Online Doctor of Engineering in Cybersecurity Analytics

Applications for the Fall 2026 are now open. The deadline to submit an application including all official transcripts is July 31, 2026.

Program Description 

The Doctor of Engineering in Cybersecurity Analytics provides students with expertise in cutting-edge cybersecurity techniques, intelligent defense architectures, as well as AI-driven cyber defense and adversarial machine learning, and their real-world applications.  

Graduates of this program are well-equipped to conduct applied research, architect resilient AI-enabled security systems, and lead interdisciplinary cybersecurity initiatives across sectors including defense, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. They are trained to effectively communicate complex cybersecurity concepts and strategies to diverse audiences, making them well-suited for leadership positions and academic teaching roles.

The George Washington University is federally designated as a National Center of Excellence for Cyber Defense Research. The GW Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute (CSPRI) is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation, reflecting the university’s national leadership in advancing secure, trustworthy, and resilient AI-enabled cyber systems.

Curriculum

The degree requires completion of six graduate-level courses (listed below) and a minimum of 24 credit hours of Praxis Research (SEAS 8188). During the research phase, the student writes and defends a research praxis on a topic related to Cybersecurity Analytics. The topic is selected by the student and approved by the research advising committee.

Learn More About the Courses

SEAS 8600 Resilient Enterprise Security Architecture: Explore the intersection of threat intelligence, vulnerability management, and secure design. Master architectural thinking and frameworks like MITRE and AI-TRiSM to build resilient, requirement-driven security models for specialized technologies. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8505 Applied Machine Intelligence and Reinforcement Learning: Theory and practice of machine learning leveraging open-source tools, algorithms and techniques. Topics include intelligent model training, support vector machines, deep learning, transformer methods, GANs, and reinforcement learning. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8610 AI-Enabled Cyber Defense: Application of AI to automate the detection of complex threats. Approaches for real-time anomaly detection in network traffic, automated malware analysis using GANs, and deployment of RL agents for autonomous incident response. Privacy, Differential Privacy, and Federated Learning. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8414 Analytical Tools for Cyber Analytics: Survey of analytical tools for analyzing cybersecurity data with particular attention to the use of data analytics procedures in supporting appropriate cybersecurity policy decisions. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8620 Adversarial Machine Learning - Detection & Defense: In-depth study of the security of ML models including evasion attacks (adversarial examples), poisoning attacks on training data, and model inversion. Students will develop robust training techniques and defensive distillation methods to protect AI systems from manipulation. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8499 Praxis Development for Cybersecurity: Overview of research methods. Aims and purpose of the praxis. Development of praxis research strategies, formulation, and defense of a praxis proposal. Praxis proposal defense must be passed before the student is admitted to degree candidacy to undertake praxis work. (4 credit hours)

SEAS 8188 Praxis Research for Doctor of Engineering in Cyber Analytics: Independent applied research in cybersecurity culminating in the final praxis report and final examination for the degree of Doctor of Engineering. (24 credit hours)

Admissions Process

Review the Admissions Requirements

• Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, applied science, business, computer science, cybersecurity, information technology, or a related field from accredited institutions.
• Applicants with other majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants without sufficient mathematics background (2 college-level calculus courses) may be required to take EMSE 4197* as a prerequisite course.
• A minimum graduate-level GPA of 3.2
• Capacity for original scholarship.
• TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or PTE scores are required of all applicants who are not citizens of countries where English is the official language.  Check our International Students Page to learn about the SEAS English language requirements and exemption policy. Test scores may not be more than two years old.

Note: GRE and GMAT scores are not required.

Please note that our doctoral programs are highly selective; meeting minimum admissions requirements does not guarantee admission.  

*EMSE 4197 Quantitative Methods: This course provides a mathematical foundation for doctoral studies.  It is an overview of a number of topics that are normally covered in finite mathematics, first and second semester calculus classes, and concepts of Probability.

Apply for Admission and Submit Supporting Documents

Apply for Admission

• Attach up-to-date Resume
• Attach Statement of Purpose – In an essay of 250 words or less, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study at The George Washington University. Describe your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. Discuss your qualifications including collegiate, professional, and community activities, and any other substantial accomplishments not mentioned.
• Send Official Transcripts – Official transcripts are required from all institutions where a degree was earned. Transcripts should be sent electronically to cyberdoctorategwu [dot] edu (cyberdoctorate[at]gwu[dot]edu) or via mail to:

Online Engineering Programs
The George Washington University
800 22nd Street NW, Suite 2885
Washington, DC 20052

• Pay $85 application fee (non-refundable)

Normally, all transcripts must be received before an admission decision is rendered for the Doctor of Engineering program. 

Remain Engaged in the Admissions Process

You will receive emails from us updating you as your application goes through the admissions process.