Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Whether you aspire to pursue a new career in the booming Cybersecurity field or want to upskill your knowledge and gain a competitive edge, the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program within UM-Flint’s College of Innovation & Technology can help you achieve your goals!The Cybersecurity graduate degree empowers you with the technical proficiencies and experience with real-life data sets to make your mark in your career field of choice.  Learn the technical skills to manage and study data, and then apply those skills.  Be it in business, healthcare, or finance, a degree in Cybersecurity prepares you to ask and answer questions that help shape policies and best practices.

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Why Get a Cybersecurity Degree at UM-Flint?

Study at Your Own Pace—100% Online Learning

This program can be completed online through high-tech Cyber-classrooms or in-person face-to-face with our amazing faculty. Whether online or in-person, you can access your learning the way you want.

Beginner Friendly – Courses for Students without a Computer Science Background

The University of Michigan-Flint’s online Cybersecurity program is suitable for those with previous experience in computer science and related fields and welcomes those without any technical background.

Customizable Cybersecurity Program with Two Concentration Options

The University of Michigan-Flint’s Cybersecurity program allows you to select one of  two concentrations:

  • Network and System Security
  • Application and Software Security

Technology Empowerment

With a University of Michigan Masters degree in Cybersecurity, students will gain the skills needed to enhance or start their career in digital security. With cybersecurity becoming increasingly important to all areas of businesses, ranging from such areas as healthcare, finance, automotive, and others, employers are looking to protect their data. According to the ISC, a workforce gap and talent shortage is driving up the value of these positions, with an estimated gap of 3.4 million needed workers*. At UM-Flint, students will learn to study, manage, and protect data security, bridging the market gap. 

Advance Your Earning Potential

As all businesses with a digital or online component depend on a secure environment to protect private data, hacking and cyberattacks remain common. Businesses rely on experts who protect data and respond to attacks precisely and skillfully. As such, new cybersecurity specialists are required constantly, expanding their earning potential and making cybersecurity a blossoming field with many possibilities for advancement. Professionals are required in numerous industries, with the need growing every day. 

*www.isc2.org/Research/Workforce-Study

Cybersecurity Online Degree Curriculum & Courses

The graduate degree in Cybersecurity at UM-Flint provides a highly concentrated set of classes that deliver technical training in data warehousing, security, business intelligence, information storage and retrieval, and data mining. The program curriculum is a total of 32 credits.

Average Program Completion: 16-20 months
See the detailed Cybersecurity course plan.

Career Outlook – What Can You Do with a Cybersecurity Degree?

The technological world lives and depends on secure information environments. Cyberattacks have become more commonplace, and these analysts will create innovative solutions to prevent would-be hackers from taking critical information or creating other problems with computer networks.

As businesses continue to enhance their own security, people with cybersecurity training will be needed to secure existing and new technologies from all outside threats.  Accordingly, the demand for competent data scientists is rapidly increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the employment of Information Security Analysts will grow 35% through 2031, seven times faster than the average for all occupations. With this positive career outlook, the graduates of our Cybersecurity program can kick-start their careers in many industries, such as consulting, financial services, healthcare, and technology.

If you are currently working in a cybersecurity-related role, completing the Masters in Cybersecurity degree can help you advance your career to the next level and increase your earning potential. By 2031, the employment of Information Security Analysts will grow 35%, seven times faster than the average for all occupations. The median salary for these professionals is $102,600.

One thing that differentiates this career is that at the national level, the supply-demand ratio is currently at 69%, which means there are only enough cybersecurity workers in the United States to fill 69% of the cybersecurity jobs employers demand.

Admission Requirements

  • A Bachelor of Science degree from a regionally accredited institution in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Cybersecurity or Computer Engineering is preferred. Applicants with other undergraduate degrees may enter the program while they complete the Fast Track coursework to allow them to attain the required background knowledge quickly.
  • A minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Fast Track: 

If you’re coming in with no programming experience, no problem!  We offer coursework in math and programming skills to get you up to speed.

Students without a Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Cybersecurity or Computer Engineering or related bachelor’s degree are required to take the following Computer Science courses. 

1) One from:

  • CSC 175 – Problem Solving and Programming I (4) 
    or
  • CSC 176 – Problem Solving and Programming I in Java (4)
    or
  • CSC 179 – Problem Solving and Programming I in Python (4)

2) One from

  • CSC 275 – Problem Solving and Programming II (4) 
    or
  • CSC 276 – Problem Solving and Programming II in Java (4)
    or
  • CSC 279 – Problem Solving and Programming II in Python (4)

State Authorization for Online Students

In recent years, the federal government has emphasized the need for universities and colleges to comply with the distance education laws of each individual state. If you are an out-of-state student intending to enroll in the online Cybersecurity Graduate program, please visit the State Authorization page to verify the status of UM-Flint with your state.

