University of Charleston Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

This is one of the lowest-priced online cybersecurity master's degrees you can find, at $446 per credit hour and an approximate total of $16,056, and it admits students directly with a 2.0 college GPA. Its curriculum leans toward strategy, intelligence and management rather than hands-on exploit work.

That makes it a strong choice for a career changer, a manager or an analyst who needs a master's on a budget, and a weaker choice for someone who wants a lab-heavy technical degree or certification prep built in.

The University of Charleston is a private nonprofit university in Charleston, West Virginia, with 3,062 students. The Master of Science in Cybersecurity is delivered online, and federal data shows 63% of the university's students enrolled exclusively online, a sign that remote learning is an ordinary part of the school rather than an add-on.

You can finish in less than three years, and the school says as few as five terms is possible. Admission is unusually open: applicants with a cumulative college GPA of 2.0 or higher are eligible for general admission and gain direct entry.

The school lists three concentrations, Cybersecurity Strategy, Cyber Intelligence and Information Assurance, so you choose a direction instead of taking one fixed path. The school also offers an online bachelor's degree-completion program in cybersecurity, which makes it possible to stay in one place from undergraduate to graduate study.

Tuition is $446 per credit hour for 2026-2027, and the school puts the approximate total at $16,056. That is the most useful number on this page, because few online cybersecurity master's programs price the whole degree this low. The cost notes show no extra fees, though you should ask.

You may transfer up to 9 credit hours from a regionally accredited university, which can shorten the path and trim the bill. For comparison, the school's online bachelor's degree-completion program costs $395 per credit hour, with an approximate total of $23,700, so the master's is a lower total because it is shorter.

Who It Fits

• Professionals who want a master's credential without taking on a large loan, since the approximate total program tuition is $16,056.
• Analysts and managers who care about the policy, legal and intelligence sides of security, which is where the course list concentrates.
• Graduates of the University of Charleston's bachelor's program, or any bachelor's holder with a 2.0 GPA or higher who wants a direct route in.
• Students who want to move quickly, because five terms is possible.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone who wants courses built around vendor certification labs, since the curriculum centers on strategy, law and intelligence.
• Students who want a thesis or research track. The program ends in a capstone course, CYBR 660, rather than a thesis.
• Applicants who expect to transfer a lot of earlier graduate work, since the maximum is 9 credits.

The course list reads like a security management degree with a technical edge. You see Cyber Operations Management, Strategic Cyber Intelligence, Legal Issues in Cybersecurity, Offensive and Defensive Strategies and Security and Information Data Analytics. One course stands out: Cyber Psychology, which looks at the human behavior behind attacks and defense and is not common in online master's programs.

Concentrations let you tilt toward Cybersecurity Strategy, Cyber Intelligence or Information Assurance. A capstone course, CYBR 660, closes the degree, giving you one project to show a hiring manager. Compared with the University of Charleston's bachelor's completion program, which carries an EC-Council training center link, this master's is more about decision making than tools.

Courses the School Names

• Cyber Operations Management
• Strategic Cyber Intelligence
• Legal Issues in Cybersecurity
• Cyber Psychology
• Offensive and Defensive Strategies
• Security and Information Data Analytics

The degree is fully online. Ask whether classes are scheduled or open. Terms are structured so a motivated student can finish in five terms, and the longest time frame is under three years. Federal data shows a 46% overall graduation rate for the university and 55.5% for transfer students. Those are school-wide numbers, not a measure of this master's program, so use them as context rather than a promise.

The credential is a Master of Science in Cybersecurity. The value sits in the degree itself and in the skills you build, and if you want an industry certification you can study for it separately. Federal field data lists a median salary of $93,790 for the cyber-related category this program falls in, which is a useful if general reference point.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Course topics lean toward strategy and management, so hands-on technical depth is limited.
• Only 9 transfer credits are accepted.
• The school-wide graduation rate is 46%, so ask what completion looks like for this program.

• Are classes scheduled live, or can I work through the material on my own schedule?
• How do the three concentrations differ, and when do I choose one?
• Does the $446 per credit hour rate include every fee, and what does the full bill look like?
• What does CYBR 660 involve, and do students work with a real organization?
• How many students finish in five terms versus closer to three years?

• Best Information Assurance Degrees Rank 5 of 10, master's
• Best Affordable Online Programs Rank 5 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in West Virginia Rank 2 of 4, master's

• Cybersecurity (Online Bachelor's Degree Completion)

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• California State University, San Bernardino

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• New York University

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• Ferris State University

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