St Bonaventure University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

St. Bonaventure's online master's is a 30-credit program with cloud-based labs, a certification-heavy focus and an 18-month minimum timeline. It fits technical graduates who want to earn exams like CISSP and CEH alongside the degree. The per-credit price is higher than the University of Southern Maine's, and the admission rules expect a related bachelor's.

This is a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from St. Bonaventure University, a private Catholic (Franciscan) university in Saint Bonaventure, New York. The program is delivered 100% online, takes 30 credit hours, and can be finished in as little as 18 months.

The school is small. Its total enrollment is 2,752 students, and about 78% of graduate students study exclusively online. That's a lower online share than the pure online universities, so expect a campus community with a growing online graduate program attached.

There is no GRE or GMAT requirement.

The program page lists five certifications it connects to its labs and coursework: CISSP, CEH, AWS Certified Security Specialty, Certified Network Defender and OSCP. Listing them isn't the same as including the exams in your tuition, so ask whether vouchers or exam fees are covered.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Computer science or IT graduates who want a master's and a clear route into security exams.
• Professionals who want to pass certification exams during the degree, with labs aimed at CISSP, CEH, Certified Network Defender, OSCP and the AWS Certified Security Specialty.
• Students who like a smaller school and want a Catholic, Franciscan setting, even online.
• Learners who prefer accelerated courses. Classes run 7 weeks, and the program says you can finish in as little as 18 months.

Who Should Skip It

• Applicants without a computer science, cybersecurity or similar bachelor's. The school asks for a related degree, and a foundational course may be required.
• Students who want the lowest tuition. At $805 per credit hour plus a $20 fee per credit hour, the program costs more per credit than several public online master's programs.
• People who want a thesis. The plan is built around coursework and labs.

The page describes coursework that combines foundational theory with hands-on practice through cloud-based labs. The labs are aimed at certification skills, so you aren't just reading about attacks and defenses.

The certification list is unusually specific: CISSP, CEH, AWS Certified Security Specialty, Certified Network Defender and OSCP. Those span management-level security (CISSP), ethical hacking (CEH, OSCP), network defense and cloud security, which gives you a sense of how broad the labs have to be.

St. Bonaventure also opened a Cyber Operations Center funded by a $450,000 federal earmark. The program page presents it as a university investment, so ask whether online students get access to its resources or events.

Request the course catalog to see the full list.

Standout Features

• Cloud-based labs provide hands-on practice for key cybersecurity certifications
• St. Bonaventure opened a new Cyber Operations Center funded by a $450,000 federal earmark

The published rate is $805 per credit hour plus a $20 fee per credit hour for 2026-27, and the school notes that all costs are estimated and subject to change. Tuition for the 30 credits totals $24,150, before the per-credit fee.

The $20 fee applies to every credit hour, so budget for it. Read the tuition page again before you apply, because the numbers are labeled as estimates.

Ask whether any prior learning can shorten the 30 credits before you plan your timeline.

30 credits at $805 a credit comes to $24,150 in tuition, before fees.

Courses are accelerated 7-week classes, and the program is advertised as 100% online. Seven weeks is long enough to build a lab and short enough that a bad month can cost you a course, so plan your work calendar around it.

The labs are cloud-based, which means you can reach them from any computer without installing a virtual machine setup at home. That cuts down on the equipment headaches that stall many online security students.

Federal data shows 78% of graduate students at the school study fully online, so you will share the experience with others at a distance, though the school itself isn't an online-only institution.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $805 per credit hour plus $20 per credit hour in fees, the rate is high next to public online master's programs.
• Admission expects a bachelor's in computer science, cybersecurity or a similar field with a 2.5 GPA, and a foundational course may be required.
• No thesis or internship is listed.
• The costs on the tuition page are labeled estimates and subject to change.
• No programmatic accreditor or federal cyber designation is named on the program page.

• Which of the five listed certifications does each lab actually prepare me for, and are exam vouchers included?
• If my bachelor's is in a different field, which foundational course would I take and how much does it add?
• Can online students use the Cyber Operations Center, or is it campus-only?
• How many courses can I take at once if I want to finish in 18 months?
• What tools do the cloud labs run on, and do I keep access after graduation?
• Do you offer any scholarships or employer discounts that lower the $805 rate?

Private Catholic university in St. Bonaventure, New York with a fully online master of science in cybersecurity.

• Best Accelerated Online Programs Rank 10 of 10, master's
• Best No-GRE Online Master's Rank 9 of 10, master's
• Best Programs With Certifications Rank 7 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in New York Rank 2 of 8, master's

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