Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in Maryland

The Free State has no less than 21 schools which confer cyber security degrees. Of these, 16 have been designated as “National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security” by the NSA. Not only is Maryland a great state in which to earn a cyber security degree, but it’s an excellent state in which to have a cyber security degree; jobs are plentiful in the private sector, government service and research.

Maryland Cyber Security Jobs

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a mean wage of $104,830 for cyber security analysts, $12,230 above the national average. Sadly, the elevated cost of living in Maryland- some 25% higher than the national average- makes this high mean salary less impressive. Maryland is fourth in the nation for concentration of cyber security professionals, perhaps in part due to the state’s large number of high-quality cyber security degree programs. Yet the market does not appear to be saturated; Burning Glass ranks Maryland seventh in the nation for the highest number of cyber security job postings. Tech companies headquartered in Maryland, such as DataTribe and DoD Cyber Crime Center, hire for cyber security jobs, as do defense companies BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin. Two Maryland cities are actually tied for most common cyber security job sites: Fort Meade and Annapolis Junction.

Cyber Security Degrees in Maryland

Associate’s Degrees in cyber security are available from no less than nine schools. Eight of these are considered “National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security” (CAEs) by the NSA.

Bachelor’s Degrees in cyber security are offered by a total of seven institutes, four of the CAEs.

Master’s Degrees in cyber security are awarded by eight universities in Maryland, of which six are CAEs.

Certificates and Doctoral Degrees in cyber security are available through a great number of schools in the state. Fully 15 schools offer certificates in cyber security, 11 of the CAEs. One school offers a doctorate in the field; a Doctor of Science in Cyber Security is available through Capitol Technology University, which the NSA considers a CAE.

The 5 Best Cyber Security Degree Providers in Maryland

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are many high quality cyber security (and related field) degree providers in the state of Maryland. We’ve taken a look at all cyber security degree providers in the state (and you can too in our directory below) and pulled out the top programs based on our detailed ranking methodology. Factors in the ranking of a school include whether they are an NSA Center of Academic Excellence, the range of cyber security-related degrees offered, and a wide range of metrics checking out academic quality, affordability, return on investment, and student satisfaction. For a detailed rundown of our ranking methodology as well as national cyber security degree rankings, check out our rankings page.

1) Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins is an elite private research university that was founded in 1876, in Baltimore, Maryland. The school’s founder was abolitionist and entrepreneur Johns Hopkins. Over 23,900 students attend Johns Hopkins, which has a very low 10:1 student to faculty ratio. It conveys undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees through 10 divisions and campuses in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Italy, China, Singapore, and of course, online. It’s now ranked 11th among American “national universities” by U.S. News & World Report, and was respectively ranked 14th and 10th in the world by Academic Ranking of World Universities and USNR in 2017. For those interested in cyber security, it offers several concentrations in that discipline. Johns Hopkins is known for the excellent reputation of its faculty, funding and infrastructure.

Johns Hopkins offers a Master of Science in Security Informatics. It comes in a number of concentrations, including Security and Privacy, Cryptography, Computer Forensics, Software Vulnerability Analysis, Intrusion Detection, Cloud Security, Security Analytics, Ethical Hacking, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Financial Issues in Managing Secure Operations, Network Security, and Global Cybersecurity Trends and Practices. These programs cover information security, assurance, and privacy, and are essential to “homeland security efforts across Hopkins, including emergency health preparedness, bio-terrorism, and national defense.” The school also notes that the “National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, in recognition of Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute leadership, have designated the university a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance in Cyber Defense Research and Education.” These programs can be taken full-time, part-time, and online

• Homepage
• Average Net Price Undergrad: 18th-$27,352

Online Cybersecurity Degree Programs:

• Master of Science in Security Informatics

2) Towson University

TU is a public university in Towson, Maryland. It’s part of the University System of Maryland. It was founded in 1866. It has been ranked highly by USNR, Forbes and Kiplinger for its academic quality and value. Over 22,300 students attend Towson, which has a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. It’s one of the largest public universities in the state. Towson offers 64 undergraduate majors, 37 master’s degree programs and 4 doctoral programs through 8 distinct schools.

