University of San Diego Online Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering

The University of San Diego's Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering is a premium-priced engineering degree with a federal cyber excellence designation, one 7-week class at a time and three start dates a year. It fits engineers and IT professionals who value the school's name and want the choice of online or on-campus. The per-unit price is the highest in this batch.

This M.S. in Cyber Security Engineering sits in the University of San Diego's engineering school, at a private Catholic university in San Diego, California. The page frames it as an engineering degree, which tells you the emphasis: building and securing systems, not managing policy.

The program can be taken 100% online or 100% on campus. You pick one format, and the page lists the same rate for both. The online version is the one this site covers.

The degree is 30 to 36 units and takes about 20 to 24 months. The federal data shows 38% of graduate students at the university study fully online, which puts this program inside a mostly campus-based school.

The university has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity by the federal government. That's a school-level designation, and the program page presents it as part of the program's profile.

If an exam is your goal, ask which courses cover its topics.

Graduates in this field from the University of San Diego earn a median of $141,878 four years out, according to federal field-of-study data. The federal field figure for this school is $129,180. The earnings number covers all graduates in the field, not only the online program.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Working engineers and IT staff who want an engineering-flavored security degree from a recognized private university.
• Students who want flexibility to choose online now and campus later, or the reverse, since both formats exist.
• Applicants who care about the federal designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity.
• People who prefer to focus on one subject at a time, since students take one 7-week class at a time.

Who Should Skip It

• Students watching cost closely. At $1,290 per unit, this is the highest rate in this batch of six programs.
• Anyone who wants a thesis or an internship listed in the plan. Neither is stated on the program page.

What we can describe is the shape of the plan. The degree is 30 to 36 units, taken one 7-week class at a time over five or six consecutive terms. A class every seven weeks keeps the work steady, and it means a single hard week can cost you a lot of the term.

The credit range of 30 to 36 units suggests some students will take extra units. Ask which courses add the additional six units and whether they are prerequisites for people without a technical background.

Because the degree is housed in an engineering school, expect technical content. Request the current course catalog and compare it with your goals, whether that is network security, secure software, or cryptography.

Standout Features

• Choose a 100% online or 100% on-campus format
• Designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity by the federal government

The rate is $1,290 per unit, and the page lists the same price for the online and campus formats. You won't save money by studying at a distance here.

The unit count is 30 to 36, so the tuition depends on the track you follow. Multiply the rate by the unit count your adviser confirms to get your own total, and ask whether any prior credit can be applied.

The program runs one 7-week class at a time. Students may start in fall, spring or summer, so there are three start dates each year rather than one cohort.

A 7-week term is a heavy sprint for people with full-time jobs, but it gives you one deadline set at a time. The estimated time to completion is 20 to 24 months, or five to six consecutive terms.

Because only 38% of graduate students at the university study fully online, the online group is a smaller slice of a campus-based school. Ask how many online students are in your cohort and whether classes are live or on your own time.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $1,290 per unit, tuition is the highest among the six programs reviewed today.
• The unit count is a range of 30 to 36, so you don't get a fixed total up front.
• Only 38% of graduate students at the university study fully online, so the online cohort is a minority.
• No internship, thesis, capstone or certification prep is named on the program page.
• The 7-week class pace is fast for anyone working long hours.

• How many units will I actually need, 30 or 36, and what decides that?
• Are online and campus students in the same classes, or are online sections separate?
• Do classes meet at set times, or can I complete the work on my own schedule?
• Is there a final project, and does it involve real systems or a simulated one?
• Which courses are the most technical, and what background do I need before starting?
• What financial aid or employer tuition programs apply at $1,290 per unit?

Private Catholic university in San Diego, California.

• Best Cybersecurity Engineering Degrees Rank 3 of 8, master's
• Best Online Programs in California Rank 2 of 6, master's

• St Bonaventure University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  New York $805 per credit Score 58.2

• National University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  California $644 per credit Score 58.3

• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Minnesota $775 per credit Score 58.5

• American Public University System

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity Studies

  West Virginia $470 per credit Score 58.7