George Washington University Online Doctor of Engineering in Cybersecurity Analytics

This is a fully online doctorate for experienced technologists who want to lead research in cybersecurity analytics without leaving their jobs. It costs $1,750 per credit hour with the digital textbook included, which is a premium price.

The degree ends in a research praxis of at least 24 credit hours, so expect a long, independent project. You need both a bachelor's and a master's degree to apply, and the GRE and GMAT are not required.

George Washington University is a private research university in Washington, D.C., with online cybersecurity programs in its engineering school and its College of Professional Studies. The Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.) in Cybersecurity Analytics comes from the engineering school and is delivered fully online.

A D.Eng. is an applied doctorate. It is designed for working engineers and technical leaders who want to solve real problems in their field, not for someone preparing for a full-time academic research job. The capstone is a research praxis that you write and defend during the research phase.

The same school has two master's programs in cybersecurity: the Master of Engineering, which is 30 credits at $1,250 per credit, and the Master of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management, which is 36 credits at $1,506 per credit. The doctorate is the highest of the three in cost per credit.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

You would earn a Doctor of Engineering in Cybersecurity Analytics from a private research university. GW's engineering school holds the NSA CAE-R designation, a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research, renewed through academic year 2030.

The university's federal graduation rate is 84% and its admission rate is 47%, both school-wide figures. For a doctorate, the number that matters is how many admitted students finish the praxis and how long it takes, so ask the program.

A D.Eng. is respected in industry and government for senior technical roles. If you want to teach at a research university, check how employers in that world view an applied doctorate before you commit.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You are a security architect, engineer or technical manager with a master's degree and want an applied doctorate.
• You want to research a problem from your own workplace and turn it into a defended praxis.
• You value a Washington, D.C. university name and its federal and policy connections.
• You can't give up your job, your city or your schedule for a full-time doctoral program.

Who Should Skip It

• You don't yet have a master's degree. Admission requires both a bachelor's and a master's in engineering, applied science, business, computer science, cybersecurity, information technology or a related field.
• Price is your main concern. At $1,750 per credit hour, it is the most expensive option from this school.
• You want a Ph.D. aimed at a professor's career. The D.Eng. is an applied degree, and Dakota State's online Ph.D. programs are research doctorates at a much lower price per credit.

The degree is organized around a research praxis, and GW requires a minimum of 24 credit hours of Praxis Research. You write and defend it during the research phase, so a large share of the degree is independent work on a single question.

The program name tells you the angle: analytics. The school's engineering master's in cybersecurity has two concentrations, Cybersecurity Analytics and Cybersecurity Policy and Compliance. The doctorate builds on the analytics side, so expect the work to be about using data to detect, measure and predict security problems.

Ask for the full degree plan, including the number of coursework credits before the research phase. Ask also how praxis topics are chosen, who supervises them and how many students have defended one.

The price is $1,750 per credit hour, and a digital textbook is included. That inclusion saves you the extra spend on books each term, which adds up on a doctorate.

Your total depends on how many credit hours the full plan requires. Since the praxis alone takes at least 24 credit hours, ask for the complete credit count and multiply it by the rate to see your real budget.

For context, the master's programs at GW cost $1,250 per credit for the engineering master's (30 credits, $37,500) and $1,506 per credit for the professional studies master's (36 credits, $54,216). Ask about employer tuition benefits, since an applied doctorate is a common one to sponsor.

GW delivers the degree fully online. Federal data shows 26% of the university's students study exclusively online, so most of the university is on campus in Washington, and this program is one of its online offerings.

In the engineering school's online master's, classes meet live on Zoom one evening a week, with recordings for students who choose to participate asynchronously. The doctorate may follow a different format, so ask directly how classes run, how often you meet your advisor and whether any part of the research phase needs a campus visit.

A praxis is lonely work if you aren't careful. Ask what the school does to keep doctoral students connected, such as cohort meetings, writing groups or committee check-ins.

• At $1,750 per credit hour, the cost per credit is higher than the school's own master's programs.
• A research praxis of at least 24 credit hours is a large, independent project with no group to lean on.
• You need a master's degree first, so the full path takes years beyond the bachelor's.

• How many total credit hours does the full D.Eng. require, and what is the all-in tuition?
• How are praxis topics chosen, and who supervises them?
• How many students have defended a praxis, and how long did it take them?
• How are classes delivered, and is anything required on campus?
• Can my employer's tuition benefit be applied, and does GW offer a payment plan?
• Which master's degrees and fields do you usually admit?
• How does the analytics focus differ from the engineering master's I might already hold?

Private research university in Washington, D.C. with online cybersecurity programs in its engineering school and its College of Professional Studies.

• Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees Rank 2 of 3, doctorate
• Best Cybersecurity Engineering Degrees Rank 1 of 1, doctorate
• Best Affordable Online Programs Rank 3 of 3, doctorate
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 1 of 2, doctorate

• Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity

  M.Eng., Master's

  Fully Online $1,250 per credit Score 56.5

• Master of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management

  M.P.S., Master's

  Fully Online $1,506 per credit Score 54.1

• Marymount University

  Cybersecurity, D.Sc.

  Virginia $1,388 per credit Score 44.7

• Dakota State University

  Cyber Operations, Ph.D.

  South Dakota $548.75 per credit Score 49.3

• Dakota State University

  Cyber Defense, Ph.D.

  South Dakota $548.75 per credit Score 51.8