University of Maryland Global Campus Online Cybersecurity Technology Master of Science

UMGC's Cybersecurity Technology M.S. is the hands-on technical master's in a very large, online-first public university. It's 30 credits, fully online, and comes with NSA and DC3 designations for the school's cybersecurity programs. It suits working professionals who want to deepen technical skills. If your goal is running a security program rather than building one, the Management and Policy sibling is the better match.

University of Maryland Global Campus, in Adelphi, is a public university built around adult and online learners. It enrolls about 63,012 students, and 95% of its graduate students study exclusively online, so the online format is the main way the school teaches.

The Cybersecurity Technology Master of Science is 30 credits and every course is available online. UMGC has received special designations for its cybersecurity programs from the NSA and DC3, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center. The degree finishes with a three-credit capstone, CTCH 690, the Cybersecurity Technology Capstone.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $694 per credit, in-state and out-of-state alike, and the 30-credit degree comes to about $20,820 in tuition. Military students pay $336 per credit. Other fees may apply, so ask for a full cost sheet. A flat rate for every student is simple to plan around, and at 30 credits the math takes a minute: rate times credits, plus fees.

Within UMGC, the Cyber Operations M.S. is priced at $555 per credit for Maryland residents and $659 for others, so the Technology degree is the more expensive of the two cyber master's at UMGC for most students. If you have military ties, ask which rate applies to you before you compare this degree with other programs.

30 credits at $694 a credit comes to $20,820 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• IT professionals who already work with systems and networks and want a graduate credential in the technical side of security.
• Active-duty and veteran students. The military rate is $336 per credit, less than half the standard $694.
• Students who value a big online school. UMGC graduates, per federal data, report median earnings of $130,314 in this field, a useful number to hold up against the $20,820 tuition.

Who Should Skip It

• Students who want to lead security programs, write policy or manage risk. UMGC's Cybersecurity Management and Policy M.S. is the sibling built for that.
• Students who want a master's in offensive work or forensics. UMGC separates those into a Cyber Operations M.S. and a Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation M.S., each with its own capstone.

The program is 30 credits and ends with the Cybersecurity Technology Capstone, a three-credit course numbered CTCH 690 where you apply your coursework to a single project. The word Technology in the name points to the focus: this degree sits closer to the systems, networks and tools that protect an organization than to policy and governance.

UMGC runs several cybersecurity master's degrees side by side. Technology covers the building and defending of systems, Management and Policy covers governance, Cyber Operations covers operational work, and Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation adds a Virtual Security Lab and an award-winning competition team. Compare their course lists before you apply, because the names can look alike and the focus differs.

Standout Features

• UMGC has received special designations for its cybersecurity programs from the NSA and DC3

Every course is available online, and UMGC's student body is overwhelmingly remote, so the systems for advising, tutoring and course delivery are built for distance learners. A school this large can feel impersonal, so ask how you'll reach your faculty and advisor. Also ask whether courses run on set weekly schedules and how long the terms last, since those details change your week more than the credit count does.

UMGC has earned special designations from the NSA and DC3 for its cybersecurity programs. These are recognitions of the school's cybersecurity work. UMGC's eight-year completion rate for transfer-in students is 42%, so get a plan in writing before you start.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

• At $694 per credit, it costs more than UMGC's Cyber Operations sibling.
• A school with 63,012 students can mean less personal contact than a small department.
• The 42% eight-year completion figure for transfer-in students is worth weighing, so line up support before you start.

• How many credits can I transfer into this master's?
• Which courses are required, and which are electives?
• How is this degree different from Management and Policy for the jobs I want?
• What does the CTCH 690 capstone ask of students working full time?
• Do the NSA and DC3 designations apply to this specific degree?

• Best Online Cybersecurity Degrees Rank 9 of 10, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 9 of 10, master's
• Best Public University Programs Rank 4 of 10, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 9 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Maryland Rank 1 of 9, master's

• Cybersecurity Technology Bachelor of Science

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $499 per credit Score 64.2

• Cyber Operations Bachelor of Science

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $499 per credit Score 60.3

• Cybersecurity Management and Policy Bachelor of Science

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $499 per credit Score 59.4

• Cybersecurity Management and Policy Master of Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $694 per credit Score 61.2

• Cyber Operations Master of Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $659 per credit Score 60.4

• Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation Master of Science

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online $694 per credit Score 59.4

• University of the Cumberlands

  Master of Science in Cyber Engineering (Online)

  Kentucky $355 per credit Score 60.8

• Thomas Edison State University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  New Jersey $695 per credit Score 60.7

• Old Dominion University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Virginia $662 per credit Score 62.5

• Bellevue University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Nebraska $680 per credit Score 60.3