Westcliff University Online Master of Science in Information Technology (Cybersecurity Concentration)

Westcliff University's Master of Science in Information Technology with a Cybersecurity concentration is a 36-credit graduate degree that sits inside a broader IT master's. It takes applicants with a computer science or IT bachelor's and a 2.5 GPA, and it ends in a 3-credit applied capstone. Ask Westcliff for tuition and a course list for the cybersecurity track before you apply.

Westcliff University is a private for-profit university headquartered in Irvine, California. Its program page lets applicants choose a preferred campus from a list that includes Irvine, Miami, Orlando, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Dallas and Online. This page covers the online version of the Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) with the Cybersecurity concentration.

The cybersecurity track is one of six concentrations inside the same degree. The others are Cloud Computing, Emerging Technologies, Information Technology Management, IT Project Management and Operations Management. Westcliff describes the cybersecurity version as designed to advance the careers of technologists and computer scientists in computer systems and information technology security.

Westcliff also offers a 15-credit graduate certificate in cybersecurity and an undergraduate certificate. The master's is the longer path, and it is a general IT degree with a security focus, not a stand-alone cybersecurity master's.

Federal data lists a campus charge of $819 per credit for the university. That is not an online rate, and it may not apply to this degree, so treat it only as a reason to ask. Do not multiply it by 36 and plan around the result.

When you request a quote, ask for the per-credit rate, any technology or registration fees, and whether the rate is the same for the Cybersecurity concentration as for the other five. Also ask whether the cost of the 3-credit capstone is the same as other courses. Get the answers in writing so you can compare with schools that publish a price.

Who It Fits

• You hold a bachelor's in computer science or information technology and want a graduate degree with a security focus.
• You want flexibility to move between concentrations. The same MSIT offers cloud, project management and operations tracks if your plans change.
• Your undergraduate GPA is around 2.5. That is the stated minimum for admission.
• You like finishing with an applied capstone, a 3-credit project course called CAP 690.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a degree titled Cybersecurity. The credential is a Master of Science in Information Technology, with cybersecurity as a concentration.
• You need transparent pricing before applying. The tuition tables on Westcliff's site are collapsed and print no readable rates.
• Your bachelor's is not in computer science or information technology. Admission asks for a degree in one of those fields.
• You want a school where most students study online. Federal data shows only 13% of Westcliff students are enrolled exclusively online.

The degree is 36 prescribed credit hours, and you must keep a program GPA of 3.0 or higher to graduate. The program ends with the Masters Applied Capstone, CAP 690, worth 3 credits.

The cybersecurity concentration is described as aimed at technologists and computer scientists in the field of computer systems and information technology security. Ask which individual courses make up the concentration, and whether it includes ethical hacking, forensics, cryptography or risk management.

Because the MSIT shares a core with five other concentrations, part of your 36 credits is likely general IT study rather than pure security. Ask for the exact split: how many credits are core, how many are concentration courses, and what the capstone project looks like for a security student.

A capstone that lets you work on a real security problem is more useful to employers than one that is a general IT paper.

Westcliff's page offers Online as one of several campus choices, next to physical campuses in California, Florida and Texas. Federal data shows 13% of its students are enrolled exclusively online, so online students are a minority.

Ask how many online sections of the cybersecurity concentration run each term, whether classes are live or self-paced, and how you reach advisors and instructors. For a smaller online group, that support matters more than it does at a school built for distance learning.

The credential is a Master of Science in Information Technology. The cybersecurity concentration should appear on your transcript, so check how it will be listed.

Because key details like price and course titles need to come from admissions, verify everything in writing.

The university's graduation rate is 62% and its admit rate is 73%, both school-wide. If you want a certification such as the CISSP or a security analyst credential, plan to pursue it separately and ask whether any coursework lines up with it.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• No tuition or per-credit rate is readable on the school's site, so cost is impossible to compare in advance.
• The degree is a general IT master's with a security concentration rather than a dedicated cybersecurity master's.
• Ask for the individual courses in the cybersecurity concentration before applying.
• Only 13% of students are enrolled exclusively online, so the online cohort is small.

• What is the exact per-credit tuition for the online Cybersecurity concentration, and what fees are added?
• Which courses make up the concentration, and how many of the 36 credits are core IT versus security?
• What does the CAP 690 capstone involve, and can it be a security project?
• Are online classes live or self-paced, and how often do new terms start?
• Does the concentration line up with any industry certification exam?
• If my bachelor's GPA is close to 2.5, is there a conditional admission or a bridge option?

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