Best Online Cybersecurity Programs in Virginia (2027)

Pick this if you want the attacker's view before the policy view. Upper-level CYSE 450 Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing and CYSE 407 Digital Forensics sit alongside Cyber Law, and the 120 credits close with an internship course and two catalog capstones. Virginians pay $443 a credit and out-of-state students $453, so residency barely matters. It's built for self-starters, since no class meets at set times.

Regent reads like a ladder. You start with Linux System Administration and Network and Telecommunication Concepts, move to Network Defense and Security, then cover keeping a business running after an incident. ABET accredits the computing program, and the NSA names it a Cyber Defense center. Eight-week online terms suit steady progress, but the $750 services fee returns every semester, so a slower pace pays it more times.

This one is housed in Liberty's business school, so the program carries ACBSP business accreditation on top of the university's regional SACSCOC standing. That matters if you're headed for risk, audit or IT management rather than hands-on defense. Classes have no set login times, and electronic textbooks cost nothing extra. Part-time students pay $475 a credit instead of $410, so a lighter load costs more.

Choose this when you want to write the code, not just configure it. Advanced Programming Using C++ and Modern Cryptography make the 121 credits heavier on math and development than a typical security degree, and at $410 a credit the sticker price is about $49,610 before transfers. It carries Liberty's SACSCOC accreditation, so it's weaker if employers ask for ABET.

Choose this if you want a four-year degree from a small Virginia college without a large bill. Online tuition is $420 a credit across 120 credits. Coursework includes Ethical Hacking and System Defense, Digital Forensic Fundamentals and Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, plus a certification prep course and an internship. The trade-off: it is a general bachelor's, so there's no graduate-level depth.

Norfolk's public university suits Virginians who want a state-school name on a working professional's schedule. The NSA recognizes ODU in cyber defense, operations and research, and your five electives are where you lean toward one of those. Expect nine courses plus a capstone, each in an eight-week term with no scheduled meetings. That freedom also means no built-in classmates, so you supply the discipline.

This Salem, Virginia school leans toward managing risk as much as breaking in. Business and Security Risk Analysis and Risk Management and Compliance sit next to Intrusion Detection, and electives map to CISM and CBCP topics as well as CISSP. All 14 courses carry four credits, with live video mixed into online work. Expect 56 credits in total, a longer road than most master's programs.

Based in Alexandria, this degree starts from Introduction to Cybersecurity, so it welcomes someone whose bachelor's is in another field. Security Policy and Standards and Secure Cloud Architecture build toward CS 681, a 4.5-credit capstone. A 2.4 GPA and a distance education assessment open the door, with no GRE. Its accreditor is ACCSC, so confirm your employer or a future doctoral school accepts it.

Marymount is a private Catholic university in Arlington that lets you decide how technical to get. Cybersecurity Risk Management and Human Factors in Cybersecurity fit managers, while the Data Science and Digital Health tracks suit people working with sensitive data. It enrolls in fall, spring and summer, and the 36 credits take longer than a 30-credit degree, so plan your terms early.

Regent works for Virginia professionals who want to steer the degree toward their job. You pick Practitioner, Artificial Intelligence, Management or Policy, then train on the university's cyber range, which online students can reach too. Core courses include Internet and Network Security and Information Security Management. Full-time means 9 credits a semester at $6,255, and a $750 services fee is added each semester.

As a public university in Norfolk, the school says it carries the Department of Homeland Security and NSA cyber defense designation, and that about half its students come without computer science backgrounds. The plan is fixed, with no electives: Network Fundamentals, Database Security, Ethical Hacking and a two-semester research capstone. Plan on fall and spring only, since summer classes are rare, and no GRE is needed.

This associate degree is 65 credits, with Virginia residents paying fees included in every credit. It teaches Legal Topics in Network Security alongside Computer Forensics, and NOVA hosts the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, a real chance to test skills against other teams. Classes come as in-person, online and hybrid mixes, so check each course's format before you register if you need everything remote.

Germanna's published program estimate is $11,588, with Virginians paying $186.90 a credit including fees. Out-of-state online students get an e-rate of $309.40 instead of the standard $404. The degree is titled Information System Technology with a cybersecurity focus, so you'll also take general IT courses besides Network Security Basics. Treat it as entry-level preparation, with a bachelor's the next step for management roles.

Virginia's doctoral option sits in Arlington, near the federal agencies that hire cybersecurity leaders. A Doctor of Science is built for research, so expect a dissertation and oral defense rather than another stack of courses. The post-master's path is 36 credits at $1,388 each. The catch is the entry bar: a research statement, two writing samples and a B- in statistics.