Hallmark University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Hallmark's online Master of Science in Cybersecurity is built for speed and for people who already work in technology: 36 credits in 12 months, six start dates a year, and the CISSP certification included in the $21,420 tuition.

It is a practical, career-training degree from a small San Antonio school. It is not the pick if you want a research-heavy master's from a large university or plan to go on to a doctorate.

Hallmark University is a private nonprofit in San Antonio, Texas, with two campuses and about 836 students. It teaches in eight-week terms and offers associate, bachelor and master's degrees. The M.S. in Cybersecurity is fully online, with no campus visits.

The program comprises 36 semester credit hours and 576 contact hours over a 52-week format. The school's own wording is that students complete it in 12 months. That is quick for a master's degree, and it means you'll carry a steady course load from the first term to the last.

Federal data shows 32 master's-level awards a year in this field, so cohorts are small. The school's graduation rate is 66%.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $595 per credit hour across 36 credits, for a total of $21,420. Two per-term fees come on top: a $100 lab fee and a $125 technology fee. Because you're enrolled across several eight-week terms, those fees repeat, so ask the school to total them for your start date.

The CISSP certification is included in the cost of tuition, which is the line item to weigh. The CISSP exam is a significant expense on its own, so having it folded in makes the sticker price easier to compare with schools that charge extra for exam vouchers.

Military students, active-duty personnel and their spouses pay a reduced cost per credit hour. Ask for the current rate in writing.

36 credits at $595 a credit comes to $21,420 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Working IT professionals who want a graduate credential and a CISSP preparation course in the same year.
• Hallmark's own bachelor's graduates in information systems or computer science with at least a C average, who have no additional admission requirements.
• Military members, active-duty personnel and their spouses, who are eligible for a reduced cost per credit hour.
• People who want to start soon. With six terms a year, you rarely wait more than a couple of months to begin.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone planning a Ph.D. who wants a thesis and faculty research, since this program ends in a capstone project instead.
• Students who want a large, widely recognized university name on the degree.
• Learners who need a slower pace. Eight-week terms with a 12-month finish leave little room to pause.

The course list leans toward managing and defending real systems. Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance and Cyber Risk Management cover the policy side, which is where security managers spend much of their time. Secure Network Design and Secure Software Design cover building things safely from the start.

Forensics and Network Intrusion teaches you to investigate a breach after the fact. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a less common topic that covers the control systems behind utilities and factories, and it can set you apart if you work in industrial settings. An Advanced Cyber Defense Seminar rounds out the technical work.

You finish with the Cybersecurity Capstone Project (CYS-6339), so you leave with one finished project instead of a thesis.

Courses the School Names

• Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance
• Cyber Risk Management
• Secure Network Design
• Secure Software Design
• Forensics and Network Intrusion
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
• Advanced Cyber Defense Seminar

Standout Features

• CISSP certification training with the certification included in the cost of tuition

Everything is delivered online. The school describes eight-week terms and says there is no need to wait to apply because a new term starts six times a year. That makes it easier than most to begin right after you decide.

The tradeoff of short terms is intensity. Eight weeks goes by fast when you also work full time, so check how many courses you take at once and when assignments are due before you commit.

IPEDS, the federal college data system, shows 100% of Hallmark's students study exclusively online at the graduate level, so you won't be a lone remote student in a campus-first program. Online is the main format for this degree.

Hallmark is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). That is a national accreditor, different from the regional accreditors that most traditional universities use. It is a valid accreditation, but it can matter later if you want to transfer credits or enter a doctoral program, so confirm how your target schools treat it.

On certifications, the program prepares you for CISSP, and the certification is included in tuition. A preparation course for the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator exam is also listed. CISSP normally expects work experience in the field, so ask how the school handles that if you are earlier in your career.

Federal data shows a 60% 8-year completion rate for students who transferred in.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• National accreditation through ACCSC may limit how easily credits transfer to some other universities or doctoral programs.
• Lab ($100) and technology ($125) fees are charged each term on top of the $21,420 tuition.
• The 12-month pace is demanding if you have a full-time job and a family.
• Admission without a Hallmark bachelor's asks for a technology degree plus two years of experience, three years of experience without a technology degree, or an intermediate technology certification.
• The student body is small, so you'll find fewer research opportunities and a smaller alumni network than at a large university.

• What do the lab and technology fees come to over the full program for my start date?
• How does the included CISSP work for someone who doesn't yet have the required work experience?
• Do other graduate schools and employers I'm considering accept ACCSC-accredited credits?
• How many courses will I take in each eight-week term, and what is a typical weekly workload?
• What is the reduced military rate, and does it apply to spouses as well as active-duty students?
• Which Hallmark instructors teach the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and forensics courses, and what is their background?

A nationally accredited university with two campuses in San Antonio, Texas, offering associate, bachelor and master level degrees in eight-week terms.

• Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best Accelerated Online Programs Rank 2 of 10, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 2 of 10, master's
• Best for Working Adults Rank 3 of 10, master's
• Best With Multiple Start Dates Rank 1 of 10, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best Programs With Certifications Rank 2 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Texas Rank 1 of 5, master's

Also at Hallmark University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (bachelor's, hybrid).

• University of the Cumberlands

  Master of Science in Information Systems Security (Online)

  Kentucky $355 per credit Score 67.4

• Dakota State University

  Cyber Defense, MS

  South Dakota $495.70 per credit Score 65.8

• Excelsior University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  New York $715 per credit Score 65.4

• Western Governors University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

  Utah Score 65.3