MS in Digital Forensics
A 30-credit master's delivered fully online, and the cheapest per-credit accredited graduate route into digital forensics that we were able to verify.
Type: Degree & academicStudentsWorking practitionersCareer changers
Offered by University of Central Florida
The facts
- Cost
- $369.65 per credit in-state and $1,276.48 per credit out-of-state, over 30 credit hours. UCF publishes a per-credit rate rather than a programme total, so we do not multiply it out.Figure read 2026-09-12 from www.ucf.edu/degree/digital-forensics-ms
- Prerequisites
- A bachelor's in computer science, computer engineering, IT or a closely related field. Applicants from other fields need basic CS or IT coursework, training or working experience in CS, IT or digital forensics. Requires a résumé, a statement of objectives and three letters of recommendation.
- Format
- 100% online, with an on-campus option for a thesis defence. 30 credit hours.
- Length
- 30 credit hours; the programme page does not state a fixed completion time.
- Renewal
- No renewal or recertification requirement is published for this entry.
- Accreditation
- A public research university with institutional accreditation. No NSA CAE-CD or FEPAC designation was stated on the programme page.
- Who it suits
- A Florida resident, or anyone with a computing degree, who wants an accredited online master's at the lowest verified cost.
- Audience
- Students · Working practitioners · Career changers
- Official page
- www.ucf.edu/degree/digital-forensics-ms
Strengths
- At $369.65 per credit in-state, the lowest verified per-credit cost of any graduate programme in this directory — a fraction of SANS's $1,500 per credit.
- Fully online, so it works alongside employment.
- A named digital forensics master's, not a cybersecurity degree with forensics attached.
- Title IV eligibility, as an accredited degree programme, brings federal financial aid into play in a way no certification does.
Limitations
- Out-of-state tuition at $1,276.48 per credit is more than three times the in-state rate, which changes the calculation completely depending on residency.
- Requires a computing bachelor's or documented equivalent, so it is not open to a career changer from an unrelated field without remedial coursework.
- No NSA CAE-CD or FEPAC designation stated on the programme page.
- Three letters of recommendation and a statement of objectives make this a real application, not an enrolment.
Sources
Costs, prerequisites and exam formats in this field change often, and several providers price by region, cohort or employer agreement. Every figure on this page carries the date it was read and a link to the page it was read from. Confirm current terms with the provider before you spend anything.