Strayer University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Strayer University's online M.S. in Cybersecurity is a ten-course program with a stated price: $2,540 per course, which is $25,400 in tuition. It's validated by the National Security Agency, Strayer is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, and some courses carry embedded IT certification training.

The catch is that it's a for-profit school with lower completion numbers than many peers, so read the fee list and ask about outcomes before you enroll.

Strayer University is a private for-profit university based in Farmers Branch, Texas, and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The online M.S. in Cybersecurity is 45 quarter credit hours, made up of ten courses of 4.5 credits each, with an 11-week course length.

Strayer says the program is validated by the National Security Agency (NSA). The online degree is fully online, though optional in-person hybrid classes are available at select campuses if you'd rather sit in a room.

The cost is $2,540 per course for ten courses, which is $25,400 in tuition. That figure is tuition only. Strayer also lists a $65 technology fee each term, a $150 one-time degree conferral fee and a $100 resource kit per course.

Ten resource kits alone add $1,000, so ask for a full cost estimate. If you have 4 or more transfer courses, the $5,000 transfer scholarship could lower the bill. Ask for the eligibility rules in writing before you count on it.

Who It Fits

• People who want a clear price. Strayer states a per-course tuition, so you can count the cost in whole courses.
• Students who want certification study built in. Strayer says a number of courses have embedded IT certification training.
• Anyone who values government-recognized program review. The NSA validation and CAE-CD designation are the headline credentials here.
• Transfer students. Strayer advertises a $5,000 transfer scholarship for students with 4 or more transfer courses, subject to eligibility rules.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who prefer a nonprofit or public school. Strayer is for-profit, and its students graduate at a lower rate than at many peers.
• Anyone who wants a very short path. Ten courses at 11 weeks each is a long runway.
• Budget-focused applicants who only look at tuition. Technology fees, a resource kit for every course and a conferral fee are extra.

The ten courses lean technical. Named courses include Advanced Network Security Design, Web Application Security, Cybercrime Techniques and Response, Computer Forensics Planning, Cryptography and IT Risk Management. Together they cover defending networks, hardening web applications, investigating incidents and managing risk, which is closer to a full toolkit than a single specialty.

Web Application Security is worth noticing because so many breaches start in the browser or an exposed web service. Cybercrime Techniques and Response and Computer Forensics Planning round out the investigative side.

The program ends with CIS 598 Graduate Information Assurance Capstone. Strayer titles the degree Master of Science in Information Assurance (Cybersecurity) in its catalog, so the information assurance wording you see on transcripts is normal.

Courses the School Names

• Advanced Network Security Design
• Web Application Security
• Cybercrime Techniques and Response
• Computer Forensics Planning
• Cryptography
• IT Risk Management

Standout Features

• Courses carry embedded IT certification training
• Program validated by the National Security Agency, and Strayer University named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD)
• Optional in-person hybrid classes at select campuses
• Program validated by the National Security Agency (NSA)
• Dedicated Strayer Cybersecurity Center with news and resources
• MS in Cybersecurity is validated by the National Security Agency (NSA)
• Transfer scholarship of $5,000 available with 4 or more transfer courses (eligibility rules apply)

Courses run 11 weeks each, and the whole program is ten courses. That's a moderate pace. Eleven weeks gives you enough time to absorb a technical topic without the compression of a seven-week term.

The program is fully online, with no on-site requirement. If you like face-to-face learning, Strayer offers optional in-person hybrid classes at select campuses. Strayer also runs a Cybersecurity Center with news and resources, which is a useful place to read and learn between courses.

Ask admissions whether sessions are live or asynchronous.

The strongest credential signal is the NSA validation and Strayer's designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). Strayer says the NSA and a committee of academic peers named the university and validated this master's program.

On certifications, Strayer says a number of carefully chosen courses have embedded IT certification training. Ask which certifications each course prepares you for and whether exam fees are included.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Strayer is a for-profit school, and its graduation and earnings numbers sit below many nonprofit and public peers.
• Fees add to the $25,400 tuition, including a $100 resource kit for every course.
• The certification exams aren't named, so you can't plan around a specific credential yet.
• No thesis or internship is described, and the capstone is the only culminating project.

• Which IT certifications are embedded in which courses, and are exam vouchers included?
• What is my total cost once the $65 term fee, $100 resource kits and $150 conferral fee are added?
• What are the eligibility rules for the $5,000 transfer scholarship?
• Are classes live or asynchronous?
• What does the CIS 598 capstone require?
• What share of master's students finish, and what do graduates do afterward?

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