Stevenson University Online Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, M.S.

Stevenson's master's is the one to look at if you want to work with the actual forensic tools. The curriculum names Magnet Axiom, EnCase, FTK Imager, Autopsy, Volatility, Wireshark, Metasploit, Splunk and Kali Linux, runs in 8-week courses, and costs $25,884 in total tuition. It leans toward investigation more than toward security management.

Stevenson University is a private nonprofit school in Owings Mills, Maryland. The Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics is 100% online and takes 36 credits. The school says most students finish in two years or less. Courses run for 8 weeks, so you take a short, focused sprint instead of a full semester.

Stevenson says it is recognized as a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD), and that the NSA has validated the master's curriculum.

The university also has a bachelor's in the same subject, which is 120 credits at $470 per credit. That degree is for students building from the ground up. This master's expects you to arrive with a bachelor's already finished.

Tuition for 2026 to 2027 is $719 per credit with $0 in fees. For the 36 credits, the total is $25,884.

For a master's, that total is moderate, and the $0 fee line means the per-credit rate is close to your actual bill. The bigger lever is transfer credit. Stevenson accepts up to 15 credits, and every credit you transfer is a credit you do not pay $719 for. Get an evaluation of your old coursework early.

The bachelor's in the same subject costs $470 per credit, so the master's carries a higher rate. That is typical of graduate tuition and not a sign the two are priced unfairly.

36 credits at $719 a credit comes to $25,884 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You want to learn forensic tools by using them. The listed software covers disk imaging, memory analysis, network capture, penetration testing and log analysis.
• You are leaning toward incident response, malware work or investigation more than toward policy or management.
• You already have college work or training you want credited. Stevenson accepts up to 15 transfer credits and says you can apply prior coursework and experience toward the degree.
• You like short courses. Eight-week terms let you finish a subject quickly and move on, and they suit people who stay motivated by a visible finish line.

Who Should Skip It

• You do not have a 3.0 cumulative GPA. That is the admission standard on the program page, along with a bachelor's degree.
• You have never used a forensic or security tool. Admission asks for a personal statement on your experience with cybersecurity forensic tools, so come ready to describe what you have touched.
• You want a leadership or compliance degree. The named courses are technical and investigative.
• You want a long runway to absorb each topic. Eight weeks moves quickly.

The courses the program highlights are Introduction to Forensic Analysis, Windows Forensic Examinations, Windows Intrusion Forensic Investigations, and Malware Detection, Analysis, and Prevention. Read them as a sequence: you learn how to examine evidence on a Windows system, then how an intruder moves through it, and then how to take apart the malware involved.

The tools list is unusually specific. Magnet Axiom, EnCase, FTK Imager and Autopsy are forensic examination programs. Volatility looks at what was in a computer's memory. Wireshark and Packet Tracer deal with network traffic.

Metasploit and Kali Linux are used for testing defenses, and Splunk is for searching logs. Having both the investigator's tools and the attacker's tools in one program is useful because you see the same event from both sides.

Ask how the program ends, whether with a project, a capstone or an exam.

Courses the School Names

• Malware Detection, Analysis, and Prevention
• Windows Forensic Examinations
• Introduction to Forensic Analysis
• Windows Intrusion Forensic Investigations

Standout Features

• Hands-on training with Magnet Axiom, EnCase, FTK Imager, Autopsy, Volatility, Wireshark, Metasploit, Splunk and Kali Linux
• Stevenson is recognized as an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) and the M.S. curriculum is validated by the NSA

The program is fully online and uses 8-week courses. Ask for a sample syllabus to see how often sessions meet live.

Federal data shows 89% of Stevenson's graduate students study exclusively online, which is a high share. In practice, you are joining a cohort that is mostly online, and the faculty and support staff are set up for it.

Federal completion data shows 60.5% of students who transferred in finish within eight years. Because the program is short and you can use prior credit, many students shorten the path considerably.

You graduate with a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics. Stevenson says it holds the NSA's CAE-CD recognition and that the NSA has validated the curriculum. Those are the two credibility points the school offers.

Federal data puts median earnings for Stevenson graduates in this field at $86,344. That reflects past graduates and varies by location and experience.

The tools you will use are the same ones listed in many forensic job postings, so you can mention them on a resume as software you have worked with.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• A 3.0 GPA and a personal statement about forensic tools are required, so this is not a no-experience entry point.
• The 8-week format moves fast and leaves little room to fall behind.
• The curriculum leans technical and investigative, with less visible emphasis on management or policy.

• How will you evaluate my prior work for the up-to-15 transfer credits, and what documentation do you need?
• Which of the tools, such as EnCase, Magnet Axiom or Volatility, are used in which courses?
• Do I need a lab setup at home, or are the tools provided through a virtual environment?
• Are class sessions live, or do I work on my own schedule within each 8-week course?
• How does the program end: a capstone, a project or an exam?
• What kind of experience do you want to see in the personal statement about forensic tools?

• Best Digital Forensics Degrees Rank 7 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Maryland Rank 8 of 9, master's

• Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, B.S.

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $470 per credit Score 55.9

• New Jersey Institute of Technology

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• Capella University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Applied AI

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• University of North Dakota

  Master of Science in Cyber Security

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• Auburn University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering

  Alabama $949 per credit Score 53.0