There are many different criterias through which students choose their future universities, personal interests, having enough money for college, and reputation being just a few. Making a final decision usually rests on one?s possibilities and priorities, therefore every option needs to be carefully weighed.
The University of Maryland is by no means the cheapest option for completing an online degree, however it is considered one of the top-ranked public research institution in the United States, with more than 38,000 students enrolled from all over the world.
Offering online education in the fields of engineering, agriculture, natural sciences, design, business, and so forth, Maryland University is mixing traditional courses with professional practice gained through exchange opportunities or internship programs.
One of the online degrees at UMD is the master?s in Cybersecurity, which is comprised of six core courses and four technical electives, all focused on blending theoretical learning with practice and research. In cooperating with peers from the economics or social sciences departments, students are given the opportunity to understand how their field fits in today?s global world. Through the online education there, students will gain competencies in identifying specific host and network-based security threats, assessing their impact and probability of happening, and learning how these can be eliminated or prevented in the first place. Some of the electives in the curriculum include TCP/IP networking, digital forensics, reverse software engineering, applied cryptology, and so forth.
Applying for the online degree
- Pay an application fee of $75
- Submit the appropriate transcript of previous bachelor level studies in an official English translation
- Submit proof of proficiency in English for international students. Either an IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE scores will do
- Provide three letters of recommendation for students with a GPA below 3.0. For the ones above that threshold, two letters will suffice
Cost and duration
Although completing the online education in cybersecurity has no specific graduation date in this case, the degree must be completed within a span of five years. A total of 30 credits need to be accumulated, each credit being valued at approximately $1,153 for international students or 600 for domestic ones.
Apart from the federal financial aid to which every student who needs money for college can register for, some education grants are offered to students accepted into Maryland University, either based on merit or need. One that really stands out is aimed at women pursuing a full-time degree in a field that is traditionally dominated by their male counterparts, as is engineering, and thus cybersecurity. This is only open to US citizens or permanent US citizens.
International students can also receive some education grants from additional programs and sources which can be found on the university?s website and online.
Deadline for application
- July 2017 for the Fall semester
- December 15th for the Spring semester
Money for college
https://gradschool.umd.edu/funding
About the cybersecurity online program
https://gradschool.umd.edu/engineering/meng-online