Cybercriminology & Cyber Security Degrees and Careers

Updated September 28, 2026

Cybersecurity specialist at work on computer with a lock symbol on the screen

Cybercriminology and cyber security are two different doors into the same fight: cybercriminology studies why cybercrime happens and how the justice system should respond to it, while cyber security trains you to build and defend the systems criminals go after. As of May 2025 BLS data, information security analysts earn a national median of $129,180 a year, with the FBI, private firms, and state agencies all hiring for both tracks.

Every major breach you’ve read about, Equifax, Yahoo, Facebook, started with someone finding a gap nobody was watching. That’s the job: you’re the one watching. If you’re technologically savvy and drawn to the criminal justice side of technology, a cyber security or cybercriminology degree can put you on either side of that fight, defending the systems or studying the crimes committed against them.

Featured Programs:

What’s the Difference Between Cybercriminology and Cyber Security?

The two terms get used interchangeably online, but they train you for different jobs. Cyber security is technical: you learn to build firewalls, encrypt data, and respond when a network gets hit. Cybercriminology is closer to criminology than computer science: you study why people commit cybercrime, how law enforcement investigates it, and how policy should evolve to keep up with it.

Most of the schools on this page, and the degree tracks under “Cyber Security and Cybercriminology Degree Options” below, teach the technical side. If cybercriminology’s policy and behavioral angle interests you more, look for programs housed in a criminal justice or criminology department rather than a computer science one; several offer a cybercrime or digital forensics concentration inside a standard CJ degree instead of a standalone cyber security major.

You’ll hire into overlapping but distinct roles either way. A cyber security graduate is more likely to land as an information security analyst or penetration tester. A cybercriminology graduate is a better fit for a cybercrime investigator, digital forensics examiner, or policy-analyst role inside a law enforcement agency.

Cyber security is also a national security priority, not just a corporate one. The Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity was convened specifically to work through the tension between hardening federal systems and protecting individual privacy, a tension every analyst in this field learns to navigate on a smaller scale, one access request at a time.

What You’ll Actually Do as a Cyber Security Professional

You’ll spend most of your day watching, not building: monitoring network traffic, checking logs, and patching the holes before someone else finds them. When something does get through, you’re the one who has to explain what happened and prove it won’t happen again, which is a harder conversation than it sounds when the breach happened on your watch.

The Equifax breach exposed personal data belonging to more than 147 million Americans. The resulting settlement included up to $425 million to help people affected by the breach, a number that gives you a sense of what’s actually at stake when this job goes wrong.

Day to day, expect to install and tune firewalls and encryption tools, monitor systems for anomalies, patch known vulnerabilities before they’re exploited, and write up incident reports for management when something breaks through anyway. Some organizations bring in ethical hackers to test their own defenses before an attacker does; if you take that route, you’ll get paid to break into networks on purpose and then explain exactly how you did it.

Types of Cyber Security Jobs

The clearest split in this field is private sector versus government. Both hire for the same underlying skills, but the clearance requirements, pay structure, and day-to-day threats look different.

Private Sector Roles

Information security analyst: You’ll typically work for a single company, installing and maintaining its security systems, training staff on phishing and password hygiene, and reporting every breach up the chain.
Cyber security engineer: You’re building tomorrow’s defenses, not patching today’s, designing new systems meant to hold up against threats that don’t exist yet, including attacks timed to natural disasters or coordinated with physical intrusions.
Ethical hacker: Companies pay you to think like the people trying to rob them. You’ll attempt to penetrate firewalls and encryption on a client’s own systems, then hand over a report on exactly where you got in.

Government and Federal Roles

Cyber security specialist: You’ll work as part of a larger team developing and enforcing security protocols across an agency, which means more process and more sign-offs than a private-sector role, but also more resources when something goes wrong.
Cyber threat analyst: You may analyze activity by foreign governments, criminal groups, or other threat actors and brief findings to decision-makers within your organization, more intelligence analysis than hands-on defense.
Information security specialist: Common in the military branches, this role protects classified data from foreign access. Positions involving classified information generally require the appropriate federal security clearance and background investigation; requirements vary by agency and position.

Whichever direction you go, expect to compete for entry-level roles that still ask for two years of relevant experience, use LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and Indeed for private postings, and check USAJobs for federal openings.

Cyber Security Salary and Job Outlook

As of May 2025 BLS wage data, information security analysts earn a national median of $129,180 a year, with the middle 50 percent earning between $97,810 and $163,500. That’s a wide range, and where you land in it depends heavily on whether you’re in a government role, a Fortune 500 security team, or a small firm’s one-person IT department. BLS projects employment of information security analysts to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average for all occupations, driven largely by the volume of breaches you’ll be reading about in the news for the rest of your career.

If your interest runs toward investigating cybercrime rather than defending against it, you’re closer to a detective or criminal investigator role. As of May 2025 BLS wage data, detectives and criminal investigators earn a national median of $93,790 a year. BLS projects employment in that occupation to stay essentially flat from 2025 to 2035, moving from about 120,500 to 120,700 jobs nationally.

