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Key takeaway: Online cybersecurity degrees are offered at the certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level by accredited schools nationwide, and most integrate preparation for industry certifications like CompTIA Security+ and CISSP. Graduate earnings rise with credential level – from a median $61,572 four years after a certificate to $105,781 after a master’s (College Scorecard)1 – and related occupations pay a median $61,860 to $175,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025)2. Compare accredited programs below.
An accredited online cybersecurity degree teaches you to protect networks, data, and infrastructure from digital threats, with coursework spanning network defense, ethical hacking, digital forensics, cryptography, cloud security, and security governance. Accredited online programs deliver the same curriculum and degree titles as campus programs, using cloud-hosted cyber ranges and virtual machines that mirror professional security operations tooling. Strong cybersecurity-specific quality signals include NSA Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) designation and ABET cybersecurity accreditation through the Computing Accreditation Commission.
These accredited schools offer online programs, report cybersecurity completions, and are ordered by our independent BOC Score. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Can You Get A Cybersecurity Degree Online? explains how accredited online cybersecurity programs work, including specializations, cost, and salary outcomes.
Browse cybersecurity programs by state ->
An online cybersecurity degree is a credential focused on protecting computer systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, attack, and damage. Coursework covers network security, threat detection, incident response, ethical hacking, digital forensics, and security policy.
Cybersecurity is offered at every credential level: certificates (743 schools), associate degrees (581 schools), bachelor’s degrees (428 schools), master’s degrees (287 schools), and doctoral programs (18 schools), per College Scorecard data for CIP 11.101.
Information security analysts earned a median $129,180 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025)2. By credential, College Scorecard data shows median earnings four years after completion of $61,572 for certificate holders, $56,486 for associate graduates, $83,558 for bachelor’s graduates, and $105,781 for master’s graduates1.
Verify institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database. Strong cybersecurity-specific signals are NSA Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) designation and ABET cybersecurity accreditation through the Computing Accreditation Commission.
Yes. Online programs use cloud-hosted cyber ranges, virtual machines, and simulated attack environments – the same remote tooling professionals use on the job. Security operations work is itself heavily remote-friendly, which makes online delivery a natural fit for this field.
College Scorecard tracks real earnings by credential level for cybersecurity (CIP 11.10), and bachelor’s graduates out-earn associate graduates at the four-year mark ($83,558 vs $56,486).
| Degree level | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Certificate | $61,572 |
| Associate | $56,486 |
| Bachelor's | $83,558 |
| Master's | $105,781 |
| Degree Level | Schools Offering | Median Earnings (1 yr) | Median Earnings (4 yr) | Median Earnings (5 yr) | Median Debt | % Offering Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | 743 | $46,099 | $61,572 | $54,382 | $15,639 | 64.3% |
| Associate | 581 | $41,938 | $56,486 | $54,164 | $17,303 | 61.6% |
| Bachelor’s | 428 | $58,146 | $83,558 | $78,496 | $26,104 | 60.3% |
| Master’s | 287 | $87,435 | $105,781 | $128,278 | $41,432 | 35.5% |
| Doctoral | 18 | $152,737* | $175,839* | $136,244* | $66,166 | 27.8% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, CIP 11.10 (Computer/IT Administration and Security), latest reporting year.1 *Doctoral earnings reflect a single reporting school and should be treated as indicative only.
Tuition varies widely by institution type and residency; many online programs charge a single e-rate regardless of state. For lower-cost options and the full value discussion, see Affordable Cybersecurity Programs and Is a Cybersecurity Degree Worth It.
Core coursework moves from networking and operating system fundamentals (TCP/IP, Windows and Linux, system administration) into network defense and security architecture, ethical hacking and penetration testing, digital forensics and incident response, cloud security, cryptography, and governance, risk, and compliance. Most programs let you focus through a concentration – network security, digital forensics, cloud security, or ethical hacking – and close with an applied capstone or cyber range exercise.
See the full breakdown on the Cybersecurity Curriculum and Cybersecurity Concentrations pages.
Cybersecurity graduates qualify for security-specific roles and the broader IT occupations that security work grows out of. Job titles in security postings often differ from BLS occupation names – SOC analyst, threat hunter, penetration tester, security engineer, and incident responder generally fall under the information security analyst occupation, while CISO and security director roles fall under computer and information systems manager.
| Occupation | Projected job growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Information Security Analyst | 28.5% |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | 15.2% |
| Computer Network Architect | 11.9% |
| Computer Systems Analyst | 8.7% |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | 1.8% |
| Computer User Support Specialist | -3.7% |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrator | -4.2% |
| Career | Median Annual Salary (May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | $175,140 |
| Computer Network Architect | $134,050 |
| Information Security Analyst | $129,180 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | $105,850 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrator | $99,130 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | $76,220 |
| Computer User Support Specialist | $61,860 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. National median annual wages.
Certifications function as the field’s common currency alongside degrees, and many online programs map courses directly to certification exam objectives so you graduate with both a degree and one or more credentials. They sort into three tiers:
Cybersecurity, computer science, or IT? Choose cybersecurity to make security the job rather than a feature of it; choose computer science to build software; choose technology / IT to run infrastructure. Because the foundations overlap, transferring between these majors in the first two years usually costs little time.
Compare programs by level or specialty:
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data for CIP 11.10 (Computer/IT Administration and Security), latest reporting year. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. ↩︎ ↩︎
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