Doctor of Philosophy in Cybersecurity

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeOnline

Overview

A 60-credit, 100% online PhD in Cybersecurity with four specializations, research methods coursework, a pre-candidacy prospectus and a defended dissertation. No GRE or residency is required; applicants need a master's degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Official program name: Doctor of Philosophy in Cybersecurity
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy · major: Cybersecurity
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — research doctorate
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: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School: National University
Location: San Diego, CAFor 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: Governance, Risk & Compliance — formal concentration / track (“Governance Risk and Compliance”)Cloud Security — formal concentration / track (“Secure Cloud Computing”)
Tracks / concentrations: General and Technology · Global Strategy and Operations · Governance Risk and Compliance · Secure Cloud Computing
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: a minimum of 60 semester credit hours
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: designed to be completed within 44 months; as few as 33 months at an accelerated rate (accelerated rate for the 33-month minimum)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Weekly
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dissertation-based PhD in Cybersecurity delivered 100% online.

PhD titled in cybersecurity with required courses in principles of cybersecurity, cyber risk and incidents, and cyber automation/AI, a cybersecurity pre-candidacy prospectus and a dissertation.

Source: nu.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: Online
Source: nu.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: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Campus visits (online option): No mandatory campus visits
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule (online option): Not verified
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

Attendance requirements as published

Residency Not required
No residency required
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Other

All requirements must be completed within 7 years of matriculation.
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Research and doctoral requirements

Research areas, supervision, examinations and residency as the school publishes them.

Research proposal

CMP 701CY Pre-Candidacy Prospectus, completed after foundation, specialization and research courses and before doctoral candidacy.
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Dissertation

Students complete and defend a dissertation.
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

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: RequiredMaster's degree from an accredited institution
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Master's GPA of 3.0 or higher
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Not required$0 application fee
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial transcripts from all institutions attended
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
GMAT: Not required
Source: nu.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
Rolling admission
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Rolling

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
All students — Base per credit/unit rateFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$1,039	per creditCalculated tuition$62,340 = 60 credits × $1,039 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: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
All students — Total estimated cost of programFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$65,490	entire programIncludes feesSource: nu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other published fees

Course material fee (per course): $135 per course
Source: nu.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

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) — 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) · 2013 - 2028Validated program(s) of study: Bachelor of Science Cybersecurity (POS-CD); Master of Science in Cybersecurity (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 California.

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.

NCAE-C institution directory (National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) — Source, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
nu.edu/admissions/tuition/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026
nu.edu/degrees/cybersecurity-and-technology/programs/doctor-of-philosophy-in-cybersecurity/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Nova Southeastern University

Ph.D. in Cybersecurity Management

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeDoctor of Philosophy

Hybrid

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Campus-based study

All requirements within six years of the initial term; approved dissertation proposal within five years (maximum time limit) · 51 credits

$1,442 per credit · All students — 2026-27 COA for doctoral programs, tuition without scholarships/program discounts · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

School designated CAE-RNSA CAE designation of the institution, not accreditation

Cybersecurity Management · Governance, Risk & Compliance

View program

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