University of South Carolina · School of Information Science, College of Information and Communications

Information Security and Cyber Leadership, M.S.

Master'sMSDedicated degreeOnline

Overview

A 30-credit online master's degree from the School of Information Science combining four core courses, including Leadership and Ethics in Information Security, with 18 credits of advisor-approved electives.

Official program name: Information Security and Cyber Leadership, M.S.
Awarded degree: Master of Science · major: Information Security and Cyber Leadership
Source: academicbulletins.sc.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: academicbulletins.sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School: University of South Carolina — School of Information Science, College of Information and Communications
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Columbia, SCFor 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: None mapped from official curriculum evidence
Orientation: Management / policy
Source: academicbulletins.sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: 30 credit hours (12 required, 18 elective)
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Start terms: Summer, Fall, Spring
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated online Master of Science in Information Security and Cyber Leadership.

Degree title names information security; required course in leadership and ethics in information security and learning outcomes on implementing and operating cybersecurity systems and developing information security policies.

Source: academicbulletins.sc.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: sc.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: sc.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: Not verified

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

Core courses: Challenges in Information-Intensive Organization Administration; Seminar in Information Science; Leadership and Ethics in Information Security; Seminar in Applied Information Systems for Information Specialists.
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Lab environment

Virtual cyber range through a partnership with Fusion Cyber.
Source: sc.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”.

Minimum GPA: RecommendedMinimum 3 — Admitted students usually have at least a 3.0 GPA
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two letters of recommendation, not from friends or family
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredCV/Resume
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Required$50 — $50 application fee (effective Fall 2027)
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial academic transcripts
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredScores may be submitted optionally.
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT: Required — minimum 90International students; exemption for a degree from an English-speaking institution.
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
IELTS Academic: Required — minimum 6.5International students; exemption for a degree from an English-speaking institution.
Source: sc.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
Nov. 1 · for Spring
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
March 1 · for Summer
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: sc.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
June 1 · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: sc.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

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

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — 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) · 2010 - 2026Published period has endedValidated program(s) of study: Computer Information Systems with IA Specialization (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026
CAE in Cyber Research (CAE-R) · 2014 - 2029Validated program(s) of study: Computer Information Systems with IA Specialization (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 Carolina.

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.

academicbulletins.sc.edu/graduate/information-communications/information-and-communications/informat — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
NCAE-C institution directory (National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) — Source, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/academic_programs/masters/masters_info_security_cyber_leadership/a — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/academic_programs/masters/masters_info_security_cyber_leadership/i — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/library_and_information_science/degree_programs/index.php — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026

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

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