Information security is the study of online security systems, and students who want to work in the computer science field but don't have a lot of time will find some programs that let them earn an online Ph.D in Information Systems. We know that a large number of college students today have less free time because of the commitments and obligations that they have in their personal and their professional lives. Between working and spending time with loved ones, many people feel like it's impossible to go back to school and get a doctoral degree.
We wanted to make the process of finding schools that offer information systems programs much easier. Our list includes all colleges currently offering programs of this type, but our list focuses on the most affordable of those schools. This helps students spend less money out of their own pockets and lets them know how much financial aid they'll need in school. Some information security Ph.D online programs feature online classes only, but we also found hybrid programs with some face-to-face learning required. This article also goes over the methodology used to find and rank the top programs.
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Methodology
Many prospective students will want to know the methodology behind how we created this list. We started out with a look at the National Center for Education Statistics, which maintains an updated list of colleges in the United States and statistics relating to higher education. The data provided by that resource includes the most recent information available to our team. The 10 college and university campuses included on our list offer the best options for those who want to get a cheap Ph.D in Information Security online degree.
One of the top things that prospective students search for is the cost of going to school. Traditional programs can easily charge $15,000 to $20,000 or even more, and that tuition rate does not include all the other expenses that students have. Our list shows those students that they can get an information security doctoral degree and spend less than $10,000 a year.
In addition to using the statistics available to us, we also looked at the College Navigator designed by the National Center for Education Statistics. That helped us find out which colleges offer information security degrees and which of those degrees are available at the Ph.D level. We then identified which of the schools offered the lowest rates for its students.
After looking at a list of more than 50 campuses with online programs in information systems and security systems, we began looking for the most affordable options. We also used the tuition costs detailed by the College Navigator to rank schools from the most expensive to the most affordable. Our list puts the more expensive schools at the top and the cheapest ones at the bottom.
Ranking Low-cost Online Information Security PhD Programs
What Careers are Open to Those with an Information Security Degree?
Those enrolled in online information security Ph.D programs likely already have some professional experience and work full-time or part-time while in school. Those students will want to know what they can do with their degrees and how much money they can make in those careers too. The research that those students do when working on their dissertations will help them succeed in academia. They can work in community colleges and for universities. Small business owners as well as those who own large corporations hire these specialists to oversee information technology departments. Those workers are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of all the technology products used by workers and for securing data supplied by customers. There are positions available in financial institutions like banks too.
How Much Do Information Specialists Make?
The amount that these workers can make per year will depend on factors like work experience, job title and location. Security managers can earn around $100,000 a year, but the salary for department heads and directors can climb into the range of $110,000 to $120,000 a year. Chief information security officers can earn more than $190,00 a year. The median wage for a college professor is around $75,000 a year, but some professors earn more money because they teach more classes every semester. Some may work as adjunct professors and only teach one or two classes in a semester while working a full-time IT job. Vocational schools and community colleges typically pay less than four-year colleges and universities do.
Are There Any Related Disciplines Within the Field?
One discipline within the information security field is something called disaster recovery. This refers to the professionals who come in after a disaster and help recover some of the information stored on computers, hard drives and other devices. They might respond to calls after a flood sweeps through a business, a tornado tears through a town or a fire breaks out in a retail shop. Disaster preparedness professionals teach their clients tips that they can use to back up and save their data before a disaster strikes. Some of the students studying information systems want to work in the education field. Not only can they work in colleges and schools to teach information and computer science to others, but they can work on the design of new products that students will use. The business industry has a high need for IT and systems security workers too.
What Are Some of the Tasks That These Specialists Handle?
The duties that these professionals perform on the job will vary based on the job description. College professors not only teach classes, hand out and grade assignments, but they also meet with students in private settings to work with them on projects and serve as advisers to incoming freshmen and older students. Information security analysts are the ones who analyze the information available to them to help clients and employers make decisions on what they can do to increase their safety. Many employers require that these workers join professional organizations too and that they take part in conferences and other special events. This ensures that those workers remain up to date on all advances in the industry.
Can Students Use Loans for These Programs?
While our list of cheap online information security Ph.D programs include schools that charge a tuition rate of less than $10,000 a year, that may still be too much for some students. Students who need more help can borrow money from the government in the form of unsubsidized student loans. The government allows students to borrow $20,500 per year while in a professional program, and some students may qualify for a little more in loans. Students can continue borrowing money until they hit a maximum of $138,500 while in graduate school or a professional program. The maximum amount allowed will include any loans taken out during a student's undergrad days.
Are There Any Other Funding Options Available?
There are other funding options available for those who want to get an information security doctorate online. One option is tuition reimbursement, which is when an employer agrees to reimburse a student for tuition and other expenses. This is a popular option for those who already work in the security industry and those who can show their employers that getting a degree will benefit the company. Information security online Ph.D students can also deduct a portion of their tuition and other expenses on their taxes the following year. Some scholarships are also available for Ph.D candidates too. These scholarships come from organizations and corporations, and some schools offer both scholarships and grants for online students also.
The schools listed are the not only the most affordable of the degrees in information systems, but they are also some of the best in quality. These schools are excellent options for anyone looking into degrees in online Ph.D in Information Security.
