Masters in Cyber Security Salary

Today, cybersecurity is among the top-paying jobs in the US. LinkedIn data says that you earn a median salary of $92,500 annually if you are a cybersecurity professional in the US. Salaries are even higher for senior-level professionals, but the job involves more responsibilities.

Cybersecurity jobs are not only high-paying but also in huge demand. Studies from Burning Glass Technologies state that the worldwide demand for professionals holding bachelors’ and masters’ degrees in 2019 is approximately six million. And, owing to the high demand in the cybersecurity field, salaries are bound to increase.

There is a demand of 84% (bachelor’s degree holders) and 23% (master’s degree holders) in cybersecurity. These figures are proof that master’s in cybersecurity salary is higher since most top jobs need professional experience plus a graduate level of education.

Who Should Pursue A Master’s in Cyber Security?

Many graduate schools require that, before undertaking a graduate degree in Cybersecurity, you must have studied a related course in undergraduate college. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that anyone with a strong grade point average GPA in their cybersecurity bachelor’s degree can join grad school.

Some undergraduate degrees that qualify for a cybersecurity master’s degree include computer science, information science, computer engineering, information technology, or computer programming.

While an undergraduate degree in cybersecurity could give you a decent life after employment, a cybersecurity master’s salary is higher.

So, if you are looking to earn more when following a cybersecurity career path, then a master’s degree in cybersecurity is worth it. Other persons who should pursue a master’s degree in cybersecurity are:

• Persons who are stuck at a mid-career level and looking to expand their job prospects
• Cybersecurity enthusiasts who want to do more profound research regarding cybersecurity and related topics
• Cybersecurity professionals who want to work in the top and better-paying positions like chief security information officer, security manager, or security engineer

Figure 0:1: median salary ranges for top positions in the cybersecurity field source: payscale.com

• Persons looking to join the cybersecurity field but lack IT-related bachelor’s degrees. This means they pursued courses at the undergraduate level other than information technology, computer science, or information science.

What Salary Can I Expect with A Master’s in Cyber Security?

Let’s talk numbers! Cybersecurity is an investment, and the payout is excellent. Studying in a good school sees you pay thousands of dollars in tuition fees.

For example, in a prestigious college like Carnegie Mellon, you pay $46,000 for tuition fees. At Champlain College, students pay between $50,000 to $100,000 for an online program of one year. Imagine the money you need to complete a two or three-year program.

The good news is the return on investment is enormous. The amount of money you spend in school comes back manifold. Entry-level positions in cybersecurity have lower wages compared to senior positions. For instance, according to the pay scale, the average cybersecurity analyst’s salary per year is approx. $77,590, while the security engineer’s salary is around $94,000.

Figure 2. The average annual salary for cybersecurity analysts and security engineers source: pay scale.com

Entry-Level Positions Salary

When looking to follow the cybersecurity career path, you begin with entry-level positions. According to cyber seek, most entry-level positions in cybersecurity involve software, and the wages are detailed below:

Cybersecurity specialist salary

This position requires not much professional experience to execute duties. There are over 9,000 openings in the US alone, and the average salary is $92,000 annually.

Cybercrime analyst salary

Currently, according to Cyberseek, the demand for cybercrime analysts is way high. This is because of the fast-evolving technology advancements. The median annual salary for an infosec analyst is $94,000.

Incident analyst salary

There is an acute demand for incident analysts in the public and private sectors. On average, an incident analyst earns $89,000 per year.

IT auditor salary

With over 8,000 job openings across the USA, IT auditors take home approximately $98,000 annually.

Mid-Level Positions Salary

Those in mid-level positions in their cybersecurity careers can attest that the demand is higher than in entry-level positions. And the higher the demand, the higher the wages.

Cyber Security analysts salary

A demanding role that sees you work in systems engineering, networking, and software development roles. There are around 30,000 openings in the USA, and the average annual salary is about $95,000.

Cyber Security consultant salary

With over 17,000 job positions for this role, expect good pay. Infosec graduates working as cybersecurity consultants earn around $91,000 each year.

Penetration and vulnerability tester salary

A demanding job with many responsibilities, penetration and vulnerability testing has a high demand in the US, reaching 14,000 open positions. Professionals working in this role earn about $103,000 yearly.

Advanced-Level Positions Salary

You must have the highest level of education before landing an advanced-level position. Adding to a master’s degree, you need many years of professional experience. Cyber Security salary ranges for top positions are:

Cybersecurity manager/ administrator salary

A well-paying position in the Cybersecurity field with the position holders earning an average of $105,000 annually. The demand is high, and so are the duties of the job.

Cyber Security engineer salary

An information security engineer’s salary is something to talk home about. With approx. $106,000 salary yearly, these engineers are tasked with many roles yearly, from security intelligence systems engineering to networking.

Cybersecurity architect

There are about 6000 job openings for Cybersecurity experts in the US. These architects are among the executives with the highest Cyber Security salary range. The average annual salary of a Cybersecurity architect is $133,000.

