE Online Master's Rank 6 of 10, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 9 of 10, master's
• Best With Multiple Start Dates Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best Programs With Certifications Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Ohio Rank 1 of 1, master's

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $398 per credit Score 69.8

• Associate of Science in Cybersecurity

  A.S., Associate

  Fully Online $398 per credit Score 49.9

Also at Franklin University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (bachelor's, on campus).

• Johns Hopkins University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Maryland Score 59.9

• Murray State University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

  Kentucky $606 per credit Score 60.1

• University of Maryland Global Campus

  Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation Master of Science

  Maryland $694 per credit Score 59.4

• Bellevue University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Nebraska $680 per credit Score 60.3