Sorelle C., Master’s in Cybersecurity — 2022 Grad
Receive information about the benefits of our programs, the courses you'll take, and what you need to apply.
Expert cybersecurity professionals are in high demand as public, private, and nonprofit organizations race to stay ahead of the latest threats. As the need for auditing, protection, and troubleshooting grows and cybersecurity budgets soar, now is the perfect time to capitalize on this critical global need.
Our online master’s degree in cybersecurity can help you reach areas of the industry a bachelor’s degree typically can’t, including management and the C-suite. When you earn your online master’s in cybersecurity from Maryville, you can grow your cybersecurity credentials with in-demand technical skills, knowledge of vital business concepts, and industry-relevant certifications such as CISSP, ECSA, ECES, CISA, CCSP, and Splunk Core Certified Power User.
Top career skills you can develop:
Access coursework 100% online — no campus visits are required.
Graduate in as few as 12 months.
Learn from case studies pulled from the latest headlines.
Complete coursework using the Maryville Virtual Lab, which was distinguished by Apple for mobile innovation.
Prepare for certifications while you complete your degree: ECSA, ECES, Splunk, CISA, CCSP, and CISSP.
Your success in the field of computer science depends on details and decisions. Maryville University is uniquely prepared to help you learn the technical intricacies of cybersecurity and turn them into strategies that protect precious data.
For example, the Maryville Virtual Lab is a course delivery system that doubles as a virtual training ground. From any device, anywhere, you can hone your skills in a safe and protected environment.
Most of our faculty members work in cybersecurity, which keeps us directly connected with the marketplace. They know the industry’s highest expectations because they’ve seen them firsthand in their positions in Fortune 500 companies, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies. That’s why they have built six industry-relevant certifications into the course curriculum — to help give you the competitive edge you need to succeed.
Our online cybersecurity master’s program, which is part of the John E. Simon School of Business, can help prepare you for the changing role of cybersecurity professionals by equipping you with the hard and soft skills that employers desire. Aspire to sit shoulder to shoulder with top decision-makers. Make your cybersecurity policies and strategies an integral part of the business.
Cybersecurity professionals are increasingly taking on larger roles in their organizations, even in the C-suite. As technology plays an increasing role in the business world, the CIO role is evolving from a technology expert to more of a business strategist, according to a 2021 Gartner report.
The job outlook for cybersecurity professionals is exceptional. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the demand for information security analysts to grow 31% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the 8% average for all occupations.
This growth is driven by the need for organizations of all kinds, from financial institutions and healthcare systems to small- and medium-sized businesses, to protect their information infrastructure as more and more transactions take place in the cloud.
With your online master’s in cybersecurity, you can build the expertise to pursue careers including:
In business settings such as:
Cybersecurity professionals earn a range of salaries that vary depending on location, industry, education, and experience. Here’s a look at the median salaries for a few careers, according to 2021 PayScale data:
$166,000
Chief Information Security Officer
$166,000
Chief Information Officer
$122,000
Network Architect
$117,000
Information Security Manager
$93,000
Security Engineer
Salary numbers demonstrate the value of an online master’s degree in cybersecurity. Top earners in the field earn well into the six figures. But information professionals often enjoy the additional perks of a competitive marketplace and a modern work environment. Business News Daily reports that today’s employers offer unique benefits to top talent, including complimentary meals, company gyms, massage therapists, and in-house health services.
Our curriculum makes the difference. As a student in our program, you’ll spend half of your time in core courses focused on IT management, cyber defense, problem solving, and cybersecurity incident response, to name a few. In addition, you’ll have a choice of three focus areas: Technical, Leadership, and General. Students can choose to concentrate on one specialization track or take courses from all three.
Our Technical elective courses focus on network security, mobile device hacking and forensics, security log management, and more. Courses in this specialization prepare you to take the ECSA, ECES, and Splunk Core Certified Power User exams.
Our Leadership elective courses cover such topics as the principles of cybersecurity auditing, data security and analysis, risk analysis and metrics, cloud migration, and more. These courses prepare you to take the CISA and CCSP exams.
Our General elective courses cover security operations management and responsible information security operations, with the opportunity to apply learned concepts through projects with industry partners.
You’ll also be able to gain hands-on experience in our Cyber Fusion Center, a next-generation learning center where students provide cost-free cybersecurity services to a wide range of clients, including nonprofit organizations, charities, schools, and small businesses.
As technology advances and more and more devices go online — from cars to kitchen appliances to election systems — the need for well-trained cybersecurity professionals with the skills to protect these systems continues to grow. A master’s degree in cybersecurity can prepare you to meet these changing cybersecurity threats and find success in a high-demand field.
Cybersecurity workers can command an average salary premium of $12,700 per year compared with other IT workers, according to Burning Glass Technologies, a company that specializes in job market analytics.
Your cybersecurity master’s degree can help you qualify for high-growth jobs. U.S. News & World Report ranks “information security analyst” fourth on its list of Best Technology Jobs of 2021, among other high-growth positions such as data scientist and IT manager.
Sean K., graduate, Master of Science in Cybersecurity
“Every single time I’ve ever talked to anyone at Maryville, they’ve done whatever they can to help me. Every time I called, I got help. I value customer service very highly. That’s why I chose Maryville: Everybody who I’ve met here has always been really cool.”
Our online master’s in cybersecurity features a curriculum designed to help you improve your technical skillset, hone your expertise, and gain industry-relevant certifications. Pursue professional credentials such as:
You can further customize your master’s degree experience by pursuing one of three areas of emphasis: Leadership, Technical, or General. Whether it’s cybersecurity governance and information security management, ethical hacking and network security policies, or security operations management and research, you’ll have the opportunity to gain the specialized knowledge to pursue the career you want.
Because our program is housed in the John E. Simon School of Business, you can develop a great business sense, too. Learn more on our curriculum page.
To become a cybersecurity expert, you must be well-versed in offensive and defensive techniques. We teach you both. Courses such as Mobile Device Hacking and Forensics give you firsthand knowledge of the types of threats you may see in your career. And courses such as Controls for Effective Cyber Defense and Cybersecurity Incident Response and Examination can prepare you to build defensive and preventive strategies.
Our online master’s in cybersecurity teaches more than technical skills. In our Legal Aspects of Privacy and Compliance course, you’ll get the opportunity to study questions of jurisdiction, regulation of online speech, privacy, security, and intellectual property.
Our cybersecurity professors shared their thoughts on Maryville’s online master’s in cybersecurity program and the cybersecurity industry:
Maryville’s program has a wide range of hands-on activities such as virtual labs and our Cyber Fusion Center, but the most crucial skill a student can gain from this degree and apply throughout their career is a soft skill: the ability to communicate with technical and non-technical peers. This is arguably the single greatest skill for a cybersecurity professional.
—Randy Magiera
With a holistic curriculum designed to educate well-rounded cybersecurity professionals, Maryville’s online master’s degree in cybersecurity prepares you for career advancement in a variety of fields across all sectors — public, private, and nonprofit.
Troubleshoot and defend your organization’s information systems as a security engineer with advanced knowledge of intrusion detection and prevention protocols, or take charge of the design and review of your organization’s networks as a network architect. With enough experience, you can advance to chief information officer, the high-level executive who manages IT/IS departments and makes critical decisions about an organization’s information framework.
With a master’s degree in cybersecurity, you have a world of career options to choose from.