How to Apply to the Cybersecurity Program

To be considered for admission, submit an online application below. Other materials can be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to the Office of Graduate Programs, 251 Thompson Library.

  • Application for Graduate Admission
  • $55 application fee (non-refundable)
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • For any degree completed at a non-US institution, official transcripts must be submitted for credential review to an approved credentialing agency. You must submit your transcripts for a course-by-course evaluation. Once the evaluation is completed, the transcript course-by-course evaluation report must be submitted to the University of Michigan-Flint. This document must be submitted directly from the transcript evaluation company.
  • If English is not your native language, and you are not from an exempt country, you must demonstrate English proficiency (additional information can be found below).
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate your scholarly and/or professional ability (At least one recommendation must be from an academic reference). This requirement is waived for all University of Michigan Alumni.
  • Statement of Purpose describing your objectives for graduate study and reasons for selecting this program
  • Students from abroad must submit additional documentation.

This program can be completed 100% online or on-campus with in-person courses. Currently, admitted students cannot apply for a student (F-1) visa. Students living abroad may complete this program online in their home country. Other nonimmigrant visa holders currently in the United States please contact the Center for Global Engagement at [email protected]

International Admission – English Proficiency Requirements

If English is not your native language, and you are not from an exempt country, even if you are currently a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and regardless of how long you have resided or been educated in the U.S.*, you must demonstrate English proficiency by providing evidence through one of the methods:

1.  Take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, the Michigan English Test (MET) (replaces MELAB), Duolingo English Test, or Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE). Scores must be no more than two (2) years old.

The minimum acceptable scores for admission are as follows:

  • TOEFL iBT:  84 overall (scores of 61-83 require LIN 101 and LIN 102 as prerequisites when enrolled)
  • TOEFL Essentials: overall score of 8.5
  • IELTS:  6.5 overall (Academic Writing) (scores of 5.5 and 6.0 require LIN 101 and LIN 102 as prerequisites when enrolled)
  • MET: overall score of 52 (B2 level)
  • Duolingo: 110
  • Pearson PTE Academic: Overall score of 56
  • ECPE:  Certificate of Proficiency

2. Provide an official transcript showing a degree earned at an accredited U.S. college or university OR a degree earned at a foreign institution where the language of instruction was exclusively English** OR successful completion (‘C’ or higher) of ENG 111 or ENG 112 or its equivalent.

Special Requirement for Citizens of India

Applicants who attended an institution in India where the language of instruction was exclusively English cannot use that method exclusively to meet the English proficiency requirements. Applicants who attended a verified English-medium institution must also submit an approved test score or use one of the other approved methods. Those with a 5.0 IELTS score will be eligible for standard admission and will have no further English proficiency requirement; those with below a 5.0 IELTS score will not be admitted.

*If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and wish to waive this requirement, you may make your case to the director of the CSIS program. The director, in turn, must make the case to the Dean of Graduate Programs. You must provide sufficient evidence that you have the requisite English proficiency.

**The university reserves the right to require an applicant to provide other evidence of English proficiency if independent sources cannot verify that the language of instruction was exclusively English.

Application Deadlines

Submit all application materials to the Office of Graduate Programs by 5 p.m. on the day of the application deadline.

To be considered for admission, all application materials must be submitted on or before:

  • Fall – May 1 (guaranteed consideration/international student deadline*)
  • Fall – August 1 (if space permits, US citizens and permanent residents only)
  • Winter – October 1 (guaranteed consideration/international student deadline)
  • Winter – December 1 (US citizens and permanent residents only) 
  • Summer  – April 1 (US citizens and permanent residents only)

*You must have a complete application by the early deadline to guarantee application eligibility for scholarships, grants, and research assistantships. Students from abroad, seeking an F-1 visa, are required to apply by May 1 for the fall semester and October 1 for the winter semester. Those students from abroad who are not seeking a student visa may follow the application deadlines noted for US citizens and permanent residents as outlined above.


Estimated Tuition and Cost

The University of Michigan-Flint takes education affordability seriously. You can learn more about our tuition for our program here.


Apply to the Online Cybersecurity Program!

The University of Michigan-Flint’s online Cybersecurity program helps you increase your technical competencies while ensuring the flexibility you need in course scheduling. Learn to leverage the power of data and system security and take the next step to pursue your career success in Cybersecurity! Request information today or start your application.


Academic Advising

At UM-Flint, we provide a dedicated academic advising expert to help guide your educational journey towards the MS in Data Analytics. If you need further assistance with your academic plan, find your advisor’s contact information.