University of Wisconsin-Parkside Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

This is a fully online, asynchronous master's in cybersecurity from a partnership of eight public Wisconsin campuses, at a flat $850 per credit whether you live in Wisconsin or not. It suits working professionals who already know some programming and want a defensible graduate credential. It isn't for career changers starting from zero, because programming and math prerequisites come first.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is a public university in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Its online Master of Science in Cybersecurity is a shared program: UW-Green Bay, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior all take part. You apply through Parkside, but the curriculum is built across the group.

The degree is 31 credits and is delivered 100% online and asynchronous, so there are no set login times. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the university and the degree.

Parkside's page lists two concentrations, Digital Forensics and Security Management and Secure Systems Design, so you shape the degree toward investigation and policy or toward building systems that resist attack.

Tuition is a flat $850 per credit for Wisconsin residents and out-of-state students alike. Across 31 credits, the program comes to $26,350 in tuition. Textbooks are bought separately, and the school says there are no segregated or technology fees for this online program.

That flat rate matters if you live in a high-cost state or abroad, because many public universities charge out-of-state students far more. It also means you can price the whole degree before you apply, with books being the main extra.

31 credits at $850 a credit comes to $26,350 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You work full time and need classes you can complete on your own schedule, with no live sessions.
• You already write code or studied computer science and want a graduate credential that adds depth in cryptography, forensics and secure design.
• You live outside Wisconsin and want the same price a resident pays, since tuition is a flat $850 per credit.
• You want a public-university degree with no GRE or GMAT requirement.

Who Should Skip It

• You have no programming background and no time for prerequisite coursework before applying.
• You want live class discussion and cohort contact, which a fully asynchronous format doesn't provide.
• You want a program built around vendor certification exams, since the coursework is graduate study in design, forensics and cryptography.

The notable courses cover the full arc. Fundamentals of Cybersecurity sets the vocabulary, Network Security and Security Architecture cover defending systems, and Advanced Cryptography goes into the math behind encryption. Software Security looks at how flaws get written into code and how to catch them. Digital Forensics covers investigating an incident after the fact.

The two concentrations let you steer. Digital Forensics and Security Management leans toward investigation, evidence and running a security program. Secure Systems Design leans toward engineering.

A pre-capstone course leads into a project-based capstone built around a real-world cybersecurity challenge. Ask which problems recent students tackled, since that project is the thing you'll show employers.

Courses the School Names

• Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
• Network Security
• Digital Forensics
• Security Architecture
• Advanced Cryptography
• Software Security

Standout Features

• Flat per-credit tuition for Wisconsin residents and out-of-state students
• Fully asynchronous format built for working professionals
• Partnership of eight University of Wisconsin campuses

The program is 100% online and asynchronous, built for working professionals. You watch or read material and submit work by deadlines, but you never need to be online at a fixed time. That's a real advantage across time zones and shift schedules.

The tradeoff is that you have to drive yourself. With eight campuses sharing the program, your instructors and classmates may come from several of them, so ask how students reach faculty and how much group work to expect.

The degree is a Master of Science, accredited at the institution level by the Higher Learning Commission. The credential you earn is the degree itself, which employers read as graduate-level training in cybersecurity.

If you want certifications such as CISSP, treat them as a separate study track. Some of the coursework covers similar topics, such as cryptography, network security and security architecture, but the exams are separate.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Prerequisites are real: introductory computer science with programming, plus calculus or statistics, before you start.
• The admission bar includes a bachelor's degree with at least a 3.0 GPA, a resume and a statement of personal intent.
• Textbooks are an extra cost on top of the $26,350 in tuition.
• A fully asynchronous format gives you little live contact with faculty and classmates.

• Which of my existing courses count toward the programming and math prerequisites?
• How many courses can I take per term, and how long does the 31 credits take part-time?
• How often do the Digital Forensics and Security Management and Secure Systems Design concentrations start new sections?
• What did recent capstone projects look like, and who supervised them?
• How do students reach faculty across the eight partner campuses?
• What is the typical annual textbook cost?

Public university in Kenosha, Wisconsin, one of eight Universities of Wisconsin campuses offering the shared online M.S. in Cybersecurity.

• Best Online Programs in Wisconsin Rank 6 of 6, master's

• Missouri State University

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• University of Michigan-Dearborn

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• Southern Utah University

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• University of Missouri-St. Louis

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  Missouri Score 43.2