Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in Minnesota
Minnesota has a healthy economy and low cost of living. The state is home to 17 Fortune 500 Companies, including Target and United Healthcare, all of which hire cyber security experts. The state is also home to 11 schools which award cyber security degrees, and the majority of these are considered “National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security” by the NSA.
Minnesota Cyber Security Jobs
The Saint Paul and Minneapolis are the primary locations for cyber security careers in Minnesota. There, employers in the field include Code42, Twin City Group and Secure Digital Solutions. Outside the Twin Cities, others work for defense company, Lockheed Martin, or retail giant, Target. Cyber security careers in Minnesota are well-compensated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a mean wage of $90,280 for cyber security analysts, a small tick below the national median of $92,600, but a big step up when adjusted for cost of living. In fact, Minneapolis’ cost of living is just 5% above that of the nation as a whole, a remarkably low figure for a large city.
Cyber Security Degrees in Minnesota
Associate’s Degrees in cyber security are available through five institutes in Minnesota. Three of these are recognized by the NSA as “National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security” (CAEs).
Bachelor’s Degrees in cyber security are offered by just one school in the state; Capella University has a Bachelor of Science program in Information Technology Information Assurance and Cyber Security.
Master’s Degrees in cyber security are available through four schools, three of which are designated as CAEs.
Certificates and Doctoral Degrees in cyber security are offered by several Minnesota-based schools. A total of six colleges- four of them CAEs- offer certificates in cyber security. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities awards a Ph.D. with a concentration in Computer and Network Security, and Capella University offers a Ph.D. in Information Assurance and Cyber Security
Cyber Security Resources in Minnesota
State Government Entity/Resource
Professional Association
Professional Association
Professional Association
Minneapolis/St. Paul Cyber Security for Control Systems
Meetup
Other Resource: Conference
Other Resource: Competition
Other Resourcen: Training and resource center
Cyber Security Degree Providers in Minnesota
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.
Capella University
50%
50%
Yes
Degrees
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology – Information Assurance and Security Doctor of Information Technology – Information Assurance and Security Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology – Information Assurance and Security Graduate Certificate in Digital Forensics Graduate Certificate in Information Assurance and Security Information Security Certificate Master of Science in Information Assurance and Security – Digital Forensics Master of Science in Information Assurance and Security – Health Care Security Master of Science in Information Assurance and Security – Network Defense
Inver Hills Community College
74%
55%
Yes
Degrees
- A.A.S., Network Technology and Security Advanced Network Security Certificate
Lake Superior College
79%
54%
Yes
Degrees
- Associate in Applied Science – Information Security and Assurance Associate in Applied Science in Network Administration and Cyber Security Certificate in Information Assurance and Information Technology Security Certificate in Information Security Management Cyber Defense Certificate Cyber Security Certificate Master’s in Information Security & Risk Management
Metropolitan State University
84%
71%
Yes
Degrees
- Information Assurance (BAS) MIS Information Assurance (Security) Certificate
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
81%
51%
Yes
Degrees
- Computer Forensics A.A.S. Degree
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical
81%
61%
No
Degrees
- Associate of Applied Science in Cyber and Information Security
Minnesota West Community and Technical College
91%
63%
No
Degrees
- Certificate in Computer Information Security Management
Saint Cloud State University
88%
69%
Yes
Degrees
- Master of Science in Information Assurance (MSIA) MS in Information Assurance
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
82%
93%
Yes
Degrees
- M.S. in CS concentration in Computer and Network Security Ph.D. concentration in Computer and Network Security
University of St Thomas
98%
88%
No
Degrees
- Graduate Certificate in Computer Security