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook salary and job growth figures for Information Security Analysts and Detectives and Criminal Investigators, May 2025 wage data and 2025-35 employment projections. Figures reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.

Private-sector demand keeps growing alongside the threat. Cisco has built cyber security into its core product line, and firms including Lockheed Martin, FireEye, and Amazon now offer cyber security services as a standalone business, not just an internal function.

How to Become a Cyber Security Specialist

Pursue a bachelor’s degree: Almost every cyber security position now requires a bachelor’s degree at minimum. Computer science is the most common major, though a growing number of schools offer a dedicated cyber security or information security track.
Gain work experience: Plan on at least two years of relevant IT or security experience before you’ll be seriously considered for an information security analyst role, even one labeled “entry-level.” In-house, freelance, or consulting work all count, as long as it’s genuinely security-related.
Pursue a master’s degree: Not always required, but many employers now prefer it, or an MBA with an information systems concentration. Some will accept enough hands-on experience in place of the degree.
Apply for certification: EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker and (ISC)²’s Certified Information Systems Security Professional are the two credentials employers ask for most often; pick based on the specialization you’re aiming at.
Pass security clearance requirements: Government roles mean drug screening, random testing after you’re hired, a financial disclosure, and interviews with people who’ve known you, including former classmates and neighbors. Budget months for this, not weeks.
Keep training after you’re hired: Cybercriminals don’t stop innovating once you get the badge. Continuing education isn’t optional in this field, it’s the only thing standing between you and being the analyst who missed the new exploit.

Cyber Security and Cybercriminology Degree Options

Pursuing either degree qualifies you for real, hireable roles, not just a broad exposure to “technology.” Whether you’re starting from scratch with a bachelor’s or adding a graduate credential to an existing IT career, here’s what each level actually involves.

Bachelor’s Degree in Cyber Security

Bachelor’s-level cyber security degrees are still uncommon enough that you’ll need to research carefully to find one that fits; check the school list at the end of this page as a starting point. Admissions typically require a minimum GPA, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and a personal statement explaining why you want the degree.

Expect coursework in:

Computer and network security: Usually your first-semester course, covering malicious software, encryption, firewalls, and authentication protocols.
Computer forensics: How to conduct a systematic investigation of a suspected breach, with an emphasis on live network data retrieval, the kind of evidence that disappears if you don’t capture it fast.
Cyber security policies: Building, implementing, and enforcing access controls, risk analyses, and incident-response policy.

Most programs require about 120 credits and a semester-long internship to graduate.

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

Computer science remains the most common path into cyber security work. If you want a government-analyst track specifically, consider minoring in criminal justice alongside it.

Admissions requirements mirror the cyber security track: transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, essays, and letters of recommendation. Expect coursework in:

Intro to computer architecture: How computers, networks, and digital systems are actually structured, down to machine organization and memory allocation.
Software engineering: Process models, design methodologies, debugging, and performance analysis.
Programming languages: Java, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Ruby, alongside the underlying theory of data types and distributed processing.

Like the cyber security track, plan on roughly 120 credits plus an internship, with weekly reflective writing tied to your placement.

Master’s Degree in Cyber Security

A master’s opens senior-level roles that a bachelor’s alone won’t, and it’s a common entry point for career changers coming from an unrelated undergraduate field. Entrance requirements usually include GRE scores, a statement of purpose, transcripts, and letters of recommendation; competitive programs may add an interview.

Typical coursework includes:

Public and private sector information security: INFOSEC, NSTISS, and OPSEC frameworks, plus hardware and software safety.
Cyber security systems engineering: Penetration testing, software assurance, cryptology, and cyber forensics.
International security: Public policy, military strategy, terrorism, and peacekeeping, useful if you’re aiming at a federal or intelligence-adjacent role.

Most master’s programs run 30 to 36 credits and take 18 to 24 months, ending in a capstone project or thesis.

Online vs. Campus Programs

Before you commit to a format, weigh what you’d actually be trading off:

Online Programs	Campus Programs
Study from anywhere, on your own schedule, which matters if you’re already working full time.	Face-to-face access to professors and classmates, which is harder to replicate in a video call.
No commuting, campus housing, or meal-plan costs.	A built-in cohort and campus network, useful for a field that hires heavily through referrals.
You can attend a top program without relocating.	On-campus recruiting events and career fairs you won’t see remotely.
Some public schools charge in-state tuition to online learners regardless of residency.	Broader scholarship eligibility; some awards are restricted to students physically on campus.