Masters Cybersecurity Salary According to Location

Studies from TechRepublic, in some cities in the US, salaries of cybersecurity professions vary from one location to another. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, factors that lead to the disparity of wages in different geographical locations are the demand for work and the cost of living. Top cities in the US where Cybersecurity career salaries are higher than in other cities include:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Number one on the list is Minneapolis. Here, cybersecurity experts with masters’ degrees earn an average of $127,757 per year
2. Seattle, Washington. Most of the infosec professionals in Seattle earn an annual average salary of $119,349
3. San Francisco, California. Master in Cyber Security salary is an average of $119,346 yearly in San Francisco
4. Dallas, Texas. The average pay for a Cybersecurity professional in Dallas is $117,890 per year
5. Denver, Colorado. $117,308
6. Chicago, Illinois. If you look to work in Chicago in a cybersecurity role, you earn $111,303 a year
7. Austin, Texas. In an auction, holders of a master’s degree in cybersecurity can earn around $110,190 or more yearly
8. Salt Lake City, Utah. Cybersecurity experts with master’s degree can earn an average of $106,207 in a year
9. New York, New York State. In this of who is who in business, Cybersecurity experts who have completed masters’ in Cybersecurity earn $102,271 per year
10. San Jose, California. Research conducted by indeed shows that cybersecurity professionals in San Jose can earn an average of $99,075 in a year
11. San Diego, California. In this city, the majority of the Cybersecurity professionals take home about $98,303 yearly
12. Washington, District of Columbia. In 2019, the average salary in a year a Cybersecurity professional can earn is $92,191
13. Boston, Massachusetts. Coming 13th on the demand ladder, cybersec masters’ holders, on average, earn $88,453 annually
14. Los Angeles, California. In a populous city like Los Angeles, expect significant cyber risks and high demand for Cybersecurity personnel. On average, infosec experts can earn around $86,072 every year
15. Arlington, Virginia. Last on the list is the home of the Pentagon. With a master’s degree in cybersecurity, you earn around $74,254 a year

Figure 2. How the US compares for masters’ in Cybersecurity salaries. Source: indeed.com

Does Cybersecurity in The United States Pay Well?

According to the US BSL, cybersecurity salary is higher than IT salary. Companies, businesses, and government bodies face cyber risk, and a lot of cybercrime has been reported in the past few years.

The wake of these cyber threats has led to a sharp increase in the demand for Cybersecurity experts from entry to advanced levels.

See, an IT expert cannot combat cybercrime effectively compared to the cybercrime consultant. That said, the demand in the cybercrime field has seen companies pay higher salaries to experts. Experts are scarce; hence, the high pay to compete for the few in the market.

According to Zip Recruiter, in the US, the cybersecurity salary for master holders, on average, per year, is $102,223

Figure 3. Average Cybersecurity masters salary per year in the US. Source: ziprecruiter.com

From the graphical illustration above, in some locations or companies, cybersecurity personnel earn a $19,500 salary on the lower side and up to $184,500 on the upper side.

Also, a report from Zip Recruiter reveals that a bigger share of master’s in cybersecurity holders (75 percent) earn approximately $131,500 annually while the rest (25 percent) take home approx. $67,000 annually.

Figure 1:0:1 cybersecurity masters salary percentiles in an hour, week, month, and year. source: ziprecruiter.com

Factors that determine Cybersecurity master’s salaries are companies you work with, geographic locations, and years of experience. For instance, you get to earn in the following companies:

• Deloitte. The pay range for a master’s degree in Cybersecurity is $70,000 to $100,000
• Leidos. This company is the second least paying on the list, and here, you earn a salary of $85,000 to $120,000 per annum
• Raytheon Co. Here, the pay range for graduate candidates is between $74,000 and $112,000
• Northrop Grumman Corporation. The pay range for employees with a Cybersecurity master’s degree is from $74,000 to $140k
• Booz, Allen, and Hamilton. You earn a decent annual salary that ranges from $59,000 to $138,000 if you work here.

Many years of experience in a Cyber security career is a factor to receive high wages. A recent study by Dice Salary Survey shows that you earn more salary over time in technical careers like cybersecurity.

For example, the least one can earn from a cybersecurity role in a year is $50,000. After working for approx. three years, your salary increases by 24% or more. Imagine getting a $12,000 pay hike in just three years. The numbers keep increasing as you gain more experience.

The cybersecurity path you follow also determines the amount of salary you earn. This means that while in some positions, you earn higher than in others, regardless of the level (entry, middle, and advanced).

According to payscale, the table below shows the average salary of different positions in the Cybersecurity field if you hold a master’s degree.

Position Held

Average Cybersecurity master’s salary in ($)

Cyber security analyst

76,722

Information security analyst

74,703

Security engineer

93,751

Cyber security engineer

95,457

Security analyst

70,727

Information security manager

111,136

Information security engineer

98,133

Table 1. The average salary for different Cybersecurity positions. Source: payscale.com

The answer to the question — Does Cybersecurity in The United States Pay Well? Yes! The lowest salary for a cybersecurity graduate is higher than an IT graduate. Also, your salary increases over time, or you gain significant experience. What is more, the demand for cybersec experts is huge.