Towson offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with the option of a Security Track, a combined major in Computer Science and Mathematics with a Security Track, a Graduate Certificate in Information Security and Assurance, an MS in Applied Information Technology in Information Security and Assurance, and an MS in Computer Science with a Computer Security Track. The National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security designated Towson University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education in 2002 and in Cyber Operations in 2013. It’s one of only 19 schools with the Cyber Operations distinction.

• Homepage
• Average Net Price Undergrad: 13th-$15,597

Online Cybersecurity Degree Programs:

• None

3) University of Maryland-College Park

The University of Maryland University College Park is a public university and the flagship of the University of Maryland. It was founded in 1856. College Park serves over 39,000 students, with a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. UMUC gives students access to over 120 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate programs through 13 schools and colleges. It’s one of eleven different schools within its system. The school is known for its Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES), which started in 2013.

College Park offers a BS in Computer Engineering with a Specialization in Cybersecurity, a BS in Computer Science with a Specialization in Cybersecurity, a Graduate Certificate in Engineering in Cybersecurity, and a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity, and a MS/Ph.D. in Computer Science that features research in security. It has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security and as a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence by the Defense Cyber Crime Center Academic Cyber Curriculum Alliance. It has won many awards for its cybersecurity programming, and its competitive Cyber Padawans team.

• Homepage
• Average Net Price Undergrad: 14th-$15,757

Online Cybersecurity Degree Programs:

• None

4) Bowie State University

Bowie State University is a public, historically black college. It was established after the Civil War in 1865, based north of Bowie, Maryland, making it the oldest HBCU in the state. Nearly 5,700 students attend the school, which has a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio. BSU offers 22 undergraduate majors, 19 master’s programs, two doctoral programs, and 14 certificate programs in disciplines as diverse as computer science, education, human resource development, organizational communication, and nursing. In 1995 NASA and the National Science Foundation awarded BSU $27 million after declaring it a Model Institution for Excellence in science, engineering, and mathematics. This led to a strengthening of its computer science programs.

BSU offers an MS in Management Information Systems with a concentration in Information Assurance (MSIA). This program prepares students to work as security analysts, designers, auditors, managers and more within information assurance/cybersecurity. The workforce development in this program is a huge part of its recognition as a National Center of Academic Excellence in IA Education (CAE/IAE) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Students in this program will learn to secure computers and networks, protect them from threats, build information systems with security in mind, do significant research in the field, and much more.

• Homepage
• Average Net Price Undergrad: 9th-$13,200

Online Cybersecurity Degree Programs:

• None

5) Capitol Technology University

Capitol Technology University is a private, non-profit university located northeast of Washington D.C. It was established in 1927. Nearly 800 students attend Capitol, which offers a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Capitol offers undergraduate and graduate programming in engineering, computer science, information technology, and business. CTU was designated by Carnegie Classification as a Special Focus Institutions in Engineering. The school’s programming is delivered by two colleges, the School of Business and Information Science and the School of Engineering and Computer Science. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Capitol 15th among top online engineering degree programs for student engagement and 43rd for its graduate engineering program in “Student Services and Technology.”

Capitol offers a Bachelor and Master of Science in Cyber and Information Security, a Computer and Network Security Certificate, and a Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity. The Doctorate was the first of its kind in the country. The Master’s can be taken online, and some courses in the other programs can be taken online as well. Even when attending a Capitol program on campus, these programs generally have a low residency requirement, adding to their flexibility. Graduates of these programs often work as information systems security officers, information security analysts, administrators and consultants, risk managers and auditors, chief technical officers, chief information officers and much more. NSA and DHS have given these programs a NSA CAE IA/CD designation in all six Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) areas.

• Homepage
• Average Net Price Undergrad: 16th-$20,571

Online Cybersecurity Degree Programs:

• M.S. in Cyber and Information Security, other programs have some coursework online.

Cyber Security Resources in Maryland

Cyber Security Degree Providers in Maryland

Below we’ve included some of the most pertinent information for choosing a cyber security degree program. Affordability looked at the average in-state tuition rate (where applicable) and divided the range of tuition rates into five bins. Each bin contains a roughly $8,000 jump in tuition. So one $ contains schools from roughly $1,000 in in-state tuition to $9,000, $$’s contains schools from >$9,000 to $17,000, and so forth. Retention rate is one of the best predictors of undergraduate education quality. While the NSA/CAE designation marks programs deemed excellent by the NSA.