Recognizing the increasing significance of cybersecurity education, the Fortune Recommends Education team evaluated 17 schools, bringing you the best master’s in cybersecurity for 2025.

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Master’s in Cybersecurity Online From UC Berkeley

Earn a Master’s in Cybersecurity Online in Just 20 Months

The UC Berkeley School of Information’s online Master of Information and Cybersecurity prepares students to become leaders in cybersecurity. No GRE/GMAT required.

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• GRE RequiredNo
• Part TimeYes

Methodology for Fortune’s ranking of the best master’s in cybersecurity

We ranked programs based on a robust methodology comprising several indicators that best judged the master’s in the cybersecurity ecosystem for 2025. Below are the data points we used:

Data that Fortune collected:

• Average annual search volume: 5%
  • We looked at the average number of times people search for each school on Google monthly. Then, we converted it into a yearly metric to measure public perception of a school’s brand and reputation and how it affected what school they were interested in attending.
• Previous Fortune master’s in cybersecurity ranking: 5%
  • We considered if a school participated in the last edition of this ranking. 

School-provided data:

• National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) by the NSA designation: 20%
• Graduation rate, 2021–24: 15% 
• One-year retention rate, 2023–24: 15%
• Total program cost, out-of-state U.S. residents: 10% 
• Acceptance rate, academic year 2023–2024: 10%
• Yield, 2023–2024: 10% 
• Average undergraduate GPA, 2023–24 enrollees: 10%

Our expert panel 

During the preparation and development of our methodology, we consulted with two experts who were well-versed in cybersecurity master's programs.

• Lata Bavisi: President, EC-Council University
• Aaron Rose: Cyber Security Evangelist, Office of the CTO and Security Architect Manager at Check Point Software Technologies

By asking questions about obtaining certifications over earning a cybersecurity master’s degree, what makes a well-rounded hire, and what makes a perfect program, we hoped to understand how to effectively guide those interested in earning the degree. It’s noteworthy that neither expert was directly involved in ranking any programs.

Cybersecurity certifications alone won’t close the skills gap

According to the WEF's Global Cybersecurity Outlook, cyber-leaders from both the public and private sectors—including the U.S. government—recognize that attracting and retaining top talent is vital for meeting resilience goals and protecting clients.

The report reveals that each year, more organizations struggle to find the right talent to meet their growing needs. In 2022, for example, 6% of leaders reported a lack of necessary skills and personnel for handling cyber incidents—this doubled in 2023. Now, one in five leaders said they lack the needed expertise, with uncertainty about available skills up  from 4% in 2022 to 11% in 2024.

"If you put all of us [universities] together, we won't be able to fulfill the need and graduate enough people," Bavisi tells Fortune. She says this imbalance between supply and demand has also increased the popularity of cybersecurity certifications like the CompTIA Security+, CISSP, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

She argues that certifications, while valuable, are not enough. On one hand, hiring managers like when candidates have certifications, but both panelists agree that top companies are looking for hires with comprehensive backgrounds—such as those provided by further education. 

Bavisi advises industry newcomers to pursue a degree that marries foundational knowledge and hands-on experiences with a curriculum that teaches problem-solving and leadership skills.

The NCAE-C-designated masters in information security from Carnegie Mellon University (No. 1) and the masters in cybersecurity from the University of Nevada–Las Vegas (No. 2) offer well-rounded approaches, preparing students for management-level positions. 

Practical experience and passion elevate job candidates 

While cybersecurity programs are evolving to meet the demand for skilled professionals, schools can't possibly teach students everything—especially in a field that changes so quickly.

"Think about the medical field. A college or university won't teach you every single new procedure created yesterday or last week. What they do is teach the foundations," Rose explains. 

"If you want to specialize in something like protecting artificial intelligence, you need to understand how that technology works first. It's hard to secure AI if you don't understand the fundamentals of how it works in the first place," he says. 

This focus on foundational knowledge is critical in the cybersecurity sphere. However, it's equally crucial for aspiring professionals to seek out quality hands-on experience to complement their theoretical knowledge.

"Go somewhere where you have to build something," Rose says. He has visited 30–40 tech schools in the past few years, and the programs that stand out to him encourage students to get their hands dirty by building labs, breaking them, fixing them, and experimenting with security policies. 

Interestingly, Rose has been wowed by smaller, lesser-known schools that lack the prestige of Ivy League institutions. "Some of the best cybersecurity programs I've seen come from schools in the middle of nowhere," he says. To him, what matters are qualified instructors and program directors who may have worked or currently work for cybersecurity vendors.

Passion is essential at any stage of the game, whether student, new hire, or old-timer, Rose tells Fortune. "You could take the word 'cybersecurity' out of the equation and apply that across any field—without passion, you will burn out."

Frequently asked questions

Check out all of Fortune’s rankings of degree programs and learn more about specific career paths.