Cyber Defense, MS

Master'sMSDedicated degreeOn campusOnline

Overview

A 30-credit Master of Science in Cyber Defense offered fully online or on campus, with Technical and Security Management and Compliance specializations. No GRE is required for admission.

Official program name: Cyber Defense, MS
Awarded degree: Master of Science · major: Cyber Defense
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Cybersecurity focus: Dedicated cybersecurity degreeThe degree itself is in cybersecurity or a closely related security field (information security, information assurance, cyber operations, digital forensics…).
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School: Dakota State University
Location: Madison, SDFor the online option this is where the school is located — not a residency requirement, and not a guarantee that you may enroll from your state.
Specializations: Cyber Defense — core of the degreeGovernance, Risk & Compliance — formal concentration / track (“Security management and compliance specialization”)Incident Response — core of the degree (“Incident Response; Network Security Monitoring and Intrusion Detection”)
Tracks / concentrations: Technical · Security Management and Compliance
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: 30 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: 1-1.5 years full-time; 2-3 years part-time (full-time, 2-3 classes at a time)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated 30-credit MS in Cyber Defense offered fully online or on campus.

Degree title names cyber defense; coursework in risk management, intrusion detection, penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics and malware analysis.

Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list cybersecurity bachelor's, master's and research doctorates at institutionally accredited US schools — dedicated degrees and formal concentrations, never certificates or electives-only degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.

Formats offered: On campus · Online
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Online delivery: Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Campus visits (online option): Campus visits: not verified
Class schedule (online option): Not verified
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Full-time, Part-time
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

The program page does not say whether the online option requires campus visits. Ask the school before you apply — missing information is not “no requirement”.

Curriculum

Curriculum details: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering or closely related field; others may be admitted with foundational courses
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: Required200-300 word purpose statement
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Required$40 — $40; cannot be waived
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredGRE required only for graduate assistantship consideration (preferred around 320 or higher).
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
August 15 (domestic) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
November 30 (domestic) · for Spring
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
April 30 (domestic) · for Summer
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
International applicants
April 15 (international) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Funding / assistantship consideration
April 15 (assistantship applications) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
In-state — On-campus master's, SD resident, per credit hour (tuition and fees)From the school-wide rate table for this level	$393.70	per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesCalculated tuition$11,811 = 30 credits × $393.70 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Out-of-state — On-campus master's, non-resident, per credit hour (tuition and fees)From the school-wide rate table for this level	$698.10	per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesCalculated tuition$20,943 = 30 credits × $698.10 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
All students — Online master's, per credit (tuition and fees)From the school's online tuition table	$495.70	per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesCalculated tuition$14,871 = 30 credits × $495.70 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Scholarships & funding guide

Competitive graduate assistantships Assistantship
Eligibility: Full-time, on-campus students only; GRE scores required for consideration; online students not eligible.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
CyberCorps Scholarship Program Service scholarship
100% tuition and fees; $25,000 (undergraduate) to $34,000 (graduate) stipend; $6,000 for professional development and books; paid summer internship · Renewable for up to three years.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, at least 18, full-time on-campus students in a cybersecurity or computer science degree program, 60+ undergraduate credit hours, 3.25 cumulative GPA. Undergraduate Cyber Operations, Cyber and Network Security or Computer Science; graduate MSCS or MSCD.
Obligation: Work for a government agency one year for every year of participation; preferred placement in Federal Executive Branch agencies.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Cyber Service Academy (DoD CSA) Service scholarship
Stipend $29,000 (undergraduate) or $34,000 (graduate) annually; all tuition and fees; computer, books and professional development allowances; summer internships · Renewable for up to 5 years.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, 18 or older, full-time; undergraduates with 60+ credits; minimum GPA 3.2 (undergraduate) or 3.5 (graduate). Programs include Cyber Operations (BS), Cyber Defense (MS), Cyber Operations and Cyber Defense (PhD). On-campus and online students are eligible.
Obligation: Full-time job within a Department of Defense agency.
Deadline: Set annually by the Department of Defense.
Source: dsu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

School-wide awards are listed because they apply at this degree level; eligibility conditions apply.

Accreditation, ABET and CAE

Three different things: the school's institutional accreditation, ABET accreditation of this exact program, and the school's NSA CAE designation.

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

ABET program accreditation

This program does not appear in ABET's accredited-program database. ABET accreditation is program-specific and optional; the school's other programs or its institutional accreditation do not imply it.

NSA CAE designation (school)

CAE in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) · 2004 - 2028Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Cyber Operations (POS-CO); Masters of Science in Cyber Defense (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026
CAE in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) · 2012 - 2028Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Cyber Operations (POS-CO); Masters of Science in Cyber Defense (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026
CAE in Cyber Research (CAE-R) · 2012 - 2030Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Cyber Operations (POS-CO); Masters of Science in Cyber Defense (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026

A CAE designation belongs to the institution and its validated program of study; it is not accreditation and does not certify every degree. Accreditation & CAE explained

State authorization (online students)

Not verified — check the school's state authorization page before applying from outside South Dakota.

International applicants

Not verified for the online option.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

dsu.edu/academics/leadership-opportunities/cybercorps.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
dsu.edu/academics/leadership-opportunities/cysp-scholarship.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
dsu.edu/admissions/graduate/cost-aid/tuition-fees.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026
dsu.edu/programs/mscd/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
dsu.edu/programs/mscd/mscd-timelines-requirements.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
NCAE-C institution directory (National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) — Source, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

Something out of date? Request a correction · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Key facts

Format
Campus · Fully online
Attendance
Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Focus
Dedicated degreeCyber Defense · Governance, Risk & Compliance · Incident Response
Length
1-1.5 years full-time; 2-3 years part-time (full-time, 2-3 classes at a time) · 30 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate
Tuition
$495.70 per creditAll students — Online master's, per credit (tuition and fees), 2026-2027
Next deadline
No upcoming verified date
ABET / CAE
Not ABET-listedSchool: CAE-CD, CAE-CO, CAE-R
Location
Madison, SD

Official program page How to apply

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Cybersecurity Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Dakota State University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.