Virginia Commonwealth University · Department of Computer Science (College of Engineering) and Department of Information Systems (School of Business)

Computer and Information Systems Security, Master of Science (M.S.)

Master'sMSDedicated degreeOn campus

Overview

A 30-credit, non-thesis Master of Science with five core courses in software analysis, operating systems, applied cryptography, network and system security and security ethics, plus five electives that must include at least one computer science and one information systems course.

Official program name: Computer and Information Systems Security, Master of Science (M.S.)
Awarded degree: Master of Science · major: Computer and Information Systems Security
Source: bulletin.vcu.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: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
School: Virginia Commonwealth University — Department of Computer Science (College of Engineering) and Department of Information Systems (School of Business)
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Richmond, VA
Specializations: Network Security — core of the degree (“Network and System Security (core)”)Cryptography — core of the degree (“Applied Cryptography (core)”)
Orientation: Technical and management
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: 30 graduate credit hours
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: as little as one year by full-time students (full-time)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: egr.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated MS in Computer and Information Systems Security offered jointly by Computer Science and Information Systems.

Dedicated security master's; core courses in software analysis and verification, operating systems, applied cryptography, network and system security, and ethical, social and legal issues in information systems security.

Source: bulletin.vcu.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: egr.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Full-time, Part-time
Source: egr.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Five electives, with at least one CMSC and one INFO course, from security-related courses such as database and application security, memory and malware forensics and securing cloud infrastructure.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

Non-thesis program.
Source: egr.vcu.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”.

Technical preparation

Prerequisite courses: RequiredStudents from other backgrounds may need undergraduate prerequisites (discrete structures, object-oriented programming, software engineering or systems analysis, operating systems or network architecture, databases)
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

Other test: RequiredEnglish language proficiency test scores for international students.
Source: bulletin.vcu.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
Jun 1 · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: bulletin.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
Nov 1 · for Spring
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: bulletin.vcu.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 — Estimated cost, resident	$23,000	entire programSource: egr.vcu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Out-of-state — Estimated cost, non-resident	$27,000	entire programSource: egr.vcu.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

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) · 2019 - 2029Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Computer Science with a Concentration in Cybersecurity (POS-CD)Source: maps.caecommunity.org · verified October 11, 2026
CAE in Cyber Research (CAE-R) · 2020 - 2030Validated program(s) of study: B.S. in Computer Science with a Concentration 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

Sources and verification

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

bulletin.vcu.edu/graduate/school-engineering/computer-science/computer-information-systems-security- — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
egr.vcu.edu/future-students/graduate/graduate-degrees/computer-and-information-systems-security-mast — Official program page, 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

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