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CybersecurityDegrees
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Northeastern University

Cybersecurity, PhD

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeOn campus

Overview

A research PhD in Cybersecurity at the Boston campus requiring at least 48 semester hours beyond a bachelor's degree, candidacy, a teaching requirement, a dissertation proposal and a defended dissertation. Admitted students receive a 5-year funding package.

Official program name
Cybersecurity, PhD
Awarded degree
Doctor of Philosophy · major: Cybersecurity
Source: catalog.northeastern.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: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School
Location
Boston, MA
Specializations
None mapped from official curriculum evidence
Tracks / concentrations
Tracks: Hardware Security, Machine Learning, Network Security, Systems Security, Theory, Usable Security and Privacy, Cybersecurity Policy
Source: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits
at least 48 semester hours beyond a bachelor's degree
Source: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration
typically four to five years for students entering with an undergraduate degree (entering with a bachelor's degree)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Why this program is listed

Research PhD in Cybersecurity at the Boston campus.

Research-based, interdisciplinary PhD in Cybersecurity with core courses in cyberlaw, software security and network security, tracks, and a dissertation of original cybersecurity research.

Source: catalog.northeastern.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
Source: khoury.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Internship
Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity
Full-time
Source: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Other

Research and doctoral requirements

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

Choosing a supervisor

Research proposal

Qualifying examinations

  • Candidacy after core courses with a 3.500 GPA plus a strong conference/journal paper or an oral exam by three cybersecurity faculty.
    Source: catalog.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Dissertation

Residency

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 entrance; advanced entry for MS holders by petition
Source: khoury.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

    December 15 · for Fall

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: khoury.northeastern.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.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

  • 5-year PhD funding package Assistantship

    5-year graduate assistantship (or 1-year fellowship plus 4-year assistantship), full tuition scholarship covering 12SH each semester for 5 years, and individual Student Health Insurance Plan

    Eligibility: All students admitted to the Computer Science and Cybersecurity PhD programs

    Duties: Graduate assistants work 20 hours per week teaching or conducting research; fellows do research with no teaching.

    Source: khoury.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

  • Federal Cyber Service Grant (NSF CyberCorps Scholarship for Service) Service scholarship

    Annual academic stipend of $34,000; full tuition scholarship; health fee and required activity fees

    Eligibility: Graduate and undergraduate students in information assurance and cybersecurity; PhD students are eligible for three years before graduation.

    Obligation: Multiple years of employment with a federal agency.

    Source: khoury.northeastern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

  • DoD Cyber Scholarship Program Service scholarship

    Full scholarship

    Eligibility: Selected cybersecurity students.

    Obligation: One year of service to the Department of Defense upon graduation for each year or partial year the scholarship was received.

    Source: khoury.northeastern.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

  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) — 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)

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

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 11, 2026.
  1. catalog.northeastern.edu/graduate/computer-information-science/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-bachelors — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
  2. NCAE-C institution directory (National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) — Source, verified October 11, 2026
  3. DAPIP — NECHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
  4. khoury.northeastern.edu/apply/phd-apply/financial-support-for-phd-students/ — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
  5. khoury.northeastern.edu/programs/cybersecurity-phd/ — 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.

Capitol Technology University

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Cyber Leadership

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Format: Fully online
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Attendance: No mandatory campus visits
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 credits
Tuition: $980 per credit · All students — Doctoral students, per credit · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Format: Fully online
Location: Laurel, MDSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 credits
Tuition: $980 per credit · All students — Doctoral students, per credit · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation and designation: School designated CAE-CDNSA CAE designation of the institution, not accreditation
Specializations: No specialization mapped
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Capitol Technology University

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Financial Cybersecurity

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeDoctor of Philosophy
Format: Fully online
Location: Laurel, MDSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 credits
Tuition: $980 per credit · All students — Doctoral students, per credit · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation and designation: School designated CAE-CDNSA CAE designation of the institution, not accreditation
Specializations: No specialization mapped
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Cybersecurity Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Northeastern University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.