Master in Cyber Security Vs. Bachelor in Cyber Security Salary?

You need a bachelor’s degree to qualify for the most high-paying position in Cybersecurity. However, the median salary scale depends on responsibilities, geographical location, demand for professionals, and cost of living.

Bachelor’s degree holders qualify for most entry-level job positions like incident analysts, IT auditors, and cybercrime investigators. Also, with an undergraduate degree in cybersecurity, you qualify for positions with better salaries in mid-level, like a penetration tester and Cybersecurity consultant.

With a master’s degree in Cybersecurity, you are tasked with jobs with a higher salary than undergraduates. Graduates can take both middle and advanced-level roles. But mid-level roles are suited for candidates straight out of grad school, while advanced-level roles are meant for Cybersecurity graduates with many years of experience.

Advanced-level cybersecurity roles have the highest salary, closely followed by mid-level and entry-level roles with the lowest salary. According to payscale, MSc cyber security salary is $84k per year, while a bachelor of science in Cybersecurity salary is $60k annually.

What Can You Do with A Master’s in Cyber Security?

Currently, there is a huge shortage of Cybersecurity experts in the US. The cause of this huge demand and less supply in the fast advancing cyber technology. See, if the demand is high, it means that there is a lot to do with a master’s in Cybersecurity. The BLS reports that today, the rate of demand for different Cybersecurity experts in the US is rising by 18%.

In fact, this is the most opportune time to take up a cybersecurity master’s degree. You are lost for choices from entry-level to advanced-level positions.

Figure 0:1 Different roles in the Cybersecurity pathway. Source: cyberseek.com

Entry-Level Roles

• Cybersecurity specialists

The need for these specialists is high, especially in startups and small businesses that deal with SaaS and service delivery.

Your role as a Cybersecurity specialist is building, tweaking, maintaining, and repairing computer systems. You can also oversee a company’s IT personnel team and educate them on efficient ways to thwart possible cyber-attacks.

• IT auditor

As an IT auditor, your major role is to analyze companies’ computer and network systems and find possible malfunctions. You can also be part of the legal support team to offer evidence should your company have cyber-attacks.

• Incident analyst/ responde

The work of incident responders is to check for system failures. Analysts have similar roles to IT auditors when working with legal teams. But, their other task is to offer long-standing solutions in cybersecurity.

Mid-Level Roles

• Penetration and vulnerability tester

Penetration testers’ main work is to help organizations develop solid measures to fight possible cyber-attacks. Also, Penetration testers assess the damage caused by security breaches and draw future security strategies.

• Cryptanalyst/ cryptographer

A cryptographer uses algorithm technology to encrypt data to prevent cyber threats and attacks. This role needs you to entail solid analytical skills and the ability to work with math.

Advanced-Level Roles

• Cybersecurity architect

Cybersecurity architects are tasked with building security designs. These designs should match your organization’s security missions. You can also work closely with security engineers to execute and implement your designs.

• Cybersecurity engineer

After a cybersecurity architect develops security designs, the engineer chips in and executes the plans. However, roles for cybersecurity engineers vary a lot from one organization to another.

How Do I Calculate My Master’s in Cyber Security Return on Investment (ROI)?

A master’s in Cybersecurity is a sure degree to undertake if you are seeking a course that guarantees you a good return on investment (ROI). With so many government agencies, corporations, startups, and non-profit organizations looking for Cybersecurity experts, you are sure landing a high salaried job right after grad school is bliss.

The BLS reports that the infosec field will grow by around 37% by 2022. And, there would be around 27,400 jobs for Cybersecurity experts by 2020. See, the internet is here to stay. As long as the web exists, the demand for cybersec professionals remains high.

Now that you know jobs are available for cybersec graduates, you are sure of returns or benefits. For example, a Cybersecurity graduate earns a $70,000 salary in a year, and the fee for one year in grad school is $60,000. Your salary is the returns/ benefits, while the school fee is your investment.

Simple math! Your ROI is positive here as the returns are higher than what you invest in a year. If you took three years in grad school, then in 6 years, you must gain double the profits. And, your salary keeps increasing over time.

Figure 0:1 Simple formulae to calculate ROI. Source: itspmagazine.com

What Is the Career Earnings Trajectory for Someone in Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is an in-demand career. The BLS reports an acute shortage of Cybersecurity personnel in the US. The law of demand and supply states that when goods and services are in huge demand but the supply is low, the cost of services is usually high. This means companies will pay top dollar to have a cybersecurity expert.

Salaries in technical jobs increase over time. See, cybersecurity is a technical field and, at the same time, has a lot of demand and a ready market. You expect that, over time, your earnings will increase. For example, in the US, the median range of the least earning cybersecurity analyst is $50,000 in a year. The salary rose by 24% in two years — now this is an upward trajectory. Very few careers have such a positive upward trajectory.

Considering your experience is impressive, your salary rises to about $100,000 per annum in eight years. Also, undertaking a master’s in cybersecurity not only opens doors for better and bigger jobs and better entry-level salaries. Cyber Security career salary keeps rising as you advance your level of education, skills, and experience.