Related Careers

If cyber security is close to what you want but not exactly it, these overlap heavily:

FBI Agent: Broader mandate than cyber security alone, covering everything from natural disaster response to domestic and foreign terrorism, with cybercrime as one lane among several.
Forensic Science Technician: Physical evidence instead of digital, but the same investigative mindset: collect, document, analyze, testify.
Computer Network Architect: Works the preventative side, designing the networks and databases cyber security professionals later have to defend.
Cyber Security Professor: A path for experienced professionals who want to teach the next generation, and a growing one as more schools stand up dedicated programs.

Featured Programs:

Resources

Information Systems Security Association International: Academic journal, fellowships, job listings, and local and national chapters.
Women in CyberSecurity: Member forum, speaker bureau, student chapters, and an annual conference focused on women in the field.
The SANS Institute: The largest information security training source in the world, with certification, research, and national events.
Center for Internet Security: Job postings, benchmark studies, case studies, and webinars.
Interview with a Cybersecurity Consultant: BLS’s conversation with freelance cyber security professional Candy Alexander on her career path and the day-to-day of the job.

Best Cyber Security Schools

The programs below represent a solid cross-section of what’s available, from fully online options to on-campus tracks with hands-on labs.

Southern New Hampshire University

SNHU offers a B.S. in cyber security with data analytics or project management specializations, and an M.S. in cyber security focused on IT management. The bachelor’s takes four years at $960 per credit; the master’s takes 18 months at $1,881 per credit.

University of Arizona

UA’s M.S. in cyber security is 100% online, built for working professionals. The 33-credit curriculum takes 18 months at $3,996 per three-credit course, roughly $43,956 total plus fees.

University of Maryland

UMD’s Maryland Cybersecurity Center offers bachelor’s degrees in computer science and computer engineering with cyber security specializations, a Master of Engineering in cyber security, and a dual M.S./Ph.D. spanning computer science and electrical/computer engineering. The bachelor’s takes four years, the M.Eng. 12 to 18 months, and the dual degree five to seven years. Undergraduates pay $360 to $1,387 per credit depending on residency; graduate students pay $1,028 per credit.

Syracuse University

Syracuse’s online Bachelor of Professional Studies in cyber security administration is built for adult learners needing flexibility. The 120-credit program takes four years at $695 per credit.

Grand Canyon University

GCU offers both online and in-person bachelor’s ($449/credit, three to four years) and master’s ($520/credit, 12 months accelerated) degrees in cyber security.

Kennesaw State University

KSU’s Cyber Institute runs an online B.S. in cyber security for first-time and returning adult learners, currently discounted to $199 per credit hour across the 120 required credits.

Western Governors University

WGU, online-only, offers both a B.S. and an M.S. in cyber security and information assurance, billed per six-month term rather than per credit: $3,550 for undergrads, $3,895 for grad students, regardless of course load.

Wilmington University

This Delaware school’s B.S. in computer and network security takes four years for first-time students, two years with transfer credits, at $1,143 per course.

Walden University

Walden offers a B.S. in information technology with a cyber security and forensics concentration, plus an M.S. in cyber security. The undergraduate track runs 181 quarter credit hours at $325 each; the graduate track is 30 semester credits at $865 each.

Maryville University

Maryville’s campus-based bachelor’s in cyber security issues iPads to incoming students and lets you choose an offensive, defensive, or general track. All three require 128 credits over four years at $781 per credit hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cybercriminology the same as cyber security?

No. Cybercriminology studies the behavior behind cybercrime and how the justice system responds to it, closer to a criminology degree than a technical one. Cyber security trains you to build and defend the systems criminals target. Some programs blend the two, but most schools house them in different departments.

Do I need a computer science degree to work in cyber security?

No, but it’s the most common path. A dedicated cyber security degree, or a criminal justice degree with a cybercrime concentration, can also get you there, especially for government and investigative roles rather than pure technical ones.

How long does it take to become an information security analyst?

Plan on four years for a bachelor’s degree, plus roughly two years of relevant IT or security experience before most employers will consider you for an information security analyst role, even one advertised as entry-level.

Is a master’s degree worth it in cyber security?

It’s not always required, but it opens senior-level roles a bachelor’s alone won’t, and it’s a common route for career changers without a related undergraduate degree. If you already have several years of hands-on experience, some employers will accept that in place of the extra credential.

Key Takeaways

Cybercriminology and cyber security are different degrees — one studies the crime, the other builds the defense. Know which one you’re actually applying for.
The pay is strong and growing – information security analysts earn a national median of $129,180 (May 2025 BLS), with 21% projected growth through 2035.
Detective and investigator roles pay well but aren’t growing – median $93,790 (May 2025 BLS), with employment projected essentially flat through 2035, so the technical track offers more room to grow into.
“Entry-level” still means experience – most employers want two years of relevant IT or security work even for junior information security analyst roles.
Certifications matter – CEH and CISSP are the two credentials employers ask for most, and picking one should follow your specialization, not the other way around.

Not sure which track fits you? Our guide to criminal justice bachelor’s degrees breaks down how a CJ degree with a cybercrime concentration compares to a straight computer science path, so you can figure out which door to walk through before you commit to either one.