Western Michigan University Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Western Michigan University's online Master of Science in Cybersecurity is a flexible, mid-priced master's that lets you decide how technical or managerial it gets. You pick a Computer Science track through the engineering college or a Computer Information Systems track through the business college, no GRE is required, and the program prepares you for CompTIA Network+ and Security+. It suits people who already have some technical footing.

This is a 30-credit degree at a public university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it generally takes two years. The program is shared between the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Haworth College of Business, which is unusual and shapes everything about it.

You take 10 courses, and at least six of them come from one of those two colleges. That choice sets your track: Computer Science (CYAM) leans toward engineering, and Computer Information Systems (CYBM) leans toward business and information systems.

Western Michigan also runs a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity with 122 credits at $685.50 per credit. The bachelor's is for first-degree students and ends with a team Senior Engineering Design project for industry. The master's is for graduates who already hold a bachelor's and some technical background.

The degree is a Master of Science in Cybersecurity. The program is tied to certification prep, and the page names CompTIA Network+ and Security+ as exams you'll be prepared for. Pairing a degree with Security+ can help in government and contractor hiring where that exam is commonly listed.

Beyond the exams, the degree’s value comes from the track you choose and the college behind it, whether engineering or business.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You have an IT, networking or software background and want to move into security without starting over. Admission asks for technical experience from school or work, and the tracks build on it.
• You can't commit to a class time. WMU lets you choose asynchronous courses with no scheduled meetings or a weekly synchronous meeting attended virtually or in person.
• You want to steer toward either the engineering side or the management side. The business track and the engineering track each require at least six of your 10 courses from one college.

Who Should Skip It

• You're brand new to technology. The program expects a technical background from academic or professional experience, and it asks for a resume, three letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
• You want a fixed set of named lab courses. The program is organized around two college tracks and certification prep, so your coursework depends on which track and electives you choose.
• You want the lowest sticker price. The online graduate rate is $868.04 per credit before a per-credit differential, so shop the total, not just the headline number.

The structure is the main story. Of your 10 courses, at least six come from either the Haworth College of Business (Computer Information Systems, CYBM) or the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Computer Science, CYAM). The rest let you fill in the other side or specialize.

That split is useful when you know your target job. If you want to run a security program and talk to executives, the business track fits. If you want to build and test controls, the engineering track fits.

The program page also says it prepares you for the CompTIA Network+ and Security+ exams. Those are foundation-level industry certifications, which suggests the coursework starts from fundamentals before it moves toward specialization.

Standout Features

• Choose asynchronous online courses or a synchronous weekly meeting attended virtually or in person
• Two tracks taking at least six of 10 courses from either the business or the engineering college

The online graduate rate is $868.04 per credit hour for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027. Across the 30 credits, tuition comes to $26,041.20 before extras. Non-resident students on campus pay $1,326.71 per credit, but the online rate is the same $868.04 for everyone.

The page lists a separate differential of $73.29 per credit hour for the Haworth College of Business and $70.00 per credit hour for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Add the one that matches your track to the per-credit rate, then ask about fees, which are listed separately.

Up to six credit hours of transfer graduate credit may be accepted, which can trim the total.

30 credits at $868.04 a credit comes to $26,041 in tuition, before fees.

WMU gives you two online modes. You can take fully asynchronous courses without scheduled class meetings, or you can attend a synchronous weekly meeting at a set time, either virtually or in person. That second option is rare in an online degree, and it works if you live near Kalamazoo and want some face time.

School-wide federal data shows 36% of graduate students enrolled exclusively online, 66% of transfer-in students earning an award within eight years and a 58% graduation rate. Those are Western Michigan figures, not program figures, so ask the program office how many online master's students finish.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• The track split means you can't have both a deep engineering path and a deep business path. At least six of your 10 courses go to one college.
• Admissions asks for a resume, three letters of recommendation and a personal statement, which is more paperwork than many online master's programs require.
• The college differential of $73.29 or $70.00 per credit is added to the base rate, so the real cost is higher than the $868.04 headline.

• Which track fits my target job, Computer Information Systems (CYBM) or Computer Science (CYAM)?
• How do the asynchronous and weekly synchronous options differ in workload and deadlines?
• What does the $73.29 or $70.00 differential add to my total, and which fees apply to online students?
• Which courses prepare me for the Network+ and Security+ exams, and when do I take them?
• How does the technical-background requirement work if my experience is in a nearby field?
• How many of the six transfer credits can I use, and what counts?

Public university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, whose cybersecurity programs are shared by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Haworth College of Business.

• Best Programs With Certifications Rank 10 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Michigan Rank 1 of 5, master's

• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online $685.50 per credit Score 44.7

• SANS Technology Institute

  Master of Science in Information Security Engineering

  Maryland $1,500 per credit Score 56.8

• New York University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity (Online)

  New York Score 56.6

• California State University, San Bernardino

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Analytics (Online)

  California Score 56.5

• George Washington University

  Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity

  District of Columbia $1,250 per credit Score 56.5